ventureLab
On a mission to “make entrepreneurial learning more accessible” since its founding in 2013 by Dr. Cristal Glangchai, VentureLab has grown into one of the most recognized educational nonprofits in youth entrepreneurship education.
VentureLab partners with private and corporate sponsors such as HEB and Atlassian to deliver authentic VBL experiences for students nationwide. VentureLab delivers entrepreneurship education to Utah’s Board of Education, the Missouri After School Network, The Mott Foundation, and America’s largest youth development organization, 4H.
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VentureLab offers three main supports to help young people “develop an entrepreneurial mindset and be able to seek out and create their own opportunities with empathy and creativity”: a comprehensive curriculum costing $120, robust educator training for $200, and direct student programming that costs $4,000 and includes program facilitation. In 2024 alone, over 134,400 students participated while more than 22,000 educators trained in VentureLab programming. The 2024 Annual Report reveals total revenue reached $1,184,503 and expenses totaled $1,157,103, a $27,400 difference.
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VentureLab programs stand out by centering students as designers of their own ventures. The curriculum begins with curiosity-driven inquiry where students explore their innate creativity. Learners then move through group ideation, prototyping, business modeling, and pitching — all structured around iterative problem-solving and continuous feedback.
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Its “educator-first” empowerment model is another signature strength, building teacher capacity to deliver venture-based learning with confidence and fidelity. In 2024 evaluations, 92% of educators reached intermediate or expert skill levels in teaching entrepreneurship after completing VentureLab’s training. The program also rigorously tracks student impact: 81% of elementary students reported learning at least “some” about entrepreneurship, while 84% of student in grades 6–12 developed at least intermediate entrepreneurship skills.
VentureLab cultivates curiosity by encouraging learners to observe and question their surroundings; resilience by framing iteration and setbacks as natural parts of the innovation process; and collaboration by promoting empathy, teamwork, and shared ownership of solutions. In doing so, VentureLab demonstrates how VBL can equip the next generation with both entrepreneurial competencies and the personal agency needed to strengthen their communities.