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Academics
Entrepreneurship Studies
List of 1 items.
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Acquiring skills
That last a lifetime
Steward’s Entrepreneurship Studies program, open to all Upper School students, was developed through a partnership between Steward faculty and successful local entrepreneurs. The program is designed to inspire innovation, build practical business skills, and foster meaningful connections between students and the local entrepreneurial community.
The program is a co-curricular series of experiences that include:
The program is a co-curricular series of experiences that include:
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lectures and discussions with visiting entrepreneurs on campus and in the Metro Richmond area;
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field trips to witness entrepreneurship in action at startups and incubators;
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an internship with a local entrepreneur; and
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participation in creative brief scenarios with local businesses, resulting in a presentation and pitch to local entrepreneurs.
Participation Opportunities
By engaging in the program’s activities, students earn participation credits. These credits are designated as either “Knowledge Credits” or “Creation Credits.” Knowledge Credits are earned by attending Entrepreneurship Studies events such as lectures or lunchtime discussions (1 Knowledge Credit = Attendance at 1 event). Creation Credits are earned by participating in activities that require a significant level of engagement and commitment of time (1 Creation Credit = 5 or more hours of entrepreneurship-related work).
Diploma Endorsement
Students may earn an Entrepreneurship diploma endorsement by completing the following requirements: 10 Knowledge Credits and 3 Creation Credits. Faculty advisors must review and approve all credits prior to graduation during the student’s senior year.
School Year 2025-26
The program offers students two exciting opportunities to collaborate with local businesses. During each experience, students will be presented with a creative brief outlining a real-world challenge. They will then work in teams to develop and present pitch deck solutions, demonstrating their creativity, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills. During the 2025-26 academic year, students will visit the CarMax Innovation Center and LaDiff furniture company.
In addition to these hands-on projects, students in the 2025-26 program will participate in a series of engaging lessons covering essential topics such as marketing, core values, entrepreneurial characteristics, financial statements, and how to deliver an effective sales pitch. These sessions are led by a team of dedicated program advisors and feature guest speakers from Richmond-area startups such as Rusty Jordan and Parker Wright from CarMax, Gayle Turner from Storytellers, Matt White from Spacebomb, Charles George from Publish to Thrive, Sarah Paxton, president and co-owner of LaDiff, Steven Spiro from Richmond SCORE, and Professor Dale Fickett from the University of Richmond.
In the Media
- View the press release and fact sheet that announced the commencement of the program.
- Read these articles from the Richmond media about the launch of the program:
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US Entrepreneurship Trip
"We utilize our business backgrounds to facilitate students’ learning and growth. The Entrepreneurship Studies Program fosters collaboration between the Steward community and the Greater Richmond business community with authentic experiences."
-Angela Coppola, Entrepreneurship Studies Program Advisor
-Angela Coppola, Entrepreneurship Studies Program Advisor
Entrepreneurship at Steward
List of 3 news stories.
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Future Customers, Future Ideas
Steward students tackle CarMax's next big venture -
Standout Spartan: Naiim Byrd '26
A Spartan through and through -
Steward Alumni
Inspiring role models
The Steward School
Inspire the future.
Copyright 2025 The Steward School