High School Students Explore AI, Entrepreneurship at SLU’s Business Innovation Academy
The Chaifetz School of Business, through Summer At SLU, hosted a novel Artificial Intelligence and Business Innovation Academy, a five-day experience for high school students grades 9-12 on SLU’s campus.
The academy, led by Mamoun Benmamoun, Ph.D., associate professor of International Business, and Abhimanyu Gupta, Ph.D., assistant professor of Operations and IT Management, introduced students to entrepreneurship and business development through the appropriate use of AI, while simultaneously providing them with an experience of what college life at SLU is all about.
“Our goal was to help students turn real-world problems into AI-powered business solutions,” said Gupta. “Their prototypes and final pitches demonstrated not only what they learned, but also their growing confidence as innovators.”
Throughout the week, students collaborated in teams to develop AI-powered startup ventures designed to address real-world challenges. Leveraging generative AI, Python, website and mobile app development platforms, and AI agents, each team transformed an innovative idea into a fully realized business concept complete with digital prototypes, functional tools, and investor-ready presentations.
Student teams developed SkyGuard, an AI-powered natural disaster preparedness platform, and EvoFit, an AI-powered fitness recovery application. Both projects featured business websites, mobile app prototypes, and AI agents capable of generating personalized recommendations.
As their ideas evolved, students refined their ventures through a series of classroom pitches and interactive feedback sessions with entrepreneurship experts and MBA students.
The five-day academy culminated in a closing ceremony in the Cook Hall Atrium, where students presented their final startup pitches to family members serving as investors. Demonstrating the entrepreneurial, technical, and communication skills they developed throughout the week, students showcased their business websites, mobile app prototypes, and AI agents while responding to questions from the audience before receiving Certificates of Achievement in recognition of their creativity, dedication, and accomplishments.
“The goal of the academy is never to let AI do the thinking for students,” said Benmamoun. “Instead, we challenge these bright students to think critically, make decisions, and solve problems first, then use AI as a companion to strengthen their ideas. By the end of the week, students weren't just using AI, they were leading it to create meaningful solutions and confidently presenting those solutions to their families.”
The academy is part of Chaifetz ai, an initiative at Saint Louis University’s Chaifetz School of Business to use artificial intelligence in ways that accelerate personal and professional leadership formation.
“A Chaifetz education cultivates critical thinking, ethical judgment, leadership capability, self-awareness, and the ability to create value for others,” said Jackson Nickerson, Ph.D., the Edward Jones Dean of the Chaifetz School of Business. “Chaifetz ai was established to ensure that artificial intelligence strengthens these educational outcomes rather than diminishes them.”
The AI and Business Innovation Academy is helping prepare the next generation of innovators to be ready to critically assess and analyze in different niches, applying AI successfully to both individual and team-building efforts.
Interested in leading a K-12 Summer At SLU camp/academy? Contact Jacob Wierson, director in the office of summer and extended studies, at 314-977-3534 or summer@slu.edu. Learn more about Summer At SLU.