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The story of
Break Into Business
2007-2026
2007-2009
Break Into Business was launched by Queen's Commerce fourth year students, Alyssa Furtado and Monica Lage. The two believed that exposure to business was lacking for elementary and middle school age kids. The 5-day camp was a hit! Alyssa and Monica took time off from their consulting careers for 3 summers to return to Kingston. 150+ kids launched businesses on the Queen's University campus during that time.
2010-2013
Alyssa and Monica put Break Into Business on hold as they pursued new projects: Alyssa launching Ratehub.ca and Monica attending Harvard Business School to earn her MBA.
2014-2021
Monica launches Break Into Business in Atlanta, growing the program to host 10 summer camps and over 250 entrepreneurs each summer, impacting 2000+ kids during this time. Camps are run in Atlanta's most entrepreneurial locations, such as ATDC at Georgia Tech, Atlanta Tech Village, and Ponce City Market. Upon the arrival of her fourth child, Monica pauses summer camps and transitions to teaching high school business classes at Heritage Preparatory School.
2026 and Beyond
Break Into Business was paused, but not forgotten! After a successful sale of her business in 2022, Alyssa could not shake the feeling that Break Into Business continues to be needed to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. She decides to bring the concept back via summer camps in Toronto.
Meet the Founders
Co-Founder
Alyssa Furtado
Alyssa is a graduate of the Commerce program at Queen's University. After stints in Accounting (KPMG) and Management Consulting (Bain & Co.), she founded Ratehub.ca. Ratehub.ca grew to be Canada's largest online marketplace for financial services and was acquired in 2022 by private equity firm, Novacap. Alyssa lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.
Co-Founder
Monica Lage
Monica is a graduate of the Commerce program at Queen's University and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. After a stint with global firm, The Boston Consulting Group, she launched Break Into Business in Atlanta. The program quickly grew to host over 250 entrepreneurs age 9-14 each summer. Monica lives in Atlanta with her husband and four children.