Mexico High School senior Tyler Stone spent part of his summer at Harvard University, participating in the prestigious On-Campus Summer Business Academies. Tyler enrolled in the Business: Entrepreneurship Academy, a program designed to teach students about the fundamentals of launching a startup. It was held June 28-July 1, according to a news release from Mexico Public Schools.

“I found out about it while searching for camps or activities this summer that involved business,” Tyler said, in the release. “At the end of the week, we had a competition where each team pitched a business idea to a panel of professors acting as investors. My team and I placed first out of eight or nine teams — and we actually had real investors approach us after our presentation who were interested in funding our idea.”

During the weeklong program, students took notes, brainstormed ideas, and worked in teams to create an original business concept. They conduct market research, complete a SWOT analysis and build a business plan before delivering a final pitch.

Tyler said his team came together in a unique way.

“I was actually late the first day and couldn’t sit with the group I expected to,” he said with a laugh. “I ended up teaming up with two students from Ukraine and one from Texas, and we ended up being a really strong group.”

Tyler’s lifelong exposure to business played a big role in his decision to attend the program. “I’ve always been around business,” he said. “My parents owned three businesses when we lived in St. Louis, and two after we moved here. I’ve always enjoyed all things business-related and thrive in a business setting.”

The program gave Tyler and his teammates hands-on experience in startup development, including conducting customer research, analyzing product-market fit and crafting a persuasive elevator pitch. Their innovative idea impressed the panel so much that it drew interest from real-world investors.

Now, Tyler and his team are hoping to take the next step — traveling to an accelerator in Silicon Valley this October to seek additional funding and connect with leaders in the startup world.

The Business: Entrepreneurship Academy is led by current Harvard undergraduates who work for Harvard Student Agencies (HSA), the largest student-run company in the world. HSA instructors are carefully selected, with only about 15% of applicants accepted to teach. The curriculum is fast-paced and designed for students of all experience levels.

People can find out more about Harvard: The Academies on its website.