High School Students Build Real Startups at Cedarville University's Entrepreneurship Camp

COLUMBUS, Ohio - EntSun -- What happens when students are challenged to stop consuming ideas and start creating solutions?

At Cedarville University's 3rd Annual Entrepreneurship Camp, the answer was on full display.

After an intensive week of innovation, creativity, business development, and mentorship, student teams took the stage to pitch startup ventures before judges, parents, and a worldwide livestream audience. The event marked the culmination of a hands-on entrepreneurial experience designed to help students identify real-world problems, develop meaningful solutions, and communicate their ideas with confidence.

Throughout the week, participants learned how to identify market opportunities, create value proposition statements, build minimum viable products, validate customer needs, develop business models, and present compelling business pitches.

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Student teams presented concepts including AI-powered learning glasses designed to improve student success, mold-detection technology intended to protect homes, dormitories, hospitals, and businesses from costly damage, online shopping tools to help consumers avoid scams, and several other innovative solutions addressing real-world challenges.

Students also learned a lesson often overlooked by first-time entrepreneurs: protecting their ideas. Before taking the stage, teams documented and protected their intellectual property through Instant IP, reinforcing the principle that innovation creates value only when it is properly protected.

The competition's top honor went to Kinora, an app designed to help children facing serious illnesses connect with other young people experiencing similar challenges.

"The winning team demonstrated something powerful," said Oberbrunner. "They didn't start with a product. They started with people."

The week was also shaped by speaker Tunji Adebayo. He told campers before the final competition. "I was created to do something unique and something distinctive. And if I do not do it, it will never be done,"

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That message became a defining theme throughout the week as students transformed ideas into ventures and uncertainty into confidence.

The Entrepreneurship Camp is one of several initiatives connected to Cedarville University's Berry Chair of Entrepreneurship. The camp also reflects Cedarville's growing commitment to entrepreneurship education. Beginning in Fall 2026, Cedarville University will launch its new Bachelor of Science in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, providing students with a unique opportunity to combine business education with hands-on innovation experiences.

Developed through a partnership with the International Center for Creativity, the program equips students to identify opportunities, solve complex problems, launch new ventures, and create meaningful impact across industries and organizations. Students will graduate with practical entrepreneurial experience, innovation frameworks, and the leadership skills necessary to thrive in an increasingly dynamic world.

The next generation of innovators isn't waiting for the future.
They're already building it.

Join us June 2027 for the next camp. https://www.cedarville.edu/event/academic-camps/cue-camp