BestPrep

BestPrep is a Minnesota-based nonprofit organization that provides five educational programs to Minnesota students. Do you know each one? Let's start with its longest standing program – Classroom Plus!

Classroom Plus has been around since BestPrep (formerly BEEF) first opened in 1976, bringing real-world learning into the classroom through guest speakers, mock interviews, workplace tours, and more. Stillwater High School was the first to participate, and the program has continued to grow ever since!

We're proud to create meaningful experiences for students and educators alike. As business teacher, Sumaya Mohamed, at Como Park Senior High School shared, “BestPrep is by far one of the best resources I have used to support my classroom as a business teacher. My students have greatly enjoyed the opportunities BestPrep has provided for us. They do such a great job of reaching out and setting up everything to make teachers' job easier. Without them, we would be losing a lot of meaningful experiences for our students. We thank them for everything they have provided for us."

Learn more about Classroom Plus at https://bestprep.org/classroom-plus/

A single summer can change the trajectory of a young person’s life, especially for Dean Breuer, the CTE Business and Marketing Specialist at the Minnesota Department of Education and a BestPrep board liaison.

🔗 Read more about Dean’s time as a Minnesota Business Venture student and how it led him to where he is today: https://bestprep.org/dean-breuers-path-to-success-with-bestprep/

Today is Empowerment Day!

Students had a fun last full day of camp packed with activities. The day started with a keynote from speaker Eric Forstrom, the Executive Director of Customer Treatment Risk Program at Wells Fargo. He shared helpful tips and tactics for successful presentations. He inspired confidence which carried over as students started to share their new innovations in their business plan presentations. There were many incredible ideas and we’re sure the judges struggled to pick a favorite.

In the afternoon, speaker Markus Flynn from Black Men Teach joined us to share his experience as a black educator into his new role as executive director. He turned dreams into actions and encourages students to pursue their passions.

To end the day we had exciting Minute to Win It challenges! The energy only continued as students went to the dance to enjoy their last night!

We are so proud of all the campers and all of their wonderful ideas we cannot wait to see what they’ll do in the future!

Thank you to our Empowerment Day sponsor, The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation!

Ever wondered how parents perceive BestPrep? Meet the parents of not one, but TWO student alums – Mary and Meetul Shah!

Both of their children attended our summer camp and had amazing experiences, one of which was named BestPrep’s 2026 Student of the Year!

See what they had to say below 👀

Campers had a packed schedule for Financial Freedom Day!

Students participated in both mock interviews and a career expo. In the mock interview, students practiced their communication skills and experienced what an interview is really like. The career expo gave campers time to learn, network, and engage with local corporations.

After, there were philanthropy breakout sessions presented by local organizations that explained the importance of community service, nonprofits, and giving back to the community. Later on, we had financial literacy breakout sessions that covered essential topics such as identity theft, how to pay for college, credit, and investing.

Thank you to today’s sponsor, Piper Sandler Companies!

Today is Entrepreneur Day!

Campers started the morning on an energetic note with an exciting Just Dance led by the CEO's. Campers then went into business plan breakout sessions to work on their projects with professionals in three fields: operations, marketing, and finance. They were able to get direct help and feedback on their business plan and collaborate with other companies, while gaining valuable entrepreneurial skills in preparation for their business presentations at the end of the week.

Afterwards keynote speakers Olivia Keller and Luke Nilles shared about 'Starting a Business. They presented about the process and the thought behind creating CognitionIQ while engaging with other businesses and responsibilities. They developed a virtual reality system to detect concussions and monitor brain health. At the end they shared valuable advice about focusing on small achievements, having balance as well as good time management, and learning to work with a team. Tonight campers will be able to go bowling to end off the fun day!

Thank you so much to VOYA for sponsoring today's activities!

Today at MBV, we started the day with Camp Jam, where students took part in fun team building activities like water bottle flipping, scarf juggling, and many other games. Then we heard from our keynote speaker, Judy Park, who shared the importance of building your personal brand and standing out. After that, we attended breakout sessions where campers learned about resumes, interviews, mental well being, and technology in today’s workplace. We ended the day with a dinner picnic, giving students and staff time to relax, connect, and have fun together.

Thank you to today’s sponsor, The Arby’s Foundation, for supporting today’s activities!

Yesterday, we kicked off the second session of Minnesota Business Venture! After registration, we heard an inspiring keynote speech from Amee M. of the UMN Carlson School of Management Impact Lab. She shared her rocky journey during her freshman year of high school and how those challenges helped shape her success. Campers met with their companies and got to know each other through a scavenger hunt. We ended the day with Junk Night, where students were given a variety of random items and challenged to create a product to sell.

A big thank you to Friday's Dare to Dream sponsor, Marathon Petroleum St. Paul Park Refinery!

Hi everyone!

We’re Zayna Kaba (Breck School), Nawal Nur (Eastview High School) and Isidro Simon Garcia (Northfield Senior High School)! We’re so excited to be session two’s Communications Specialists (CS) for Minnesota Business Venture (July 17th-22nd).

We’ll be posting all the fun activities in store so watch out for some great posts and stories!

It’s no exaggeration that BestPrep alters the course of peoples’ lives in more ways than one – especially for long-time supporter, Andy Hennig.

🔗 Read more about the impact BestPrep has on his personal and professional life: https://bestprep.org/andy-hennig-a-life-changed-by-bestprep/