Avoid this
- Focusing on the product instead of the customer's problem
- Skipping customer validation
- Using unrealistic market or revenue assumptions
High school project idea · Business & Entrepreneurship
Pitch the Next Big Thing
Bring your entrepreneurial skills together by building and pitching a startup idea that solves a real problem.
Great founders inspire confidence by solving meaningful problems with thoughtful ideas.
Original Compass project by Davisville LabsReviewed August 2026Goal real work, evidence, and reflectionEditorial standards →
Why this project matters
Learn by doing something real.
Entrepreneurs don't simply invent products. They identify meaningful problems, validate demand, communicate their vision, and persuade others to believe in it. This capstone project combines customer research, branding, financial thinking, and communication into one professional startup pitch that demonstrates entrepreneurial thinking from start to finish.
What you will create
Your project plan
Use these deliverables as milestones for Pitch the Next Big Thing. Adapt the details to your interests, available time, and real-world opportunities.
- 01
Problem and opportunity brief
Define a meaningful problem, explain why it matters, and identify the people most affected by it.
- 02
Customer validation report
Interview potential users, summarize their feedback, and explain how it influenced your startup idea.
- 03
Business model overview
Describe how the startup creates value, earns revenue, reaches customers, and grows over time.
- 04
Investor-style pitch deck
Create a polished presentation that communicates the opportunity, solution, market, business model, competition, financial overview, and future vision.
- 05
Founder presentation and reflection
Present your startup to an audience, gather feedback, and publish a reflection describing what you learned throughout the process.
Make the work stronger
What separates a finished project from a meaningful one?
For Pitch the Next Big Thing, use these checkpoints to protect the quality of the work without turning the project into a performance for admissions.
Evidence that it is working
- Identified a meaningful problem
- Interviewed potential customers
- Created a realistic business model
If you want to go further
- Enter a local or national student business competition
- Present your startup to a local entrepreneur for feedback
Skills you can build
Capabilities that travel beyond this project.
LeadershipCommunicationStrategic ThinkingFinancial ReasoningProfessional Presentation
College application value
Use the project as evidence, not decoration.
Demonstrates initiative, leadership, creativity, resilience, communication, intellectual curiosity, strategic thinking, and the ability to synthesize multiple disciplines into one meaningful experience.
InitiativeLeadershipCreativityProblem SolvingIndependent Learning
The goal of Pitch the Next Big Thing is not to manufacture an impressive activity. Do real work, keep evidence of the process, and reflect honestly on what changed.
Related college majors
Which fields connect to this work?
Use Pitch the Next Big Thing as a clue, then open a related major guide to compare coursework, career directions, reality checks, and other ways to test the field.
Major guide
Entrepreneurship
Learn how to turn an uncertain idea into something people value.
Major guide
Fashion Business
Study how fashion moves from idea to product to customer through brands, buying, merchandising, marketing, and global business.
Major guide
Product Management
Learn to decide what a team should build, why it matters, and how to move from an ambiguous customer problem to a useful product.
How this guide was made
Read editorial standards →Pitch the Next Big Thing is an original Compass educational starting point designed around real work, visible evidence, feedback, and reflection. It is not an admissions guarantee.
Ready to build it?
Try this project in Compass