Bowman School Students Pitch Biz Ideas to Icon Venture Partners

Elementary students at Bowman International School (located in Palo Alto) had the unique opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a real VC firm.  On November 26, three teams of 4th-6th grade students met with Charles Beeler and Tom Peterson of Icon Venture Partners to give their marketing presentations, receive feedback and participate in a Q&A session. 

During the month of November, Bowman students completed an intensive 3-week BizWorld workshop, which taught them the four main stages of the entrepreneurial cycle through problem solving and cooperative learning within teams.  These teams formed friendship bracelet companies that developed their own marketing campaigns, determined whether to seek VC or private funding, tracked their financials, created logos, videotaped commercials and managed different job roles and strengths.

Students pitching to the VCs also learned about the media world as KQED Radio was on site to record them giving their pitches and aired a story later that week.

Bowman International School is an innovative, WASC accredited Montessori school serving K-8th grade students in Palo Alto, Calif.  Founded in 1995, the independent, non-profit school inspires children to love learning in an academically challenging and internationally aware program that promotes respect, responsibility, and independence.  Alumni of the school have graduated from top local high schools and colleges including Princeton, Stanford, UCLA and Yale.