Destination Innovation campers joined Koch Disruptive Technologies for an interactive entrepreneurship challenge.
The young judges had a choice to make.
One company promised a future powered by autonomous trucking technology. The other pitched a backpack-mounted parachute propulsion system. Before deciding where to invest, the judges pressed both teams with tough questions.
How would the company make money? How long would it take to see a return on investment? Was there really a market for the product?
While this may seem like a scene from a TV show or venture capital boardroom, it was actually part of an interactive entrepreneurship challenge hosted by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) for participants in Camp Destination Innovation.
For more than a decade, Destination Innovation campers have visited the Koch Wichita campus to gain hands-on experience with entrepreneurship, investing and innovation. The experience is one component of the nearly monthlong Camp Destination Innovation program, which helps expose underrepresented youth to careers and opportunities centered on entrepreneurship.
The goal is simple: help young people discover what's possible and inspire them to create economic opportunity by solving problems in their own communities.
The day began with KDT employees pitching two mock businesses modeled after the kinds of opportunities investors evaluate every day. As judges, campers were challenged to think like investors, analyzing risks, identifying customer needs and deciding whether a business idea could succeed.
Then the roles reversed.
It was now the campers’ turn to develop and present business ideas of their own. The campers were divided into two teams. The exercise required creativity, collaboration and critical thinking as campers worked through challenges entrepreneurs regularly face, from refining ideas to identifying customer needs and communicating their vision to others.
In the end, one team developed an idea to help address food insecurity in the city by collaborating with grocery stores and restaurants to distribute leftover food, while the other pitched creating a digital art marketplace to provide aspiring artists with new opportunities.
Beyond entrepreneurship, the experience helped participants develop skills they can use throughout their lives, including public speaking, problem-solving, resilience and confidence.
Most importantly, the activity reinforced a powerful message — their future is not defined by their circumstances. Each of the campers has the ability to create value, lead others and make a positive difference in their communities.
“When students have professionals take their ideas seriously, share their experiences, challenge their thinking and invest their time in them, it sends a powerful message,” said Marquetta Atkins, Camp Destination Innovation founder and director. “Your ideas matter, your talents matter, and there are people willing to help you get where you want to go.”
The experience left a lasting impression on many campers, with several describing it as one of the best field trips they had ever attended.
For some, Camp Destination Innovation becomes much more than a field trip.
In 2018, Jayda Kelly participated in the program and visited Koch for the first time. Before that experience, she had never heard of the company. This year, she returned to Koch as a summer intern.
Her story is a reminder of what's possible when young people are given the opportunity to see new possibilities for themselves.
And judging by the enthusiasm of this year's campers, she may not be the last Destination Innovation participant to find her way back to Koch.
