SMCA Entrepreneurship Center for Economic and Social Innovation
Leadership, Service, and Ethical Decision-making
The Entrepreneurship Center for Economic and Social Innovation at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy (SMCA) is dedicated to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit of our students while providing guidance on how to use their newfound entrepreneurial skills for the betterment of humankind. The overall goal of the center is to motivate emerging leaders to become agents of change who will improve society by solving the world’s problems through for-profit or nonprofit businesses. The core values of our student businesses rests on Christian principles.
The SMCA Entrepreneurship Center for Economic and Social Innovation has the following core focus areas:
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship Course (classroom education)
- Philanthropic Education and Service-Learning (community service projects)
- Business Plan Competitions (mastery)
- Internships (mastery)
Course Offered Fall & Spring: Intro to Entrepreneurship (.5 Credits)
Prerequisite: Elective for juniors or seniors
The Introduction to Entrepreneurship course emphasizes learning through experiences. Students participate in experiential learning opportunities that allow them to develop a solid foundation of basic entrepreneurial principles including understanding the role of the entrepreneur, conducting business ethically, creating and leading companies that advance social change through innovative solutions, and learning principles of marketing, economics, human resources, selling, financing and business management. The final capstone project will require students to create formal business plans for an actual business start-up and present their business ventures to a panel of successful Austin entrepreneurs and investors.