Ecolab has been a cornerstone of our mission to equip Minnesota students with essential career and financial literacy skills since BestPrep was founded. In 1976, their commitment began with then-CEO E.B. Osborne, who supported the establishment of the organization that would become BestPrep through leadership and funding. Bill Podas, VP at Ecolab, served on our […]
It’s Empowerment Day at Minnesota Business Venture (MBV)! Thank you to The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation for being today’s sponsor. Many exciting events happened throughout the day, including business presentations, two engaging speakers, a competition called Minute-to-Win-It, and a dance! The opening presentation was made by Eric Forstrom, Product Strategy and Operations Executive from […]
We made it to Day 3 here at Minnesota Business Venture! Today’s theme is Entrepreneur Day! A special thanks to our sponsor, Cargill, for making today possible! Students started with mock interviews and our very own Career Expo; designed to enhance collaboration and career readiness while putting their skills to the test. The expo provided […]
The first week of Minnesota Business Venture 2025 is underway! We’re thrilled to host campers and staff at The University of St. Thomas for a week focused on business and essential life skills. The theme for Day 1, “Dare to Dream,” is brought to you by our sponsor at 3M. A huge thank you to […]
BestPrep is excited to share that two alumni of our Minnesota Business Venture program, Bezawit Leykun and Mercy Ncube, have been selected as Voya Scholars for 2025. These two students are among only five selected nationally for this honor. As Voya Scholars, each student will receive a $10,000 scholarship as well as professional development opportunities […]
We’re excited to announce that one of Minnesota’s own InvestWrite winner has earned national recognition! Henry M., a 4th-grade student from Oxbow Creek Elementary School in Champlin, placed 10th in the nation in the Spring 2025 InvestWrite elementary school division! Henry participated in the InvestWrite essay competition after completing The Stock Market Game™ (SMG) in […]
As we conclude another academic year, BestPrep is proud to recognize Piper Sandler as our Featured Partner for their outstanding dedication to student success over the past 44 years. Piper Sandler began supporting BestPrep financially in 1981 and became a founding member of The Stock Market Game™ in 1991, helping introduce students to financial literacy […]
When Laura Dunham joined the University of St. Thomas in 2017 as the Associate Dean of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, Bob Kaitz saw an exciting opportunity. He reached out to explore a potential partnership between St. Thomas and BestPrep’s Minnesota Business Venture (MBV), a successful summer program that helps high school students build skills […]
