A. G. Gaston Business Institute

Name

A. G. Gaston Business Institute

Legal name

A.G. Gaston Business Institute

Website

https://gastonbusinessinstitute.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE), Marketing, Branding & Sales Skills (EDAMAHAG), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship education
• Small business training
• Startup bootcamps
• Pitch competitions
• Business mentorship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Registration Fees: Revenue from workshop and summer program registrations. The Wix Web Design Workshop charges $25.00 per participant.
2. Sponsorships and Partnerships: Corporate and community sponsors fund programs and operations. The institute actively seeks sponsors through a dedicated sponsor letter and partnership outreach.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The A.G. Gaston Business Institute delivers youth entrepreneurship education programs for aspiring business owners ages 9-24 in Birmingham, Alabama. Its offerings include the START SMART five-day program and one-day bootcamp, recurring workshops on business planning, branding, marketing, and financial literacy, a semiannual Young Entrepreneurs' Marketplace at Pepper Place, and an online Young Entrepreneurs Business Directory that lists youth-owned businesses.

Product overview

The A.G. Gaston Business Institute operates a multi-component youth entrepreneurship development platform consisting of the START SMART Young Entrepreneurs Program (a five-day intensive), START SMART Bootcamp (one-day version for organizations), regular Workshops (business planning, marketing, finance), the Young Entrepreneurs' Marketplace (semiannual pop-up marketplace at Pepper Place), and the Young Entrepreneurs Business Directory (listing for youth ages 9-24). All programs are designed to empower young entrepreneurs ages 9-24 with education, resources, connections, and visibility to succeed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• START SMART Young Entrepreneurs Program: A five-day program designed to equip middle and high school business owners with skills and knowledge to transform their side hustle into a thriving business. Includes interactive workshops and a pitch competition with cash prizes.
• START SMART Young Entrepreneurs Bootcamp
• Young Entrepreneurs' Marketplace

Products and services

• START SMART Young Entrepreneurs Program
• START SMART Young Entrepreneurs Bootcamp
• Young Entrepreneurs' Marketplace
• Young Entrepreneurs Business Directory
• Workshops
• Wix Web Design Workshop for Young Entrepreneurs

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-day intensive program with pitch competition and cash prizes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Innovation DepotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation Depot serves as the primary venue for START SMART Summer Program and Young Entrepreneurs' Marketplace events. Located at 1500 1st Avenue North, Birmingham, it provides the physical space for entrepreneurship education programming.
• Pepper PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPepper Place at 2829 2nd Ave S hosts the Young Entrepreneurs' Marketplace events, providing a premium venue for youth entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products to the Birmingham community.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DECA: DECA is a student-led organization preparing emerging leaders for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management, with a strong entrepreneurship track that includes pitch competitions and business plan events. It targets the same high-school demographic as AGGBI's START SMART program.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE operates youth entrepreneurship programs, pitch competitions, and teacher training focused on students from low-income communities, closely mirroring AGGBI's mission of turning side hustles into viable businesses for ages 9-24. It is a direct competitor in youth entrepreneurship education and pitch-competition programming.
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA-PBL): FBLA-PBL is a student business organization that runs business skill competitions, leadership conferences, and entrepreneurship events for middle school, high school, and college students. It competes for the same high-school student audience and corporate sponsorship dollars.
• Junior Achievement: Junior Achievement is the largest youth entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work-readiness education nonprofit in the US, serving K-12 students with curriculum, after-school programs, and events. It directly competes with A.G. Gaston Business Institute for the same student audience, school district partnerships, and corporate sponsors (Mastercard, for instance, is a JA partner).
• 4-H: 4-H is the largest youth development organization in the US and runs entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs through local clubs and cooperative extension offices nationwide. It overlaps with AGGBI in delivering entrepreneurship education to youth via community-based partnerships.
• Junior Achievement of Alabama: Junior Achievement of Alabama is the state-level chapter of JA serving Birmingham-area schools with in-class and after-school entrepreneurship programs. It is the most direct local competitor to AGGBI for both school partnerships and Alabama-based corporate sponsors.

Emerging players

• EVERFI: EVERFI delivers digital financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and career-readiness curricula to K-12 schools and partners with corporations (including Mastercard) on CSR-funded education initiatives. It competes for the same school-district partnerships and corporate CSR sponsors as AGGBI.
• Uncharted Learning: Uncharted Learning provides high-school entrepreneurship curriculum and educator training that turns student teams into real ventures, with competitions and incubator pathways. It is an emerging player whose curriculum-licensing model overlaps with AGGBI's START SMART bootcamp-to-schools delivery.

Regional players

• REV Birmingham: REV Birmingham is a Birmingham-based economic development organization that supports small-business owners, entrepreneurs, and local commerce initiatives in the Birmingham metro. It is comparable in geography and small-business support mission and is a natural regional partner or competitor for local entrepreneurship programming.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national youth development nonprofit that offers entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and workforce programs through local club affiliates. It shares AGGBI's youth-development mission and church/community-channel approach but operates at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GastonBusinessInstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a-g-gaston-conference
• Instagraminstagram.com/aggastonbusinessinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A. G. Gaston Business Institute