Student clubs have always been a highlight of the Storm King experience. Whether organized by the School or conceived and run by students, clubs help their members discover new interests, develop leadership skills, make like-minded friends, and have fun. This year, two SKS juniors combined their passions for entrepreneurship and innovation to create what has become one of our most popular student clubs. Meet Anton B. ’24 and Felipe M. ’24, the founders and leaders of the SKS Startup Club.
Q: What is the objective of Startup Club?
Anton: “We wanted to give students the opportunity to learn content from a real startup school. Felipe was already familiar with the online platform Expacer.com. We also wanted to help other students understand the process of creating a startup. During our meetings, we promote teamwork, leadership, critical thinking, and problem solving skills. Ultimately, the main goal of our club is to inspire and enable the next generation of innovators and change-makers.”
Q: Whose idea was it to form this club and what inspired you?
Anton: “I’ve always been passionate about becoming an entrepreneur. Back in Germany I’ve founded my own startup. Throughout the process, I’ve learned a lot that I would like to pass on. Before, I wanted to create my own club based on entrepreneurship, but there was no partner I could imagine running it with. Luckily, Felipe came to Storm King and he shared his experience about startups with me. He did a program in the Silicon Valley to learn the process of creating startups. One day we were talking and he told me his idea of creating a startup club to pass on his knowledge. Spontaneously, I told him about my interest in entrepreneurship, so he asked me to join him and create the club. Now, we meet every Tuesday during common work and we have the pleasure to work with around 10 highly motivated students.”
Q: What projects are you working on?
“Our main project, which carries on throughout the year, is having members plan their own businesses from having a simple idea to being able to pitch their vision in front of others. In addition to that, we are passionate about passing on our knowledge to help prevent them from making the same mistakes we did in our journeys. We base our lessons on classes that Felipe took in Silicon Valley. Every session, we provide our members with new tasks and materials to work on. In May, we’ll have the chance to talk to the owner of a successful startup so that our members can learn from him. At the end of the school year, we will host a pitch contest where students will have the opportunity to pitch their idea in front of judges and possibly win prizes.”
Q: What does the club brings to its members?
“It inspires and encourages them to have the will to change the daily activity of humans around the world, and to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, think outside the box and challenge themselves. Startup Club is equipping students with the skills, knowledge, and the mindset needed to succeed as entrepreneurs and innovators in the current technological world, and to make a positive impact beyond their communities.”
Kudos, Anton and Felipe, and all of the hard-working members of the SKS Startup Club!
