Seminar Spotlight: 10th Grade Entrepreneurship

Recently, the 10th grade seminar has been focused on entrepreneurship with the Office of Innovation. One of the important skills students are learning—how to make a 5-minute “pitch”—has come with a unique challenge: pitch a product that is genuinely terrible. 

“I asked my 6th grade students to brainstorm and come up with the worst possible product ideas they could think of,” said Jake Ocon, the Innovation Associate leading the seminar. “The 10th graders are randomly assigned one of these diabolically bad products at the start of the seminar period, and they have 20 minutes to assemble a pitch and slide deck before presenting to their peers.” 

Asking students to find ways to pitch a product that is hilariously terrible allows them to focus on the mechanics of a good pitch in a fun, low-stakes environment.

“I love seeing students working to find a path to an effective presentation for a challenging product,” says Mr. Ocon. “If they can develop their presentation skills to highlight the positive in something that is objectively terrible, that will make them even more effective advocates for the good ideas they have in the future!”

Read below to see a full list of the 6th graders' products, as well as photos from the pitch sessions!

6th Grade Product Ideas

• Spiced Ice: A celebrity-sponsored product for flavored ice cubes.
• Battle Bracelets: Fashionable friendship bracelets that happen to cut off circulation.
• Baby Cage: An outdoor structure to help younger children get fresh air with little hassle for parents. 
• Mulch-Mode Flip-Flops: Flip-Flops designed specifically to perform well on playground mulch terrain.
• Cargo Sandals: Sandals with little pockets to help carry your belongings.
• Baby Botox: Botox designed to prevent wrinkly babies.
• The Chill-Wave: A microwave that cools and potentially refreezes food items.