Inspiring Girls in STEM with Entrepreneur Mindsets

According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of youth in primary school today will likely work in roles that do not currently exist. To prepare youth for future careers they have yet to imagine, VentureLab developed a unique curriculum for K-12 geared toward practicing problem-solving, thinking creatively, turning mistakes into opportunities, and more. 

This challenge is especially pronounced for girls, who are not given the support or encouragement they need to pursue careers in STEM fields. Women and girls are underserved in STEM fields, and in the last decade, all-female invented patents constituted only about 4% of issued patents, according to the USPTO. This is unacceptable; educators are in drastic need of resources, curriculum, and tools to engage girls in STEM, develop entrepreneurial mindsets, and prepare them for the careers of the future.

VentureLab has witnessed the impact of this phenomenon on students in all 50 states and over 155 countries. Our programs touch students of every background, but always uncover a common theme; girls are systematically excluded from the support and encouragement they need to pursue the careers of the future. Support for educators and direct program delivery to students is sorely needed in order to close this gap.

The purpose of VentureLab is to provide an engaging and easily accessible STEM-focused entrepreneurship curriculum to K-12 educators and caregivers so that youth, especially girls, will learn the mindsets and skills needed to prepare them for their future careers and success.

Each entrepreneurial mindset and skill connect directly to STEM subjects through our activities. For example, in engineering, the mindset of ‘curiosity’ teaches students to think of new ways to solve the problems in their community and ‘empathy’ in engineering teaches students to put the needs of the users first in their product designs. 

The organization was made with girls in mind, and we offer the majority of our curriculum, educator guides, and online resources for free so that socioeconomic status, or lack of funding for a school or nonprofit program, is not a barrier to learning and so that students can follow their passions and become leaders in whatever career path they choose.

The Idea to Pitch program is our core program to directly reach students, specifically designed to help close the opportunity gap for underrepresented youth. The curriculum is available for K-12, with a grade-appropriate version developed for grades 1-2, 3-5, and 6-12. Every entity receives customized professional development training for an unlimited number of educators. Customization examples include in-class, virtually, in an after-school program, summer camp, and more. VentureLab provides each program with an “activation kit” that includes student workbooks, an instructor guide, posters, stickers and other hands-on materials for students to ideate and create prototypes. Educators also have access to our suite of resources, including downloadable lessons, activities, and videos in English and Spanish.

We reinforce the impact of Idea to Pitch with teacher training, coaching and professional development to empower educators to guide their students as they maximize STEM skills and prepare for the careers of the future. The intervention is effective and requires minimal investment from schools, making it easy to scale to schools around the country.

The primary beneficiaries are students, schools, educators, parents and caregivers, community and non-profit programs, and camps for K-12 youth.  Over one-third of the schools who use our curriculum self-identify as high-need schools serving lower socio-economic youth.  We also designed our curriculum with girls in mind since girls are underserved in STEM fields.

VentureLab is a national organization but has a direct focus on serving communities. The organization partners with schools and community-based organizations to understand community needs and continually adapt the program to serve the students in greatest need of support.

Our goal is to see an effective combination of programming and community partnerships alter the academic trajectory of girls in STEM. By showing students what they are capable of accomplishing, they will broaden their academic horizons and develop the entrepreneurial mindsets needed to thrive in the careers of the future.

Though VentureLab is a national organization, it has its roots in the community it serves. VentureLab’s founder, a Latina entrepreneur working in STEM, saw a distinct connection between STEM and entrepreneurship, but a lack of women in the field, and a lack of education and opportunity available – especially for girls and youth of color. Her experience was the inspiration for VentureLab and a continued touchpoint as programs evolve.

As VentureLab has grown to serve students in all 50 states and over 155 countries, the organization continues to foster connections and lean on community-based organizations to stay connected to the needs of schools and student populations. As a partner of the CS Mott Foundation, VentureLab is connected to a nationwide network of afterschool programs, which directly connects staff to community leaders across the country. These community connections ensure our programs are driven primarily by community feedback and need.

VentureLab programs are transforming the lives of students around the world, reaching over 600,000 students in all 50 states and over 155 countries.

VentureLab has built a program that is scalable and proven to positively impact the lives of students, but we are in need of strategic partnerships to reach as many students as possible. Through diligent, community-led program development, our organization has built partnerships that have connected our programs with students. We are now at a tipping point where, with the type of logistical support and thought leadership provided by MIT Solve, we could transform education for an entire generation of students.

In particular, our organization needs support exploring the expanded use of technology and evaluation. The next phase of VentureLab’s growth will require independent evaluations of the VentureLab program & impact visualization correlating VentureLab intervention with Social Emotional Learning and academic outcomes. The funding, guidance, and peer support provided by this program would be invaluable as we launch that process.

VentureLab is led by Executive Director Desma Deitz, who oversees the implementation of all VentureLab programs. Desma is passionate about youth development and has spent her career creating and promoting programs that support kids’ education, health and wellness. From her first job out of college at her local Girl Scouts council to her time leading social ventures at UNICEF USA, Desma has remained committed to finding solutions that promote equity and access for all children. She’s also inspired by the use of technology to accelerate social progress and is proud to lead the VentureLab team as its Executive Director. Desma lives in Austin, TX and is deeply connected to the populations VentureLab strives to serve.

There is no shortage of STEM programs for students, but VentureLab is unique because of its focus on entrepreneurial skills and mindsets as the basis of future student success. Teaching STEM skills alone isn’t enough; with most students eventually performing careers that are not yet even imagined, it’s vital that they develop a mindset that will allow for the easy applicability of academic skills in the workplace.

Additionally, VentureLab’s focus on girls is innovative and geared toward catalyzing change in how educators work with students. Historically, girls do not receive as much encouragement or support as boys in pursuing this type of work, which is reflected in the disparity in patents received by male and female inventors. By intervening at a young age, VentureLab is laying the groundwork for a paradigm shift that will positively impact girls and women over the long term.

VentureLab has established an incredible reach and impact over a short period of time. The organization is now at a point where some of its initial students are matriculating into higher education and the workforce, shining valuable light on the impact and areas for growth of our programs. Our next phase of growth will compel VentureLab to understand the ways the program has impacted their career trajectories and incorporate it into our program moving forward. This will lock in a continuous quality improvement process that will make our programs even more robust over the next five years.

Additionally, our goal is to see even greater adoption of VentureLab programs. Our connections with State Afterschool networks across the country have opened the door to greater program reach, and we will utilize those networks to reach more students in need and increase our connections at Title 1 schools and with historically underserved communities. Our goal is to see VentureLab as the go-to program for STEM - with a focus on girls in STEM - for schools and nonprofits operating in historically underserved communities.

Our most direct indicator of progress toward our impact goals with be tracking the number of schools, organizations, and other partners we engage with across the country. Our team is working diligently to reach organizations in targeted communities, and consistently achieving those growth targets will be an essential marker of program success. Additionally, we will continue tracking surveys from educators and students participating in the program to ensure new additions to the curriculum are having the intended impact on students.

From the boardroom to the classroom, we are leaving girls behind. While the number of women-owned companies in the US has grown dramatically in recent years, there are still more CEO’s named John than all FEMALE CEO’s of S&P 500 companies. Additionally, looking at some of the major fields in the innovation space, women are clearly outnumbered, and the statistics for women of color are even bleaker. Only 7% of Fortune 500 companies have women CEO’s, which includes only 0.5% for women of color. And in terms of innovation and patent filings, only 18% of patents are filed by women.

The barriers women face in entrepreneurship and innovation don’t just appear in adulthood, they start in childhood and persist through adolescence. In elementary school, girls excel at math and science, and about 74% of girls say they are interested in STEM. By their teens, many girls may lack the confidence to push forward. They aren’t encouraged. They may lack a mentor, and many have never met a woman CEO or woman in tech. By high school and college, we are left with about 14% of girls interested in STEM careers. And once they reach college, girls are outnumbered 5 to 1 in engineering and computing sciences. Studies also show a 60% increase in the propensity to become innovators when exposed to role models in innovation and entrepreneurship during childhood, so it is critical that girls get access early on.

VentureLab prepares girls to lead innovative companies and design the next great inventions. VentureLab accomplishes its goals by intervening when girls are showing interest in STEM and giving them the support, encouragement, and guidance they need to maintain that interest. By implementing this program and ensuring the broadest reach possible, we can create systemic change that will result in more women pursuing STEM careers and taking on leadership roles.

Since the program’s inception, we have seen a significant increase in student interest towards pursuing entrepreneurial and STEM careers and demonstrable improvements in their self-confidence. This data serves as compelling evidence attesting to the efficacy and success of VentureLab programming.

80% of students are more interested in entrepreneurship & owning a business

73% of students are more interested in STEM

82% of students said it gave them new career ideas

82% of students said they were more confident in their abilities

94% of students reported enhanced problem solving skills

90% of direct delivery participants are girls or students of color

82% of students reported having intermediate or advanced skills after their programs

77% of students reported having a beginner skill set before participating in programs

77(+)% of students reported enhanced mindsets across all categories

VentureLab’s work is curriculum-based, but many schools utilize our customizable curriculum for computer science, AI, and aerospace engineering. This gives students an introduction to technology that will ultimately impact their learning and eventual careers.

VentureLab has 5 full-time employees, one part-time employee, and 8 contractors

VentureLab was founded in 2013 and has been refining the program and scaling its ability to deliver the program ever since.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are central to all of VentureLab’s programs. The organization was founded by a Latina entrepreneur with the recognition that most STEM programs are not designed to cater to historically marginalized populations. This was the inspiration for VentureLab’s focus on girls, and extends to its commitment to delivering programs to student populations and communities that are typically excluded from such groundbreaking educational initiatives. Additionally, a core goal of VentureLab is to recruit, hire, and empower women and people of color.

VentureLab works directly with schools, nonprofit organizations, after-school programs, and other community-based organizations to directly provide quality programming to educators and students. As a partner of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, VentureLab interfaces with Afterschool networks in al 50 states, which enables the organization to both stay responsive to community needs and provide access to programming to schools across the country.

Crucially, most VentureLab lessons are available for free online, which eliminates barriers to accessing educational content. This is supplemented by teacher training, direct instruction, and other resources that we strive to provide to schools with little or no investment.

As a nonprofit organization, VentureLab has a diverse portfolio of donors, including individuals, corporations, and foundations. Our organization sustains annual revenue growth and, with the ongoing support of its donors, will continue to scale growth in the years to come.

VentureLab’s most significant success in securing funding came when it secured a large, ongoing commitment from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which both provided the organization with financial support and gave access to a large network of Afterschool programs. Additional funders include the 80/20 Foundation, CenterPoint Energy, and HEB. A more complete overview of donors is available at venturelab.org.

In addition to philanthropic support, we aspire to become a self-sustaining organization through our earned revenue program, licensing VentureLab curriculum to schools and organizations with budgets to support their implementations. Our aim is to grow our earned revenue program to meet our mission to provide access to entrepreneurial education to all students, particularly in marginalized communities.