Volunteer with STARTedUP

We’re looking for business professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, and leaders who want to make a difference in education.

Sign up now!

Share your story with a classroom of students in a 30-minute speaking session that connects your professional journey, personal insights, and industry knowledge in a way that inspires students to explore their opportunities. These talks should be conversation-based, and meaningfully engage the class you're speaking with.

Be a Guest Speaker

  • Guest speakers are asked to focus on a combination of the following topics to ensure a well-rounded and impactful experience for the students:

    • How I Got Here
      Share your professional journey, highlighting key moments, challenges, and successes. Explain how you navigated your career path and the pivotal decisions that shaped your trajectory.

    • Industry Experience
      Discuss lessons you’ve learned within your field. Whether it’s insights on leadership, innovation, or specific industry trends, this is a chance to provide students with real-world knowledge that connects to their learning.

    • Advice to My Younger Self
      Reflect on what you wish you had known as a student. What advice would have been helpful to you at the start of your journey? Provide practical tips or motivational insights that students can apply to their own lives.

    • Open Q&A Session
      After sharing your story and insights, the floor will be open for students to ask questions. This will be an opportunity for deeper engagement, allowing students to explore topics that matter most to them.

  • Approximately 30 minutes (20–25 minutes of talking, 5–10 minutes of Q&A)

  • Can be Virtual or In-Person. We'll match you with a classroom based on your preference, location, and availability.

  • Year-round. We schedule sessions as classroom opportunities arise throughout the school year (August - May).

Serve as a mentor to student teams developing entrepreneurial projects in their classrooms. You'll offer guidance, feedback, and industry insights to help students navigate challenges, improve their ideas, and build stronger ventures.

Be a Business Mentor

  • As a mentor, you will be matched with students or teams that have already started developing strong business concepts, with their ventures aligned to your industry expertise.

    Flexibility is emphasized, allowing mentors to choose whether to engage virtually, in person, or both​.

    You may be asked to engage in activities such as:

    • Reviewing business plans or student project updates.

    • Providing industry-specific insights or advice.

    • Offering feedback on student presentations or business pitches.

    • Assisting students with overcoming key challenges in their business development.

    All interactions between mentors and students must occur in a structured and supervised setting, coordinated by the teacher.

  • 5-10 hours over the school year, flexible.

  • Virtual, In-Person, or Hybrid.

  • Main mentorship activity takes place between November and May

Important Notice

Signing up as a guest speaker does not guarantee a speaking opportunity. Our team will review all submissions and match speakers based on classroom needs and scheduling availability. We appreciate your interest and will reach out if your profile aligns with a particular classroom’s requirements.

How it works

Step 1: Sign Up

Click the button below and fill out the short form to express your interest in either guest speaking, mentoring, or both.

Step 2: Matching Process

We’ll review your application and you’ll be matched with a classroom or student team that aligns with your expertise.

Step 3: Engagement

Once matched, you’ll be contacted by us to coordinate details for your guest speaking or mentorship session.

Volunteer Sign Up Form

Industry leaders making a difference

Amazing entrepreneurs and experts have inspired our students by calling into classrooms.

Jesse Cole
Founder of Fans First Entertainment & Owner of the Savannah Bananas

Tiffany Haddish
Actress, Stand-up Comedian & Founder of She Ready Foundation

Tim Ferris
Entrepreneur, Author & Lifestyle guru.

Jocko Willink
Retired US Navy SEAL, Podcaster & Author

Our Educators:
Sarah Ackerman

“As an educator, I've always felt a gap between the real-world and the classroom.

Then I found STARTedUP's Innovation Accelerator, and suddenly, that gap started to close.

For the past five years, this program has given me the tools, the network, and the support to teach outside the box, and prepare my students for the future by creating businesses. It’s been so fulfilling to connect them with industry leaders, and even celebrities. When I don’t have an answer for a question - these mentors do!

But, most importantly this fellowship has given me hope that real, lasting change in our education system is possible.”

— Sarah Ackerman, 5 year Innovation Accelerator participant

Your support is vital.

We know your success speaks volumes—whether in business, entrepreneurship, the arts, or leadership.

This is your opportunity to share your experiences with over 12,000 students in our nationwide network.

With your help, we can equip classrooms with the tools they need to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers, and even become entrepreneurs.

This is your chance to get hands-on and make a tangible difference where it truly counts.

Ready to advance classrooms, student businesses, inventions, and ideas?

Sign up here