Venture Ready

From State NLPS Standards to Classroom Success

Student Coursebooks

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Complete Teacher Resource Suite

Indiana-aligned coursebooks guide students through engaging lessons, authentic activities, and the development of their own ventures.

Complete Teacher Resource Suite

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Complete Teacher Resource Suite

Syllabi, course overviews, pacing guides, unit-by-unit lesson plans, slides, videos, activities, projects, assessments, rubrics, answer keys, and more.

Professional Learning

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Practical onboarding and workshops build teachers’ entrepreneurship knowledge, classroom confidence, and implementation skills.

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Secure online access to downloadable course resources, updates, office hours, implementation help, and the Venture Ready educator community.

Explore Indiana’s Entrepreneurship Pathway

7154 - Principles of Entrepreneurship

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7154 - Principles of Entrepreneurship

Students develop an entrepreneurial mindset while learning to validate problems, solutions, and business ideas. They identify target customers, explore products and services, map the customer journey, build business models, understand startup economics, connect with entrepreneurial resources, and craft compelling pitches.

7147 - Entrepreneurial Operations

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7154 - Principles of Entrepreneurship

Students build the marketing and financial foundations needed to operate a new venture. They analyze markets, segment customers, define a unique selling proposition, create cost-effective marketing campaigns, apply customer relationship management principles, evaluate financing options, prepare financial statements, manage cash, calculate break-even, and forecast sales.

7148 - New Venture Development

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

Students prepare a venture for launch by selecting the right business structure, navigating legal and regulatory requirements, evaluating financing, insurance, and buy-or-lease decisions, and managing limited resources. They create and test a minimum viable product, communicate their business plan, participate in a pitch or showcase, and prepare for startup launch.

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

Students apply everything they have learned by reducing risk, launching a business, and building the systems required to operate it. They establish appropriate legal, business, human resources, operational, marketing, and financial structures while managing the day-to-day realities of a small venture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach us at info@ventureready.education if you cannot find an answer to your question.

1. Is Venture Ready aligned with Indiana’s NLPS Entrepreneurship Pathway?

Yes. Venture Ready courses are built around the current Indiana NLPS competencies for Principles of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Operations, New Venture Development, and Small Business Operations Capstone. Not pursuing certification? Nothing changes, you get the same complete curriculum, and the alignment simply means your program is built on a rigorous, state-vetted framework.

2. Does the teacher need a business or entrepreneurship background?

No. Venture Ready is designed to help teachers succeed regardless of their prior business experience. Course guidance, lesson plans, instructional resources, professional learning, and ongoing support build both subject knowledge and classroom confidence.

3. What is included with each course?

Each course includes student coursebooks and a complete teacher success system with course planning materials, syllabus, pacing guides, unit-by-unit lesson plans, slides, videos, activities, projects, assessments, rubrics, answer keys, and implementation support. Teachers also receive access to the Venture Ready Educator Portal. You can find samples on the Program Preview page.

4. Are resources available to prepare students for the certification exam?

Schools preparing students for the certification exam receive study guides and full-length practice exams formatted to match the real thing.

5. Is funding available?

Yes. All four Indiana entrepreneurship pathway courses are included in the state's CTE funding structure, and the pathway is categorized as a High Value program, the state's top funding tier.

Public schools: Indiana's 30A CTE funding reimburses schools. The 2026-27 CTE Funding Memo lists Principles of Entrepreneurship (7154), Entrepreneurial Operations (7147), and New Venture Development (7148) as High Value Level 1 courses and the Small Business Operations Capstone (7201) is funded at the High Value Level 2 rate.

Private, charter, co-op, and career center programs: Explore Indiana's Career Scholarship Account (CSA) program and federal Perkins V funding as alternative or additional sources.

Last verified July 2026.

View the official Indiana 2026–27 CTE Funding Memo (PDF)

Funding is determined by the State of Indiana and is subject to student eligibility, course enrollment, reporting requirements, annual appropriations, and future state guidance. Schools should confirm funding with their CTE director and applicable state officials.

6. Will there be teacher workshop opportunities?

Yes, we are preparing teacher workshop opportunities. More information coming soon.

7. Where can I find the complete Indiana NLPS Entrepreneurship Pathway?

To learn more about the State of Indiana NLPS (Next Level Programs of Study) click HERE.

Indiana’s Entrepreneurship Next Level Program of Study includes four connected courses, each with state-established standards and curricular competencies. Visit the State of Indiana’s official website to review the complete pathway and course frameworks.

8. Who Created Venture Ready?

Venture Ready was created by co-founders Kristi Mitchell, MBA, and Dr. Brenda Geib-Swanson, EdD, MBA, both Professors of Practice in Entrepreneurship at Butler University. Together, they bring decades of business ownership, corporate leadership, curriculum development, and experiential entrepreneurship education. They designed Venture Ready to give students meaningful, real-world learning experiences and teachers the structure, resources, and support needed to teach entrepreneurship with confidence.

Learn more about Kristi and Brenda

BUILT FOR INDIANA NLPS ENTREPRENEURHISP PATHWAY

From State NLPS Standards to Classroom Success

Student Coursebooks

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Complete Teacher Resource Suite

Complete Teacher Resource Suite

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Complete Teacher Resource Suite

Professional Learning

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Educator Portal & Ongoing Support

Explore Indiana’s Entrepreneurship Pathway

7154 - Principles of Entrepreneurship

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7154 - Principles of Entrepreneurship

7147 - Entrepreneurial Operations

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7154 - Principles of Entrepreneurship

7148 - New Venture Development

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

7201 - Small Business Operations Capstone

Bring Venture Ready to Your School

Frequently Asked Questions

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