International Baccalaureate Program | Carrollwood Day School (CDS)

[custom-breadcrumbs]

Entrepreneurship Institute

The CDS Entrepreneurship Institute serves as the hub of innovative, student-centered initiatives that develop agency, creativity, and problem-solving to prepare and inspire our Patriots to better the world. 

The Programs
The Entrepreneurship Institute programs collectively foster an entrepreneurial mindset, bridge classroom learning with real-world application, and empower students to become proactive problem solvers and leaders within their communities. From elementary school through upper school, there are opportunities for developing, honing, and preparing our students for the future. 

  • Design Sprints - Methodology training and the entry point for problem solving.
  • Patriot Pathways - Highly interactive, student-centered networking and career exploration experience. The Patriot Pathways Portal connects current students with a wide array of internships, mentorships, and opportunities from alumni and community partners.
  • Ohman Patriot Pitch Award Endowment - A high-energy entrepreneurship competition where upper school students pitch their innovative ventures to a panel of judges for recognition and support.
  • Patriot Spark - a high-stakes pitch  competition designed specifically to ignite entrepreneurial thinking and presentation skills in middle school students. 
  • Patriot Labs - Portfolio building opportunity for students, where the goal is to work solving real school challenges.
  • Yumtrepreneurs - Program for our elementary entrepreneurs where they work with our dining service (Flik) to create their own food truck business, design menu items, market the day, and serve the entire CDS community
  • The Forge Incubator - For students with launch-ready ventures. This is the capstone of the entrepreneurial portfolio. Launching 26-27

Click below to watch the recent WFLA Daytime Segment with the Director of Entrepreneurship, Brendan Brennan and one of our upper school students. 

EXPLORE MORE

In this Section

The entrepreneurship programs at CDS channel the strengths of IB into structured action. They give students the tools, experiences, and support to move from curiosity to creation, testing ideas in real-world contexts and learning through doing.

Brendan Brennan, Director of Entrepreneurship

Patriot Pitch

Upper School Students

A high-energy entrepreneurship competition where students pitch their innovative ventures to a panel of judges for recognition and support.

CDS is partnering with the University of Tampa’s Lowth Entrepreneurship Center. Teams work with UT students, professors, and startup founders to mentor their pitches and ideas. Prior to the Patriot Pitch, students are given the option to participate in design sprint workshops with Tampa business leaders, where they move from idea to prototype while practicing entrepreneurial mindsets.

Patriot Pathways

Connect. Explore. Advance

The standard career fair has been reimagined at CDS. The Patriot Pathways event is a career and innovation conference that connects students with industry leaders and emerging opportunities across Tampa Bay and beyond. This one-day experience put students face-to-face with the people, ideas, and opportunities that are shaping tomorrow.

The day begins with a rally and keynote speaker to establish the vision, followed by dynamic lightning talks from alumni and community leaders. The main event is an interactive internship fair that connects students directly with opportunities, followed by a closing panel featuring real-world insights and a live student Q&A. 

By blending inspiration, networking, and hands-on exploration, the summit empowers every grade level to imagine, prepare for, and actively shape their next step on the path.

Yumtrepreneurs

A lower school venture

Entrepreneurial thinking starts young at CDS, and with this student-run food venture program, we combine culinary creativity with real-world business skills. With two cohorts (1st & 2nd graders and 3rd through 5th graders) meeting once a week, the excitement for this project is palpable. 

Students have the opportunity to work with our food service providers, FLIK, the CDS Dads Club, the CDS Marcom department, a parent YouTube content creator, and the Director of Entrepreneurship. From menu creation to graphics and marketing, students see firsthand how to take an idea to completion, with the culmination being a day running the CDS food truck.

Discover so much more...

Based on your selections, here's a glimpse of what your day at Carrollwood Day School could look like: