Entrepreneurship Programs & Competitions for High School Students

Entrepreneurship programs — pitch competitions, incubators like LaunchX, and university business intensives — reward students who build something real and defend it in front of judges.

A venture with actual users or revenue, however small, out-signals almost any club membership.

64 verified programs match this page; 20 of the featured listings are completely free; 9 can be done online.

Featured programs

Browse 30+ curated programs for high school students:

• Blue Ocean Student Entrepreneur Competition — Blue Ocean Global Network: Join the world’s largest virtual pitch competition for high school students. Build entrepreneurship skills, boost your college applications, and showc
• MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition — MIT: Compete in a premier entrepreneurship competition for high schoolers. Develop business skills, launch innovative ventures, and boost college applicati
• Yale Entrepreneurial Society High School Fellowship — Yale Entrepreneurial Society: Master entrepreneurship skills in this free 8-week virtual fellowship for high school students. Build startups, strengthen college applications, and l
• Nonprofit Founder (501(c)(3)) — IRS / State Government: Launch your own 501(c)(3) nonprofit and gain leadership, entrepreneurship, and hands-on experience. Boost college applications while making a real-wor
• The Knowledge Society — TKS: Join a 10-month online STEM accelerator for high schoolers in grades 9-11. Build AI, biotech, and quantum computing projects to boost college apps and
• Conrad Challenge: Innovation Competition — Conrad Foundation: Create innovative solutions to real-world problems in categories like aerospace, cybersecurity, health, and energy. Win scholarships and recognition.
• Thiel Fellowship (Under 20) — Thiel Foundation: Prestigious $100,000 fellowship for young entrepreneurs under 22 to skip or leave college and pursue startup ideas with two years of funding, mentorsh
• DECA Scholarship Program — DECA Inc.: DECA awards over $5 million in scholarships annually to its members, with awards ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. Scholarships reward excellence in bus
• FBLA Scholarship Program — Future Business Leaders of America: FBLA-PBL offers multiple scholarships for active FBLA members pursuing business-related degrees. Awards recognize academic excellence, community servi
• Thiel Fellowship Under 20 — Thiel Foundation: $100,000 grant over 2 years to skip college and build a startup. Past fellows have founded companies worth billions. Extremely prestigious for entrepr
• Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) National Competition — YEA!: National pitch competition for YEA! entrepreneurs. Students compete with businesses launched through YEA! program.
• SXSW Pitch Competition — SXSW: Pitch startup at South by Southwest. Student category.
• Startup UCLA Summer High School Accelerator — UCLA: Startup accelerator at UCLA. Develop business ideas with UCLA Anderson faculty and LA tech community.
• LaunchX Entrepreneurship Summer — LaunchX: Selective startup incubator where teams build and launch real ventures.
• TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield — TechCrunch: Startup competition at major tech conference. Present to investors.
• Virtual Enterprise International Business Plan Competition — Virtual Enterprises International: Business plan competition culminating at international finals. Students run simulated companies and pitch to real business judges.
• LaunchX Entrepreneurship Program — LaunchX: Launch real startups at MIT-originated program. Summer accelerator with mentorship, funding, and launch support.
• Beta Bowl Entrepreneurship Competition — Beta Bowl: Virtual entrepreneurship competition for students.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) National Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge — NFTE: National pitch competition. Winners receive seed funding and mentorship.
• Future Founders Launchpad — Future Founders: Premier youth entrepreneurship program with accelerator, pitch competitions, and $10K startup grants.
• 1517 Fund Fellowship — 1517 Fund: Venture capital for young founders. Skip college and build startups.
• Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) — Entrepreneurs' Organization: World's premier competition for student entrepreneurs. Regional, national, and global rounds. Cash prizes and mentorship. Validates real business achi
• Diamond Challenge National Finalist — University of Delaware: Global HS entrepreneurship competition. Business concept and social venture tracks. $100k+ in prizes.
• Haas School of Business Summer Entrepreneurship Program — UC Berkeley Haas: Entrepreneurship program at Berkeley Haas. Develop startup ideas with Silicon Valley-style mentorship.
• MIT Launch Summer Program — MIT: 4-week summer entrepreneurship program at MIT. Students develop real startups with mentorship from MIT entrepreneurs and VCs. Highly selective.
• Stanford Graduate School of Business High School Summer Program — Stanford GSB: Business fundamentals program at Stanford GSB. Experience MBA-style learning and Silicon Valley entrepreneurship.
• Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) World Cup — SAGE Global: Global social entrepreneurship competition. Teams run social enterprises.
• Startup Grind Global Conference Youth Track — Startup Grind: Youth track at major startup conference in Silicon Valley. Network with founders, investors, and tech leaders. Access to Silicon Valley ecosystem.
• New Venture Championship (High School Track) — University of Oregon Lundquist College of Business: High school business pitch contest linked to the University of Oregon’s New Venture Championship, focused on entrepreneurship and startups.
• Pirates Pitch Competition — Seton Hall University: Compete in a Shark Tank-style high school pitch competition to develop entrepreneurship skills, gain hands-on experience, and boost your college appli

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