15 Entrepreneurship Programs in Texas for High School Students
If you’re a high school student interested in business and looking to learn how startups are actually built, entrepreneurship programs are worth serious consideration.
What do entrepreneurship programs cover?
Entrepreneurship sits at the intersection of innovation, problem-solving, leadership, and business strategy. These programs help you see how startup ideas move from concept to execution. By working on business challenges early, you learn how entrepreneurs test ideas, study markets, develop products, and present solutions to potential investors or partners.
Why pursue entrepreneurship programs in Texas for high school students?
Texas has a growing startup ecosystem supported by universities, innovation hubs, and business organizations. Across the state, many institutions run programs designed to introduce high school students to entrepreneurship through workshops, mentorship, and startup-focused projects.
For adjacent opportunities, you can check out online entrepreneurship programs. Additionally, for more options, you can look at business summer programs in Texas.
To help you explore what’s available, we’ve put together a list of 15 entrepreneurship programs in Texas for high school students!
15 Entrepreneurship Programs in Texas for High School Students
1. Rice University Pathfinder Summer High School Program
Location: Rice University campus, Houston, TX
Cost: $6,000 (Early Bird); $7,000 (Regular)
Program Dates: July 12–25
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
The Rice University Pathfinder Program at the Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a two-week residential program where you work on a startup idea on the Rice campus. You begin by identifying a problem and then move through customer interviews, prototyping, and building a business model. Workshops and group sessions cover market segmentation, funding options, marketing plans, and sales strategy. You work with other students to test the idea and adjust the model based on feedback. The program includes visits to Houston startup spaces such as Ion and Greentown Labs and sessions with founders from the local startup community. The program ends with Demo Day, where teams present their venture to entrepreneurs and industry professionals.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies by program; need-based financial aid is available
Program Dates: Vary by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Young Founders Lab is a virtual startup boot camp where you build a revenue-generating venture that solves a real-world problem. Over the course of the program, you take your idea from concept to launch by applying principles of entrepreneurship, economics, and business strategy in a structured, hands-on setting. You attend live, interactive classes that cover ideation frameworks, market validation, and core business fundamentals, while also participating in workshops, case studies, and panel discussions. Throughout the experience, you receive mentorship from entrepreneurs and professionals with backgrounds at organizations such as Google, Microsoft, and X, helping you understand how startups operate in practice. You refine your communication and leadership skills by pitching your venture and incorporating feedback from peers and mentors.
3. Texas McCombs Summer Programs
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: Free (tuition, housing, and meals covered)
Program Dates: May 31 – June 5 (MFEA); June 14 – 18 (Subiendo); June 21 – 26 (DYNAMC)
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors (Subiendo open only to Texas high school juniors)
Texas McCombs Summer Programs at the University of Texas at Austin are short residential experiences where you spend several days on the UT Austin campus exploring business topics. During the program, you attend workshops, work through business case exercises, and collaborate with peers on group projects that focus on solving real business problems. Faculty members and business professionals lead sessions that introduce different areas of business while guest speakers discuss their work in the industry. By the end of the program, you will complete a team presentation that summarizes the business challenge your group worked on.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost: Tuition-based program (financial aid may be available)
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school students, undergraduates, and gap year students who can commit 10–20 hours per week for 8–12 weeks
The Ladder Internship Program places you with a startup company where you work on real business projects over several weeks. You are assigned to a startup team and work directly with a manager while also receiving support from a Ladder coach who reviews your progress. Depending on the company, your work may involve market research, product research, marketing analysis, or other business tasks that support current company projects. Throughout the internship, you communicate with the startup team, contribute to ongoing work, and present the results of your project at the end of the program.
5. JA Be Entrepreneurial® (Think Like an Entrepreneur)
Location: Classroom-based, after school, or virtual (varies by local JA chapter, available in Texas)
Cost: Typically free through participating schools or JA partners
Program Dates: Flexible implementation (varies by school or chapter)
Application Deadline: Coordinated through the local Junior Achievement chapter
Eligibility: High school students (Grades 9–12)
JA Be Entrepreneurial® is a program from Junior Achievement that walks you through the process of developing a business idea and organizing it into a simple plan. The program is structured in three modules, where you begin by using design thinking to identify a problem and generate an idea for a product or service. You then organize that idea into a one-page business plan while examining how entrepreneurs identify opportunities and evaluate whether an idea is worth pursuing. Each module includes an activity where you apply the concept and create a project connected to your idea.
6. NABA Accelerated Career Awareness Program (ACAP) at C. T. Bauer College of Business
Location: C. T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston, Houston, TX
Cost: Typically free (program details provided upon acceptance)
Program Dates: July 12–17
Application Deadline: Varies (see application link for current timeline)
Eligibility: Current 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders
The NABA Accelerated Career Awareness Program at the University of Houston is a residential program where you spend a week exploring business fields such as accounting, finance, and entrepreneurship. During the program, you attend workshops and presentations that explain how businesses manage finances, track performance, and make operational decisions. Faculty members and business professionals guide the sessions while you work through group activities related to financial and business topics. Living on campus during the program also gives you the experience of attending classes and presenting work in a college business environment.
7. Organizational Behavior and Leadership Academy
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: Tuition-based (see program website for current fees)
Program Dates: June 14–June 26
Application Deadline: Rolling (varies by session)
Eligibility: Grades 9–12
The Organizational Behavior and Leadership Academy at the University of Texas at Austin examines how organizations function and how leaders manage teams within companies. Through case discussions and group activities, you study workplace situations that show how decisions made by managers affect teams and business results. The program introduces topics such as team behavior, decision-making inside organizations, and different approaches used to manage people in a business environment. Lectures and discussions are combined with group projects where you analyze examples of leadership decisions inside organizations.
8. Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy
Location: University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
Cost: Tuition-based (plus $195 supplemental course activity fee)
Program Dates: June 28–July 17
Application Deadline: Rolling (varies by session)
Eligibility: Grades 9–12
The Business Innovation and Entrepreneurship Academy at the University of Texas at Austin places you in a three-week program where you work in a team to develop a startup idea. You begin by identifying a problem and building a concept for a product or service that addresses it. Workshops guide you through customer discovery, market research, and the development of a business model while your team prepares financial estimates and builds a pitch presentation. The program also includes visits to startup incubators and conversations with founders and investors before you present the final business idea.
9. TCU Neeley Analytics Academy
Location: Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
Cost: $1,950 (need-based scholarships available; $10 application fee applied toward tuition if accepted)
Program Dates: June 21–26
Application Deadline: March 8
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
The TCU Neeley Analytics Academy at Texas Christian University focuses on how companies use data when making business decisions. During the week, you work with datasets that allow you to examine company performance, market trends, and business outcomes. Daily sessions involve building data models, organizing information, and interpreting results to understand how businesses analyze performance. As you work through the exercises, you also learn how to present findings clearly while your team studies a business problem and explains the conclusions reached through data analysis.
10. Texas Southmost College B.E.A.T. Summer Camps
Location: Texas Southmost College (remote components) & online/virtual format available
Cost: Typically free (check specific camp details and registration requirements)
Program Dates: Vary by camp session
Application Deadline: Varies (contact program for details)
Eligibility: High school students (often grades 9–12, depending on the specific camp)
Texas Southmost College B.E.A.T. Summer Camps introduce you to areas such as business, engineering, architecture, and technology through project-based activities. Depending on the camp session, you complete hands-on tasks and group exercises that show how these fields connect in real work settings. Through these activities, you explore how business ideas are developed and how technical and design work support products and services. Instructors guide the sessions and explain how these areas operate in different industries.
11. TCU High School Investor Challenge®
Location: Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
Cost: $1,600 (financial assistance available upon request at time of application)
Program Dates: June 1–5 or June 15–19
Application Deadline: April 1 (5:00 p.m)
Eligibility: High school students entering senior year
The TCU High School Investor Challenge begins with a residential program at Texas Christian University, where you attend classes on securities analysis and portfolio management. During this week,k yowill u learn how to read company financial statements, examine analyst reports, and evaluate stocks using professional research tools such as Value Line. After the campus session, you continue the program by managing a virtual investment portfolio throughout your senior year. During this period, you submit trades and written reports explaining your investment decisions while receiving feedback on your analysis.
12. Young Business Leaders (YBL) Summer Program
Location: Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX
Cost: $500 non-refundable fee upon acceptance (limited scholarships may be available)
Program Dates: June (one-week residential program)
Application Deadline: Varies by year (see official application for current deadline)
Eligibility: Students ages 14–18 in grades 9–11 with a minimum 3.0 GPA
The Young Business Leaders (YBL) Summer Program is a competitive, week-long residential experience designed to introduce you to core business disciplines and career pathways. Hosted by Prairie View A&M University’s College of Business, the program challenges you to solve real-world problems using business principles taught by faculty and reinforced through interaction with current business students. Through experiential learning exercises, presentations, and visits to local businesses, you explore fields such as marketing, accounting, entrepreneurship, management, finance, and information systems. Admission is based on academic performance, a counselor or teacher recommendation, and demonstrated interest in business.
13. JA Launch Lesson® – Junior Achievement
Location: Classroom-based, after school, or virtual (varies by local JA chapter, available in Texas)
Cost: Typically free through participating schools or JA partners
Program Dates: Flexible implementation (varies by school or chapter)
Application Deadline: Coordinated through the local Junior Achievement chapter
Eligibility: High school students (Grades 9–12)
JA Launch Lesson® is an introductory entrepreneurship experience designed to give you direct exposure to the startup journey through the perspective of a practicing entrepreneur. Delivered in a single session, the program connects you with a community business leader who shares firsthand insights into how ventures are launched, challenges are navigated, and opportunities are identified. During the session, you explore core concepts such as business ideation, risk-taking, value creation, and perseverance. Rather than focusing heavily on theory, the lesson emphasizes practical understanding, helping you see how entrepreneurial thinking applies in real business contexts.
14. Texas High School Ideas Challenge – McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship, Texas A&M University
Location: Texas A&M University, College Station, TX (Final Pitch Event in person)
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: March 15
Program Dates: May 19
Eligibility: Texas high school students ages 14–18 (individuals or teams of up to six students)
The Texas High School Ideas Challenge is a statewide entrepreneurship competition designed to help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset by turning a big idea into a compelling opportunity. Hosted by the McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University, the program focuses on creative thinking, structured planning, and opportunity evaluation rather than requiring a fully developed business plan. You submit a written application outlining your idea, its value proposition, and your approach to implementation. After a pre-screen round judged by selected reviewers, finalists are invited to pitch their ideas on the Texas A&M campus. If selected, you deliver a five-minute presentation followed by five minutes of Q&A with judges, strengthening your ability to communicate clearly under time constraints. Finalists also participate in a public showcase where guests can learn about your concept and “invest” in ideas through a crowd-based voting format, with additional People’s Choice recognitions awarded.
15. Teen Entrepreneur College
Location: Houston Community College, Houston, TX
Cost: Credit-based tuition (varies; see HCC for current rates)
Program Dates: Semester-based (including Spring start options)
Application Deadline: Varies by semester
Eligibility: High school students (application required)
The Teen Entrepreneur College at Houston Community College is a program where you take business courses for college credit while developing ideas related to entrepreneurship. Through classroom instruction and guided activities, you study business development, financial literacy, and the process of starting a venture. Mentors review your progress and discuss how your business ideas could be improved while you work on projects connected to business planning. The program combines academic coursework with practical work that leads to presentations based on the ideas you develop