Created in 2022, the Frank & Eileen Incubator and Accelerator programs have helped Marlborough students cultivate understanding and initiative for business, entrepreneurship and financial management. The overall program is divided into the Incubator and the Accelerator.
When the program began, it was an accelerator program for those with product or business ideas. Some students were already selling, some had a prototype and some just had a problem they wanted to solve. After seeing the variety in students’ development phase, the Incubator program was introduced. The intention of the Incubator is to help young entrepreneurial students build their businesses or products by providing support with the basic steps. Students come in with a problem and throughout the course, they discover solutions by experimenting with product models.
The Incubator program gives students a $100 seed fund for the creation of their solution for the year that they are in the program. A seed fund is a given amount of money to help develop a business idea or sample and turn it into a marketable product.
In the Accelerator program, students have a $1,000 seed fund to take their business or product to the next level, whether it’s introducing it to the public or testing it with consumers. In this program, they further explore revenue models, go-to-market strategies and methods to attain customers. The program provides mentor connections and one-on-one meetings with Sun Migliacci, the head of the Accelerator program, to discuss ideas and opportunities for weekly progress. The year is spent preparing their product for commercial launch.
A special feature of these programs is their availability to students who don’t go to Marlborough. Open to high school student entrepreneurs across Los Angeles, the program has at least one student who does not attend Marlborough, and the school provides transportation to enable these students to participate. The goal behind this aspect of the program is to offer a bit of Marlborough’s advanced entrepreneurship resources to students around the city.
Aside from seed funding, any Marlborough student is eligible to apply for a Bloom Grant, funded by the Corner Cafe. The Bloom Grant is where students present their business to a panel, and if accepted, they receive funding from the Corner Cafe’s proceeds.
The first step students take when applying for the grant is stating their problem and the steps they have taken to solve it. Students then present why they need the funds and how they would be used to elevate their product, business or app.
“I’m very excited when students apply for the Bloom Grant because it’s something that’s underutilized,” Engineering and Entrepreneurship Program Head Catie Mino said. “You get funding or money to do something, and the application gives students a framework to think.”
Lorelei ’26, a senior in the Accelerator program, prepared for her pitch at the CEI showcase.
“With only three minutes to present, we’ve been learning how to modify our pitches without taking out essential information,” Davis said. “I’ve learned to condense my concept into just the essentials.”
Davis’ business PRioritized aims to help the problem of the anti-environmentally friendly beauty industry by creating a service that allows beauty influencers to redistribute their waste to PR companies. Through the Accelerator program, she got the opportunity to communicate with influencers and people in the beauty industry to understand the cosmetics business.
Although it might feel daunting for someone interested in entrepreneurship to dive into the program, there are many opportunities to get started. Additionally, Mino encourages interested students to sign up for the LAUNCH sessions, which are workshops during lunch that teach lessons for entrepreneurs, such as personal finance and application tips.
Aside from the LAUNCH sessions, there are electives such as Entrepreneurship 101, Engineering and Invention for Impact and Finance 101. There is also an annual hackathon during the fall semester where students practice developing entrepreneurial solutions and inventions.
Marlborough’s entrepreneurship programs came to an end on May 16 with the Pitch Showcase, where students shared a three-minute presentation about their product or business and its purpose and journey. This was helpful for students to see how their product are perceived by potential consumers, make additional capital and get input on how they can improve.
The application process for these programs includes a written portion, a video portion, which is new as of 2026, and an in-person interview with Mino or Migliacci. These steps assess if there is a place in the program for a student and which program most suits an individual’s needs.
