Dream Incubator Program (DIP)
The Dream Incubator Program (or DIP, as we call it) launched this spring as a pilot project rooted in a simple belief: when you give kids real tools, real mentors, and real trust, they don’t just learn, they lead.
It kicked off with a 2-day Dream Ideation Workshop, where youth ages 10-18 were invited to explore their passions, brainstorm ideas, and imagine what kind of business, product, or creative project they might want to build. From there, we put out a public call for applications and while we wish we could’ve accepted everyone, we had to cap it at 12 spots (and later opened it to 15 when we saw how independent some of the kids were).
Over the course of 10 weeks, from February 1 to mid-April, our young entrepreneurs built their brands from the ground up. This wasn’t a class or a curriculum, it was a creative accelerator.
We brought in mentors who were local creators and small business owners to guide them through every phase:
Branding & Logo Design with Larry (Lifted Creative Studio) – shaping identity and visual language
Passion & Profits with Carrie (Solid Seven) – valuing your work and building the financial mindset behind starting, running, selling, and growing your business
Media & Marketing with Whitney (Kitt & Bunn Supply Co.) – crafting brand stories and building authentic connection online
Display & Packaging with Kristin (okbet), Reina (Reina Young Designs), and Emiko (M33MS Designs) – leveling up how products are presented and experienced
Along the way, we hosted open work days, giving participants time and space to build with support from mentors. These days were full of creative breakthroughs, thoughtful conversations, eating baked goods by someone testing out something in the kitchen, and funny moments shared between friends figuring things out together.
To help prepare for the big day, we hosted a Mock Market Day, where participants got to practice setting up, breaking down, and selling their products. They even took turns being customers — and didn’t go easy on each other. It was a fun, competitive day that gave everyone a chance to test their pricing, pitches, and setups in a low-stakes, high-energy environment.
Some of our young entrepreneurs were even interviewed live on the news and featured in an online article. It was amazing to see them sharing their voices and ideas with a broader audience and showing just how ready they are to lead.
The journey wrapped up at The Future is Keiki Market, where every youth launched their brand in front of the community. They handled sales, shared their stories, and connected with customers face-to-face. And in a beautiful full-circle moment, every single one of them donated a portion of their profits to help fund future Vivistop programs.
The Dream Incubator Program isn’t about perfection or pressure. It’s about voice, vision, and momentum. It’s about saying: You’ve got something inside you, let’s build around that.
