Show Notes: Dan Bauer, a Harvard Business School graduate and independent consultant, talks about the NSLC, or National Student Leadership Conference program, sponsored by Inc Magazine. The program offers a nine-day immersion in entrepreneurship for high school students aged 14 to 18 from around the world. The students are vetted on their GPAs, and the program takes place on six prestigious college campuses, including Yale, Columbia, Duke, Michigan, Cal-Berkeley, and UCLA. The NSLC Origins Story The origin story for the program began with Dan’s business, the MBA Exchange, which focused on career and education consulting. After selling the business in 2016, he decided to find another outlet for teen entrepreneurship education and found that there was room for a better resource with the pedigree of top colleges and a platform for engagement with real-world entrepreneurs from various industries. Dan chose to aggregate best-in-class offerings, such as curriculum, camp teachers, and sponsors, and worked with them to create a successful partnership. Unpacking the NSLC Program The National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) provides campus housing, administration, supervision, academic adjacent components, social aspects, leadership training, field trips, and dorm life for high school students. It also offers a business simulation where students make real-time decisions that impact the share price of a fictitious public company. The competition is augmented by a pitch competition where students form small teams and work together to formulate a business idea using lessons learned about business and entrepreneurship. There are four sets of partners: individual colleges providing dorm space and classroom space, the National Student Leadership Conference providing administration, adult supervision, and teachers from the National Federation of Teaching Entrepreneurship. Inc. Magazine promotes the program and participates in the curriculum and structure. Teachers also participate in the judging panel and presentations for the group going to Columbia. Dan explains what his experience brings to the table and experiences gained through recruitment and outreach to CEOs who want to pay it forward and share their experience and knowledge.  The NSLC Model Dan explains the structure of the business, which is a joint venture between a group of partners, with the NSLC being the core strength. They have a solid foundation in hands-on interaction with students and parents, with full-time staff. Dan handles interaction with entrepreneurs, speakers, and judges, while NFTE handles teacher selection training and placement. Inc. provides promotional support and weighs in on content topics and speaker selection. The conversation turns to building long-term, intensive relationships with schools, which involve multiple administrators on both ends.  Dan explains that the typical profile of students attending is diverse, from introverts to Alpha students who demonstrate leadership and charisma. The teams are built accordingly, balancing EQ and IQ strengths. The diversity of the group, geographically, racial, racially, gender, and interest wise, is a plus for the experience.  The Curriculum and Learning Outcomes The curriculum for the program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of marketing, operations, finance, and leadership. It is an interactive program that includes topics like break even ratios, valuations, partnerships, and strategic alliances. One of the highlights was the introduction of AI in business models, which inspired students to explore new ideas and Dan shares the range of impressive innovative ideas the students developed.  The program fits well with traditional business education programs like Junior Achievement, which has an academic bias and advisors. The program mixes students from various backgrounds into the same classroom, allowing them to learn from each other, teachers, mentors, and pi