Networking Fundraiser • March 22, 2026
Join local business owners and professionals for a one-of-a-kind evening at Penrose Brewing. Network, enjoy craft beer, and fuel the next generation of entrepreneurs at Batavia High School.
The Batavia High School INCubator Entrepreneurship program is raising funds for its end-of-year Pitch Night, product development for students, and classroom upgrades. All funds raised will directly support the BHS INCubator program through the Batavia Foundation for Educational Excellence (BFEE).
Sunday, March 22, 2026 • 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Penrose Brewing Company
509 Stevens St., Geneva, IL
$50 per person — includes food, two beverages, souvenir Penrose glass & brewery tour
11 student teams competing for your donation dollars at MVP & Pitch Night events
INCubator@BHS is a nationally recognized entrepreneurship program at Batavia High School, part of the Uncharted Learning network of approximately 90 schools. Students form actual startups, develop real products, build business plans using the Lean Startup methodology, and pitch to panels of industry judges — all within a single school year.
What sets this apart: a community-driven model where volunteer mentors, coaches, and business resources from the Batavia area provide authentic professional guidance. Students aren't studying business — they're doing business.
Students progress through eight rigorous units designed to mirror the actual experience of entrepreneurs — where speed, adaptability, and real market feedback matter more than rigid planning.
Competitive analysis, value propositions, and identifying real pain points in the market.
Click to learn morePrimary research to understand target markets and validate that the identified problem truly exists.
Click to learn morePositioning, marketing channels, and determining how to reach their audience effectively.
Click to learn moreFoundational finance — estimating costs, setting pricing, and building models to determine viability.
Click to learn moreBuilding a testable Minimum Viable Product with just enough features to satisfy early customers.
Click to learn moreRigorous experimentation — testing all elements. Teams pivot or persevere based on real data.
Click to learn moreGo-to-market strategy, developing detailed plans for acquiring their first paying customers.
Click to learn moreSynthesizing a year of work into a professional presentation for potential investors.
Click to learn more“The INCubator@BHS program offers BHS students an authentic entrepreneurship experience. Students are able to develop, test, and modify their own product or service under the mentoring of experienced industry professionals.”
— Brian Gamlin, Director, INCubatoredu@BHS
We caught up with INCubator student Micah at the 2025 Penrose Brewing fundraiser. His take on what he's learned in the program says everything about why this experience matters.
Asked if his generation is going to take over the world, Micah didn't hesitate:
This is what your $50 ticket supports — students like Micah who are building real skills, real connections, and real confidence.
Register & Meet This Year's StudentsA Christian clothing brand born in the INCubator classroom. What started with black wristbands grew into t-shirts, hoodies, and a rainbow of accessories — each carrying a message of faith. They took the top award at Pitch Night.
This is what INCubator makes possible — students turning personal passion into a real business.
Register & See This Year's TeamsTyson is headed to Indiana University Indianapolis to play Division I soccer and major in business. But his INCubator venture wasn't about sports — it was about people.
That's the power of INCubator — a D1 athlete choosing to spend his time connecting generations and preserving stories. Every student finds their own path.
Register & Support Students Like TysonFrom the stage to the check presentations, every moment captures the energy and growth of our student entrepreneurs. This is what your support makes possible.
The "Shark Tank" style culminating event at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre where student teams compete for seed funding from a panel of industry judges.
Funds go directly to students to help them build MVPs — reducing the personal financial barrier to entrepreneurship and enabling real prototypes.
Technology, collaboration stations, flexible furniture, and high-speed data — creating a space that feels more like a modern business incubator than a classroom.
All INCubator@BHS sponsors are recognized at the March 22nd Networking Event, the end-of-year Pitch Night, and on INCubator@BHS social media. Logo deadline: March 16th.
Your presence and support directly impact the next generation of entrepreneurs. Every registration and every sponsorship helps student teams turn ideas into reality.
The INCubator Entrepreneurship program at Batavia High School is a flagship Career-Technical Education (CTE) initiative that bridges the traditional divide between classroom instruction and the practical demands of the global marketplace.
Part of the nationally recognized Uncharted Learning network of approximately 90 schools, INCubator@BHS is centered on "Purpose-Driven Learning" — the idea that deeper cognitive engagement occurs when students are passionate about the problems they are solving.
The program is specifically tailored for sophomores, juniors, and seniors, functioning as a high-stakes elective that also satisfies the state-mandated Consumer Education requirement for graduation. This means it's a core component of a student's academic progression — not a fringe extracurricular activity.
Batavia High School's adoption of this model was heavily influenced by the success of the inaugural INCubatoredu program at Barrington High School in 2013. By observing the impact of real-world learning and community-school partnerships, BHS leadership recognized the potential to fill critical gaps in traditional vocational training.
INCubator@BHS is a member of a national network of approximately 90 schools utilizing the Uncharted Learning curriculum. Uncharted Learning, a not-for-profit educational organization, provides comprehensive curriculum, teacher training, and ongoing support services. The curriculum is "evergreen" — updated annually with input from industry professionals to ensure it reflects current market trends and technological advancements.
The core of the program is a two-semester sequence that leads student teams through the entire lifecycle of a startup using the Lean Startup process:
For students whose businesses gained traction, the ACCELeratoredu second-year course transitions from a startup simulation into a real-life accelerator — focusing on company formation, legal entities, customer acquisition, and production processes. This demonstrates that INCubator is not a one-year novelty but a sustainable entrepreneurial support system.
A distinctive feature of the BHS INCubator program is its departure from the siloed, single-teacher classroom. While the classroom teacher provides continuity and manages administrative aspects, a significant portion of the instruction is delivered by community volunteers. This creates a bridge between the school and the local economy.
The program utilizes a three-tiered system for community involvement, allowing local professionals to engage at a level that fits their expertise and availability:
This volunteer structure is not merely a cost-saving measure; it is a pedagogical strategy designed to foster "lifelong learning" and community collaboration. By involving local entrepreneurs, students are held to professional standards and receive feedback grounded in the current realities of the Batavia business landscape.
Interested in mentoring? Attend the fundraiser event to learn how you can get involved and directly support a student team!
The culminating "Shark Tank" style Pitch Night at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre is where student teams present their finalized business concepts to a panel of industry experts, competing for actual seed funding. These awards represent a significant transfer of community-raised capital directly into the hands of student entrepreneurs.
The Batavia Chamber of Commerce provides "Inspire Scholarships" to graduating seniors who demonstrate entrepreneurial savvy. Recipients such as Lukas Giesen, who founded the power washing business GTS Solutions, exemplify how INCubator skills translate into actual business ownership — he established a viable business before even graduating high school.
Located at 509 Stevens St., Geneva, IL 60134, Penrose Brewing Company is an award-winning craft brewery known for its Belgian-inspired beers and stunning taproom. The spacious venue provides the perfect backdrop for our fundraiser — an innovative space for innovative students.
This event illustrates the program's ability to bring together the professional interests of the local business community while supporting student ventures. It's marketed as a "one-of-a-kind" opportunity to network with other business leaders while supporting the BHS INCubator program.
The journey begins with problem discovery. Students conduct competitive analysis, develop a value proposition, and identify real pain points in the market. They brainstorm potential solutions and begin evaluating which ideas have the most promise.
This phase teaches students that great businesses start by deeply understanding the people they serve — not by falling in love with a solution too early. The emphasis is on finding problems worth solving.
Teams engage in primary research to understand their target market. This involves identifying potential customers, conducting interviews, and — most importantly — validating that the identified problem actually exists for real people.
Students learn to set aside their assumptions and listen. If the data shows the problem isn't significant, they pivot early rather than investing time in something nobody needs.
This unit focuses on positioning, marketing channels, and customer relationship management. Students determine how to reach their audience effectively — whether through social media, partnerships, events, or direct outreach.
A great example: the student venture GeoFluence used door-to-door outreach to connect local businesses with social media influencers, directly applying the "customer connection" skills from this unit.
Students learn foundational finance and accounting principles. They estimate costs, set pricing, calculate contribution margins, determine break-even points, and build financial models to determine the viability of their ventures.
Understanding these variables is essential — when teams reach Pitch Night, they must be able to defend their financial projections to a panel of expert judges who evaluate the business not just as a school project, but as a potential investment.
This is where ideas become tangible. Teams develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) — a testable version of their product or service with just enough features to satisfy early customers and generate learning.
Fundraising proceeds directly support this phase by providing students with the resources to build real prototypes — reducing the personal financial barrier to entrepreneurship.
Rigorous experimentation and testing of all elements of the business plan. Students collect real data from their MVP and must decide whether to "pivot" (change direction) or "persevere" (double down) based on what they learn.
This is the heart of the Lean Startup methodology — and often the most transformative learning experience, as students discover that failure is not an endpoint but a data point.
Teams plan for market entry, developing detailed strategies for taking their product to market and acquiring their first paying customers. This is where business plans meet reality.
Some teams, like West Exit, generated over $3,500 in real revenue before Pitch Night — showcasing their ability to execute a marketing plan and leverage platforms like Reddit and social media for sales.
The culmination of the course. Students synthesize their entire year of work into a professional presentation for potential investors. They learn to craft compelling narratives, distill complex information, and present with confidence.
The "Shark Tank" style Pitch Night at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre is the public face of the INCubator program. Student teams present their finalized business concepts to a panel of industry experts, competing for actual funding to turn their plans into reality.
The event is described as "inspiring and exciting for all who attend," as it showcases the tangible results of the students' year-long journey and the community's investment.
