The Future Founders Club gives students direct exposure to entrepreneurship by connecting them with business founders and industry professionals. Founded by sophomores Clayton Sacha, Evan Yepuri and Sawyer Goldstein, the club addresses what its leaders describe as a lack of practical business experience available to students at the school. 

For them, the idea emerged from noticing that many students were interested in business careers but lacked access to professionals in the field. 

“A lot of people are interested in pursuing a job in business,” Sacha said, “but don’t really have a lot of opportunities to hear from actual professionals.” 

While several clubs at the school focus on finance and markets, entrepreneurship itself has received far less attention, leaving a noticeable gap in hands-on exposure to building a business.

“There wasn’t anything that actually talked about starting those businesses,” Sacha said, referring to the gap between learning about markets and understanding how companies are built. 

To address that gap, the club centers its meetings on guest speakers. Founders and business owners describe how they built companies and what their work involves. 

“I think you can learn a lot from hearing from someone (who) day in, day out runs a company and manages employees and manages customer relations. You can learn a lot about what that job looks like on a day-to-day basis,” Goldstein said.

Attendance has grown steadily, with meetings often drawing larger crowds than expected for a first-year club, particularly when guest speakers are present. Yepuri said turnout reflects strong interest across campus and speaker events consistently attract the highest participation because students want exposure to real founders and their experiences.

“People are attending and showing interest, they’re asking good questions – not just coming to come, but rather coming to engage,” Yepuri said.

Running the club requires consistent effort outside meetings. Leaders handle outreach, scheduling and communication with speakers, often through cold emails. Sacha said securing speakers is the most difficult part. 

“It’s hard to bring in someone who has enough qualifications that’s willing to sit down for that period of time,” Sacha said.

The club also emphasizes a collaborative culture. Members are encouraged to contribute ideas and help identify potential speakers. 

“The goal is to create a community where everyone is engaged and participating rather than a passive audience,” Goldstein said.

Through its programming, the club has also addressed misconceptions about entrepreneurship. Speakers emphasize that success in business is unlikely at a young age without preparation, pushing students to focus instead on education, experience and building connections.

“The probability is so low and we don’t have the education yet, (so) it’s worth it to go get an education, get out there, form a network, (and) form connections,” Yepuri said. 

A long-term goal is sustainability. The founders want to ensure the club continues beyond their time the school and becomes a lasting part of campus life.

“I think the goal would be that we could eventually pass it down to the next generation of Marksmen who could then carry on the idea from there. A lot of clubs die out after the founders graduate, so I think if it could be continued, it’d show a lot about the club and values in its mission,” Goldstein said.