As entrepreneurs, we spend a lot of time talking about innovation, disruption, and the future of business. But one question we should be asking ourselves is, where are the next generation of founders actually coming from? Many innovators of today left school because they felt the curriculum wasn’t aligned with the way they think, that it didn’t create space for them to truly disrupt, or think outside of the box, so many founders of today have limited formal education if any at all. It has worked for some, but speaking as a founder, the next generations of entrepreneurs need to have educational spaces that balance innovation and ingenuity while still providing them the skills they need in other academic areas.
Great entrepreneurs are defined by how they think, not what they’ve memorized. Problem solving, adaptability, resilience, and the ability to execute with incomplete information, these are the skills rarely taught directly in traditional education models, which is why it is important to pay attention to organizations that are rethinking how students learn.
In a recent conversation with Lisa Herring of Crimson Global Academy (CGA)—an internationally accredited online private school recognized for its rigor, flexibility, and personalized learning models—one thing became immediately clear: their approach to STEM education closely reflects how entrepreneurs actually operate.
The real shift Lisa described is this: STEM at CGA is not treated as a group of subjects, it is treated as a mindset. Students are constantly framing problems, forming hypotheses, testing ideas, and adjusting based on what the data tells them. That is not just academic rigor. That is how companies are built. Founders rarely have perfect information. They move, test, learn, and refine. Teaching students to operate that way early on is a fundamental change in how we think about education and entrepreneurship.
At CGA, students apply concepts through hands-on experiments, simulations, and projects tied to real problems in their own environments. Herring shared examples of students designing sustainability solutions or building digital prototypes, where the focus is not getting the right answer. The focus is learning through iteration, the lifeblood of a successful business.
Flexibility is another major differentiator. CGA uses an ability-based approach rather than forcing students into rigid age tracks. A student might accelerate in math while progressing differently in another subject, allowing them to lean into strengths without losing core foundations. That kind of customization meets students at every place they are in their educational careers, which builds confident problem solvers who are better prepared to enter a business world and take it by storm.
One of the most important insights Herring shared is that students develop skills traditional systems often overlook. Learning from failure, self-direction, time management, resourcefulness, and understanding how they learn are exactly the capabilities founders rely on when navigating uncertainty. Programs like a Business Incubator and Startup Founders Club, where students develop ideas and pitch them in competitive environments creates direct exposure to entrepreneurship. When students see entrepreneurship as something accessible, not abstract, it changes how they view their own potential and their career paths.
Building the next generation of entrepreneurs is not about pushing everyone to start companies. It is about giving young people the tools to think independently, solve meaningful problems, and adapt in a rapidly changing world. Organizations like CGA are proving that when academic rigor is balanced with real-world application, students are not just prepared for college. They are prepared to build what comes next.
