Through the efforts of dedicated alumni, the Future Entrepreneurs project will be fully funded by Morgan Stanley this year.

Future Entrepreneurs, headed by sophomore business majors Arie Vasilakis and Chris Wetzel, seeks to educate high school students in the greater Pittsburgh area about the basics of entrepreneurship. The project also gives students hands-on experience with creating their own business plan based on the skills learned during workshops.

This year, the project aims to work with eight schools. Students will work in small groups to brainstorm ideas for business plans. Students will work with personal “project mentors,”who will offer suggestions and give feedback on their plans. Guest speakers, including experienced entrepreneurs, will visit the schools. After “Ideas Competition” is held at each school, finalists will come to Carnegie Mellon for a final competition where they present their plans.

Judges will include corporate business leaders, faculty from the Tepper School of Business, and SIFE Executive Board members. Scholarships will be awarded at the end of the competition.

The project’s ultimate goal is to expand into a national competition. Morgan Stanley’s support will be crucial to the project’s success, and is a huge step towards it’s long-term goals.