# Governor's School for Entrepreneurs Summer Startup Summer Startup is the flagship program of Kentucky's Governor's School for Entrepreneurs (GSE), an intensive three-week residential experience that is completely free for students. The 2026 cohort lives on campus at the University of Kentucky's Gatton College in Lexington from June 20 to July 12, where teams of students design, prototype, and pitch real businesses with coaching from Kentucky's most successful entrepreneurs. ## What You'll Do - Live on a university campus for three weeks with a statewide cohort - Get matched with complementary teammates to develop a business plan and prototype - Learn ideation, customer discovery, and pitching from founders and mentors - Visit fast-growing Kentucky companies and hear from their leaders - Pitch your venture in a culminating business pitch competition ## Who Should Apply All Kentucky 9th, 10th, and 11th graders. GSE explicitly does not consider GPA or test scores - selection emphasizes grit and drive. Applications open in October and close in mid-January (the 2026 application closed January 18, 2026). ## Outcomes Since 2013 more than 1,250 students have completed Summer Startup, launching 70+ real Kentucky businesses; graduates access millions of dollars in scholarship offers from Kentucky colleges and join a statewide entrepreneurial alumni network.