BonaVia Edu

BonaVia × ExpertEase | Brand, Entrepreneurship and Product Innovation Career Practicum

Marketing, Brand Strategy, Entrepreneurship & Product Innovation Program

Guided by a Co-Founder of MotionGrey, students work through a real brand-growth challenge. Beginning with the consumer, product and market position, they develop brand strategy, content and influencer marketing, a product-launch plan, growth metrics, e-commerce and operating considerations, then combine those decisions into an innovation proposal that can be executed and defended.

  • Grades 9–12
  • 12 Weeks
  • 120 Hours
  • Online
  • No Prior Entrepreneurship or Marketing Experience Required
Apply for a Student Fit ReviewRead Student Stories
BONAVIA · CAREER PRACTICUMBrand GrowthBUILD A BRAND | Understand Users · Define Value · Drive Growth · Operate the System
01Consumer
02Product
03Operations

Mentor & Program Supervisor

Gavin Cheung

Co-Founder, MotionGrey | BC Business 30 Under 30

  • Helped build MotionGrey from a bootstrapped startup into an eight-figure brand
  • The brand has served more than 500,000 customers across North America
  • Experience across product design, brand, customer experience, e-commerce and startup operations
  • Experience developing strategic platform relationships including Amazon and Alibaba

Gavin will guide students in building brand and product judgment from a customer problem, understanding the trade-offs founders make across resources, growth and operations, and turning an idea into an innovation plan with market logic, execution steps and measures of success.

What Makes This Program Different

Students do not stop at a brand idea. They learn how product, market, operations and growth support a company together.

01

Guided by a Founder and Brand Builder

Students learn from a mentor with experience building a consumer brand, expanding e-commerce and business customers, and managing product and operating decisions.

02

One Brand-Growth Challenge Across the Full Program

Consumer research, positioning, product, content, channels, metrics and operations all build around the same brand objective.

03

Creativity Connected to Commercial Execution

Students consider not only whether an idea is appealing, but whether customers need it, the brand can communicate it and operations can support it.

04

Students Make Founder-Level Trade-offs

They explain what deserves priority, what should not be done yet, and which data or feedback would change the next move.

From Entrepreneurial Curiosity to the Real World of Brand Building

Brand growth is not one viral moment. It is the combined result of product, positioning, channels, operations and customer experience.

Students begin with a specific brand or product-growth challenge and examine why customers buy, how the product creates value, how the brand earns trust, how channels reach users, and how inventory, logistics, cost and team execution affect growth. Throughout the project, they ask one question: is this idea not only attractive, but truly operable?

  1. 01Understand the brand, product, customer and current growth challenge
  2. 02Research consumer behaviour, competition and market opportunity
  3. 03Build brand positioning, value proposition and product direction
  4. 04Design content, influencer, e-commerce and launch strategy
  5. 05Examine metrics, operations, supply chain and scaling constraints
  6. 06Complete an innovation proposal and present it to a founder mentor team

Three Connected Dimensions

How Brand, Growth and Founder Decisions Build a Business

The three dimensions answer one entrepreneurial question: why customers should choose the brand, how growth happens, and whether the company can reliably deliver what it promises.

01

Brand and Consumer Strategy

Understand customer needs, positioning and messaging to build a value proposition people can believe and choose.

  • Build customer profiles and need insights
  • Define positioning, messaging and differentiation
  • Design brand content and customer experience
  • Judge whether the brand promise is clear and credible
02

Digital Growth and E-Commerce

Examine channels, funnels, content, retention and e-commerce experience to design a growth path that can be measured and improved.

  • Plan social, influencer and channel strategy
  • Understand traffic, conversion, retention and customer value
  • Examine e-commerce platforms and the customer journey
  • Use evidence to improve the growth approach
03

Founder Thinking and Business Operations

Understand how founders make trade-offs across product, pricing, supply chain, customer experience and expansion.

  • Examine the business model and revenue logic
  • Judge product, price and market fit
  • Understand inventory, logistics and fulfilment
  • Turn a growth idea into a staged operating plan

The 12-Week Professional Journey

From the first consumer insight to a brand and growth proposal that can withstand founder scrutiny.

Six stages build around one brand-growth problem. Students understand the customer and product, establish positioning, communication, launch and operating strategy, then complete the final innovation proposal.

  1. 01

    Weeks 1–2

    Brand, Product and Growth Problem

    Understand how the business creates value, who the current customer is, what the growth objective means and which question deserves investigation.

  2. 02

    Weeks 3–4

    Consumer and Competitor Research

    Analyse customer needs, buying behaviour, competing brands and market trends, identifying opportunity, friction and differentiation.

  3. 03

    Weeks 5–6

    Brand Positioning and Product Value

    Build the target audience, value proposition, brand message and product direction, clearly answering why this brand should matter.

  4. 04

    Weeks 7–8

    Content, Influencers and Product Launch

    Plan social media, creator partnerships, digital storytelling and the go-to-market path, translating positioning into visible action.

  5. 05

    Weeks 9–10

    Growth Metrics, E-Commerce and Operations

    Understand funnels, A/B testing, click-through, retention, lifetime value, and how supply chain, inventory and fulfilment affect growth. Students also design a focused AI tool prototype for a mentor-company brand-growth workflow, supporting consumer insight, product judgment or operations and explaining how it fits into a real business process.

  6. 06

    Weeks 11–12

    Final Innovation Proposal and Venture Defence

    Integrate brand, product, marketing and operating judgment, present to the founder mentor team and explain execution priorities.

Would you like to explore whether this learning path fits the student?

Apply for a Student Fit Review

What Students Complete

Every growth idea must withstand the reality of the customer, data and operations.

Together, these outcomes show how a student understands consumers, builds a brand, designs product and growth strategy, and turns creativity into an executable commercial proposal.

01

Brand and Business Diagnosis

Explain the current product, customer, positioning, channels and the growth problem that deserves priority.

02

Consumer and Competitor Research

Analyse target customers, buying motivations, market trends and competitive differences.

03

Brand Positioning and Messaging System

Build the value proposition, brand voice, core messages and expression of differentiation.

04

Product or Go-to-Market Plan

Design a product concept, audience, launch rhythm, content and channel combination.

05

Content and Influencer Marketing Plan

Plan social content, creator partnerships, digital storytelling and community connection.

06

Growth Metrics and Operating Roadmap

Define funnel, click-through, retention and customer-value measures while considering e-commerce, inventory, logistics and execution.

07

Final Innovation Proposal and Defence

Present the full recommendation, answer questions and explain key trade-offs, risks and next steps.

08

AI Growth Tool Prototype for the Mentor Company

Design a demonstrable AI tool for a focused consumer, product or growth-operations task that can be tested and refined.

Student Experiences

What Students Say

11 student perspectives

These reflections come from students across different BonaVia × ExpertEase career practicums. Each card identifies the student’s original program, mentor background and year.

01

Student A.L. | Marketing Career Program | Mentor background: PwC | 2025

Creating a Launch Plan for a Real Brand

“I honestly thought market research was pretty straightforward: make a survey, find a few statistics, and put everything into a PowerPoint. Then we started working with a real local business, and I realized how much I had missed. We had to understand the customers, study the competition, plan the launch, and write a marketing plan the business could actually use. Some parts of our plan were carried out, which was probably the biggest surprise for me. It felt completely different from handing in an assignment and getting a grade. Something we created was useful in the real world. That was incredibly satisfying. I learned a lot.”
02

Student J.W. | Marketing Career Program | Mentor background: PwC | 2024

How a High School Experience Helped Me Land a Paid Internship

“I completed this program in Grade 12, and it became one of the most useful experiences on my resume. In my first year of university, it was a big reason I landed a paid internship. During the interview, I could explain the entire business process clearly, from market research and strategy to the launch and results. I could explain why we made each decision and answer follow-up questions because I had done the work in depth. I was not repeating marketing terms or trying to make a small school project sound bigger than it was. I knew what I was talking about. Getting that experience before I graduated from high school gave me a huge head start.”
03

Student O.W. | Product Manager Career Program | Mentor background: P&G | 2024

Building a Mentor Connection and Getting an Early Career Head Start

“My mentor was awesome! She taught us, but what I remember most was how she connected with us and shared her own journey. That made the experience feel personal. I was learning from someone who was willing to talk about what her path had actually looked like. I also built connections through the program, and some of them have already opened doors to opportunities I never imagined. Getting that kind of exposure so early feels like a real head start on my career.”
04

Student A.H. | Graphic Design Career Program | Mentor background: Nike | 2023

Bringing Creative Ideas to Life in Real Projects

“It was amazing to see my ideas come to life in real projects. Working on real projects made the skills I was developing feel much more concrete. What stayed with me most was knowing that the work had a tangible impact. That was such a cool feeling. The experience also made my college applications stand out. By the time the program ended, I felt much more prepared for whatever comes next.”
05

Student D.H. | Private Equity & Investment Banking Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2025

From Not Understanding PE to Completing the Full Analysis Process

“Before this program, I honestly wasn’t sure what private equity was. Now I feel like I have a pretty solid idea of how it works. Going through a deal process was a big takeaway in itself because there is so much more to it than I expected. We worked through a CIM, wrote an investment memo, and had to decide whether a company was actually a good buy. That made private equity feel real instead of just being another finance term I had heard before. By the end, I could explain the process in my own words and understand why each step mattered. I learned a lot and would genuinely recommend this program to anyone who is curious about finance.”
06

Student P.S. | Private Equity & Investment Banking Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2025

Learning the Real Day-to-Day Work and Analytical Process

“The first things I learned were more of the day-to-day tasks, like building a CIM and writing an investment memo. We also talked about normalized EBITDA, competitive moats, debt, risk, and how to analyze whether a company is a good buy. At first, some of these terms sounded pretty confusing, but using them in a real project made them much easier to understand. This was not just memorizing definitions or making a basic presentation. We had to look at the information, question the assumptions, and explain our own decisions. I really liked that the work felt close to what people in finance actually do. It taught me much more than I could have learned from a textbook.”
07

Student F.S. | Private Equity & Investment Banking Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2025

Using Program Knowledge in Networking Conversations

“I didn’t know how impactful this program would be, but once I started going to networking events, the small points we learned made a really big difference. I remember reviewing our notes about debt and risk before one event and then using that knowledge to ask a much better question. The person I spoke with actually had a lot to say about it, and the conversation landed really well. Before the program, I would not have known what to ask or how to explain my question clearly. This is knowledge I probably never would have learned otherwise. The program made me much more confident speaking with professionals and helped me feel like I could actually take part in the conversation.”
08

Student A.W. | Finance Career Program | Mentor background: Pender Software Holdings | 2026

Seeing What Finance Careers Really Look Like and Discovering More Options

“Before the program, I didn’t really know what working in finance looked like. I honestly wondered, is it really just Excel spreadsheets every single day? Speaking with a mentor who actually works in the industry put the role into perspective and helped me understand what people really do. I also realized that finance is applicable to so many things, and that investment banking and consulting are not the only paths. The program opened me up to different options and possibilities in finance that I had never considered before. It gave me a much wider view of the industry and helped me think more clearly about what I might want to study or explore in the future. I would absolutely recommend it, especially if you are interested in finance but have no idea where to start.”
09

Student A.L. | Biomedical Career Program | Mentor background: PhD mentor | 2026

Where Research Meets Business

“I joined because I was interested in biomedical science, so I assumed the program would focus mostly on research. I did not expect business to be such a big part of it. A great invention still has to become something people can understand, access, and use, and I had never really thought about that side before. The program taught me to consider the science behind an idea as well as what it takes to bring that idea into the real world. That connection between science and business became my favorite part. I am now planning my own product line, and this experience gave me a much clearer idea of where to begin.”
10

Student J.X. | AI Career Program | Mentor background: Google | 2025

A Program That Completely Changed My Understanding of AI

“Before this program, AI mostly meant chatbots and homework tools to me. I did not realize how much more people were doing with it. Learning how major tech companies use AI was honestly mind-blowing. At school, a lot of students are still told not to use AI at all. Here, I learned how to use it to research, build, test ideas, and solve real problems while still thinking for myself. That completely changed the way I see AI. Most students my age have not had the chance to work with it this way yet, so I feel like I now have a really useful starting point. I would highly recommend the program to students who want to experiment with AI for themselves.”
11

Student A.L. | Software Engineering Career Program | Mentor background: Citadel | 2025

Gaining Technology and Industry Insight Beyond School

“My school had never given me this kind of exposure to technology or the industry. Through the apprenticeship, I started to see what the field looks like outside a classroom. Working with a mentor who is actively shaping the field made a huge difference. I was learning from someone with firsthand knowledge, which gave the experience a completely different weight. It changed what I thought was possible for my future and helped me see technology as more than something I studied at school. It became a path I could actually imagine for myself.”

01/11

Ready to explore whether the program is a good fit?

Apply for a Student Fit Review

Starting Point

Who Is This Program For?

  • Open to students in Grades 9–12
  • No prior entrepreneurship, marketing, branding, product or e-commerce experience required
  • Relevant to students exploring entrepreneurship, brand strategy, consumer psychology, product innovation, digital marketing, e-commerce or business operations
  • Ready to research customers, develop ideas, analyse data and take responsibility for commercial trade-offs

Personalized Learning Design

The entrepreneurial pathway is designed around each student’s existing commercial, creative and execution skills.

The team considers the student’s familiarity with markets, branding, content, product and digital tools, then tailors preparation materials, foundational instruction and stage-specific support. A beginner can first build foundations in consumers, brand and business models, while a more experienced student can take on deeper product launch, growth metrics, e-commerce and operating analysis.

The entry point and project depth may differ, but every student must complete a proposal grounded in the customer, supported by execution logic and capable of withstanding founder questions.

01

Tailored Founder Foundations

Preparation in customers, business models, branding, product, channels and operations is selected around the student’s starting point.

02

Personalized Innovation Pathway

The project can place greater emphasis on brand, product, marketing or operations according to the student’s strengths.

03

Stage-Specific Founder Feedback

Students receive targeted guidance during positioning, product, growth, operations and proposal stages.

Growth and University Preparation

The value is not in saying “I did entrepreneurship.” It is in explaining how an idea became an operable plan.

The program title alone does not determine a university outcome. The value comes from whether the student personally researched consumers, compared brand and product choices, understood growth and operating constraints, and can explain why one action should happen first.

These experiences can help students understand entrepreneurship, business, marketing, branding, product management, e-commerce and operations more realistically while giving them founder thinking, judgment and outcomes they may later discuss in applications, résumés, portfolios and interviews.

Apply to the Program

Program Application

The program is open to students in Grades 9–12, with no prior entrepreneurship or marketing experience required. Preparation materials, the innovation pathway and project support are personalized to the student’s starting level so they can build the required foundation and progress through consumer research, brand strategy, product and growth planning, operating analysis and the final venture proposal.

Application Process

  1. 01Interest Form
  2. 02Fit Assessment & Interview
  3. 03Admission and Enrolment
Apply for a Student Fit Review

The regular format runs for 12 weeks, with an average commitment of 10+ hours per week. The summer intensive runs for about 1.5 months, with an average commitment of 20+ hours per week. The program is fully online.

Start Here

Complete the 1-Minute Student Fit Form

Tell us about the student’s current grade, entrepreneurship and brand interests and goals. BonaVia will consider the commitment, learning style and starting point, then help the family understand whether this experience is a good fit.

Selected programMarketing, Brand Strategy, Entrepreneurship & Product Innovation Program

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