Helping to inspire the next generation of business professionals through real-world experiential learning
Business Professionals of America Inc., (BPA) is pleased to announce the establishment of a new partnership with Quarter Zero, the entrepreneurial experience for young people. This new collaborative partnership will offer BPA student members with a passion for entrepreneurship an opportunity to experience what it is like to build a real startup. Through the Quarter Zero experience, student members will further develop entrepreneurial skills, strengthen their startup mindset, and foster their ability to solve problems in a competitive and rapidly changing world.
“We are thrilled to further our mission to power the potential of young people through this partnership with BPA,” said Joshua Collins, Founder & CEO of Quarter Zero. “It’s a perfect complement and next step for BPA students looking for an immersive, real-world entrepreneurial environment and want to work hand-in-hand with top industry advisors to shape and guide their passions and ideas.”
The objective of this partnership is to enhance classroom learning by offering students an introduction to real-world programs, opportunities, and mentors that will prepare them to pursue their goals in a 21st century workforce. With two different programs for students to participate in, Quarter Zero brings students together with industry advisors to develop a business venture that can be pitched to stakeholders in the startup world. The Catapult Incubator program is a six-week immersion program that meets three times in three different cities identified as entrepreneurial hubs. The Startup Bootcamp is a 10-day program of discovery and ideation that introduces students to need-finding techniques and entrepreneurial skills they can apply to current and future startup ideas.
“Quarter Zero will immerse students in an exploratory adventure of learning and hands-on activities, which will build today’s youth for successful futures in business. Quarter Zero will take students idea’s and turn them into reality. Business Professionals of America gives students the foundational skills to build a start-up, and Quarter Zero will take it to the next level,” says Dr. Louann Ross, Director of Education for Business Professionals of America. This program will extend what BPA offers to students regarding competitions to connecting them to the professionals who have experienced what it means and takes to build a successful start-up.
As part of this collaborative partnership, Quarter Zero will be sponsoring the Secondary Division Small Business Management Team Competition with $2,500 Tuition Awards per team member on the National Championship Team for the Catapult Incubator program, as well as co-sponsoring the Secondary Division Entrepreneurship Competition with Northwood University honoring the National Champion a Full Tuition Award to one of their summer Startup Bootcamps. In addition, Quarter Zero will be rolling out a sponsorship for BPA State Conferences in 2019, by presenting $1,000 Tuition Awards for their Catapult Incubator program to each Secondary Division State Champion in the Entrepreneurship Competitive Event for the 2018-2019 membership year.
“Business Professionals of America is fueled by the success of our students and this partnership will help us continue our mission of preparing today’s students to become tomorrow’s business professionals and beyond. There is no better experience than taking what one has learned in the classroom and seeing the theories and philosophies applied in real-world scenarios. Quarter Zero is that vehicle for our students. I am excited to see where this partnership will propel our students,” states Devers.
To learn more about Quarter Zero and their Catapult Incubator and Startup Bootcamp programs, go to: https://www.quarterzero.com. Applications for 2018 programs will be accepted through April 30. To celebrate this new partnership, all BPA students accepted in 2018 programs will receive 10% off of tuition!