Entrepreneurship
hero-banner
At Dunn School in Los Olivos, California, entrepreneurship isn't a club or a one-off elective — it's one of the most comprehensive pre-college entrepreneurship programs in the country.
Through the Robert W. Jurgensen (RWJ) Entrepreneurship Program, students from 9th grade through graduation run real businesses, manage a real $600,000+ investment fund, earn college credit, and take their own ideas from prototype to store shelf. By graduation, students who fully engage have logged 750+ program hours, earned six college credits, completed internships, and built a real portfolio of work.
What is the Jurgensen Entrepreneurship Program?
Many schools offer an entrepreneurship club or an occasional pitch competition. Dunn offers a full, sequential program that starts in 9th grade and runs through graduation, spanning business management, investment strategy, marketing, product development, economics, and more. With roots extending back to 1974 and built on the legacy of pioneering teacher Bob Jurgensen, the RWJ program gives students genuine responsibility — real budgets, real customers, real stakes — not simulations.
What real businesses do Dunn students run?
Students operate three real, revenue-generating businesses, managing everything from inventory and vendor relations to marketing, finance, and technology:
- Jurgensen's Market — a high-tech convenience store and apparel shop (~$35,000 annual revenue) where students handle operations end to end.
- The Earwig Café — a coffee and snack shop (~$12,000 annual revenue) that becomes a delivery service for boarding students by night; students earn food-handler certifications and run the finances.
- Dunn Merchandise — a print-on-demand online apparel store on Shopify (~$5,000 annual revenue), teaching e-commerce and digital marketing.
Do students really invest real money?
Yes. While some schools play stock-market games, Dunn students in the Jurgensen Investors and Philanthropists class manage a real $425,000 fund using a value-investing philosophy — building an intentional portfolio of strong companies to hold for the long term, using the same tools and analyst resources real investors use. The fund has achieved a 14% compound annual growth rate since 2011.
How do Innovation and Entrepreneurship work together?
This is where Dunn's range shows up in a single story. In the Innovation program, student engineers design and build real inventions. In Entrepreneurship, those same students learn to brand, market, and pitch what they've made — and the strongest inventions earn a spot on the shelves of the student-run Jurgensen's Market, where real customers buy them. It's one continuous path — engineered, marketed, and sold entirely by students — that turns a prototype into a product. This direct pipeline between the two programs was pioneered by Alex Westcott, and it's fast becoming a signature of a Dunn education.
Can students earn college credit and compete nationally?
Yes. Two RWJ classes offer concurrent enrollment for college credit — Economic Ideas and Issues through Syracuse University and EntreX through the University of Delaware. Dunn also hosts the regional finals of the University of Delaware's international Diamond Challenge pitch competition, drawing 30+ schools to campus each year. Students take on high-stakes, real-world projects with partners including the LA Clippers, the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, and Morgan Stanley — presenting their work to industry experts. Alumni go on to leading business and entrepreneurship programs including Stanford, Babson, USC, Cal Poly, and LMU.
In 2023-24, we became a proud partner of the prestigious Diamond Challenge, an international entrepreneurship pitch competition.
Students from over 30 schools across the nation gathered on our campus to present their innovative business and social entrepreneurship ideas to a panel of esteemed judges.
The top teams received cash prizes and advanced to the Diamond Challenge Summit in Delaware, where they competed for additional awards and recognition.
Hosting this event underscores Dunn School's commitment to fostering entrepreneurial talent and providing our students with unparalleled opportunities to engage with and learn from the broader business community.
Project-Based Learning with Professional Partners
Our entrepreneurship program extends beyond campus, involving partnerships with renowned businesses and organizations such as the LA Clippers, Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort, and Morgan Stanley. These collaborations provide our students with real-world project experience and high-stakes assessments, motivating them to excel.
Our students have the opportunity to work on projects with companies like Windsor, "That is Interesting" (YouTube), Reeds, Timberlab, Pikes Place Market, Dimensional Funds, and Iron-Wood Hospitality. Each partnership offers a unique learning experience and the chance to present work to industry experts, ensuring that students are deeply engaged and motivated.
Building Professional Skills
At Dunn School, we emphasize the development of professional skills essential for success in today’s world. Our students learn personal finance, critical thinking, presentation skills, teamwork, creativity, empathy, leadership, and social awareness. These skills prepare them for both college and professional life, ensuring they can navigate any challenges they may face.
Our curriculum is intentionally designed to allow students to acquire and practice the skills that employers of today and tomorrow demand. Students learn to collaborate in teams, express creativity in the face of incomplete information, practice empathy in customer and product development, and develop leadership and social influence. With these skills, they are prepared to succeed in college and their professional lives.
A Legacy of Innovation and Passion
Bob Jurgensen
Former Dunn School teacher Bob Jurgensen inspired generations of entrepreneurs with his ingenious classes and bold teaching style.
The Robert W. Jurgensen Entrepreneurship Program stands on the shoulders of innovative giants. In the late 1970s, iconic teacher and business manager Bob Jurgensen pioneered entrepreneurship courses at Dunn. One of Bob’s students, Michael Boone, who became a global entrepreneur, funded the initial expansion and rebranding of the program. Michael's gift began a long-term strategy to honor teachers like Bob, who have profoundly impacted Dunn students.
Who leads the program?
Today, the RWJ program is led by Alex Westcott, The Director of the Robert W. Jurgensen Entrepreneurship Program. Alex co-developed Earwig Inc. — the class that became the backbone of what the program is today — and pioneered the direct pipeline between the Innovation and Entrepreneurship programs. The program stands on a long legacy: teacher Bob Jurgensen pioneered entrepreneurship courses at Dunn in the 1970s, and alumnus and global entrepreneur Michael Boone funded its expansion, beginning a tradition of honoring the teachers who shape Dunn students.
The spirit of entrepreneurship at Dunn has always been fueled by student passions. From Michael Boone’s student movie nights in the '70s to Sunny McCleur’s Earwig Cafe, Keegan Mitchell’s crypto mining operation, Jeff Wang’s Earwig Foundation investing, and Abe Storey’s Innovation clubs, our students' enthusiasm and creativity inspire us to build more and dive deeper. The current Robert W. Jurgensen Entrepreneurship Program is a true reflection of our students' passions, our teachers' expertise, and our community's rich history.
