15 Entrepreneurship Summer Programs in New York for High School Students
If you are planning to start a venture someday or see yourself building a career in entrepreneurship, joining an entrepreneurship summer program can be a smart early step. These programs give high school students a chance to work on ideas, think through problems, and learn what it actually takes to move from concept to execution.
What do entrepreneurship summer programs cover?
Entrepreneurship summer programs usually cover areas like idea development, basic market research, pitching, teamwork, and decision-making. You learn how founders think through challenges, test assumptions, and respond when plans do not work as expected.
Why consider entrepreneurship summer programs in New York?
New York is known for its startup culture and access to business networks across industries. If you are based locally, joining a program in New York can also keep costs manageable while still offering meaningful exposure. Beyond skill-building, these programs help strengthen college applications. They show initiative and give you clear experiences to talk about in essays and interviews. They also walk you through the early steps of building something on your own, helping you understand whether entrepreneurship is a path you want to pursue further.
If you’re looking for more options, you can look into virtual entrepreneurship programs for high school students. Additionally, for a more global exposure, you can check out entrepreneurship programs abroad for high school students.
With that in mind, here are 15 entrepreneurship summer programs in New York for high school students!
15 Entrepreneurship Summer Programs in New York for High School Students
1. Columbia University SPS – Becoming An Entrepreneur
Location: New York City (Columbia University campus)
Cost: Approximately $2,700 per 1-week course; additional course materials ~$50
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited class sizes based on rolling admissions
Dates: June 22–June 26 or August 3–August 7
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; apply early as courses fill quickly
Eligibility: Open to high school students with entrepreneurial interests; no prior business experience required
Becoming an Entrepreneur is a one-week, in-person course at Columbia University that walks you through how an idea turns into an actual venture. Over the week, you work through market research, opportunity evaluation, basic legal structure, pricing, costs, and early marketing decisions. The course looks at different paths founders take, including for-profit startups, nonprofits, and social ventures, using concrete case examples rather than abstract theory. Classes mix short lectures with hands-on work, and you are expected to actively develop your own idea throughout the week. By the end of the course, you will present your business concept and submit a structured business plan proposal. The course ends with a certificate of participation and written feedback from the instructor.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort sizes
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Young Founders Lab is a startup boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs that allows you to build a revenue-generating startup around a real-world problem. In this program, you work through the full entrepreneurial process, from idea validation and market research to product development and early growth strategy. You receive mentorship from experienced founders and professionals from companies such as Google, Microsoft, and X, gaining practical insights into how successful startups are built and scaled. In addition to working on your venture, you participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals, ideation frameworks, case studies, workshops, and panel discussions.
3. Athena Summer Innovation Institute (ASII)
Location: New York City
Cost: Residential: $10,771; Commuter: $8,160
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: June 29 – July 17
Application Deadline: Typically in the spring
Eligibility: Open to high school students with an interest in entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership
The Athena Summer Innovation Institute runs as a three-week, full-time program where you work in small teams to build a real venture from scratch. You move through idea testing, customer interviews, branding, pricing, and basic financial planning, with daily feedback from instructors and mentors. Much of the work happens through structured workshops and working sessions rather than lectures. You also practice pitching repeatedly, refining how you explain your idea and your choices. The program ends with a public pitch event where teams present what they built and why it works.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Varies by the program (financial aid available)
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. In the program, you will work closely with your managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present your work to the company. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long.
5. NYU SPS High School Academy – Entrepreneurship and Business Startups
Location: New York City
Cost: Approximately $2,579 per course; housing is optional at an additional cost
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited class sizes
Dates: Summer session (exact dates released annually)
Application Deadline: Typically in spring (Summer details released in January)
Eligibility: Open to high school students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11
This NYU SPS course focuses on how startups test ideas before committing serious resources. You study the lean startup approach and apply it through short assignments, case discussions, and problem analysis. Rather than writing a long business plan, you work with business model canvases, customer assumptions, and iteration cycles. The structure mirrors an introductory college course, with reading, discussion, and applied work spread across the session.
6. NYIT School of Management – High School Business Bootcamp
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; no formal selectivity
Dates: Multiple individual sessions offered throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling; registration required for each session
Eligibility: Open to all high school students, regardless of intended major
NYIT’s Business Bootcamp is a free, virtual series of short workshops that introduce core business and professional topics. Each session focuses on one area, such as starting a business, leadership, financial basics, or professional communication. You can register for individual workshops based on interest or attend multiple sessions across the year. Sessions are practical and discussion-based, often centered on real examples rather than theory. Each workshop ends with a certificate, making it easy to build exposure without committing to a long program.
7. Fordham University Gabelli School of Business – Exploring Entrepreneurship
Location: New York City
Cost: $1,950 for the week; housing available for an additional fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: June 22 – June 26
Application Deadline: Typically in the spring
Eligibility: Open to rising high school juniors and seniors
Fordham’s Exploring Entrepreneurship program runs for one week and centers on developing and pitching a startup idea. You work closely with a small group to define a problem, identify customers, outline a value proposition, and think through basic financial and funding options. Instruction happens through interactive workshops rather than lectures, with frequent feedback from faculty and entrepreneurs. The program also includes visits to startup spaces and conversations with founders working in New York City. Most of your time is spent refining your idea and learning how founders explain decisions clearly to others.
8. Summer Springboard – Business & Entrepreneurship at Barnard College
Location: Barnard College, Columbia University campus, New York City
Cost: Residential: $5,998: Commuter: $3,298
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort sizes
Dates: July 5 – July 17 or July 19 – July 31
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until sessions fill
Eligibility: Open to high school students interested in business and entrepreneurship
This two-week program takes place on the Barnard campus and follows a structured startup-building process. You work in teams to generate an idea, research customers, develop marketing plans, and create basic financial projections. Daily sessions combine instruction with long work blocks where teams build, revise, and test their ventures. Mentors and instructors review your progress and challenge your assumptions. The program ends with a pitch presentation where feedback focuses on how clearly you explain your strategy and numbers rather than how polished the idea looks.
9. Technology Entrepreneur Academy (TEA)
Location: Stony Brook, New York
Cost: Tuition required, scholarships may be available through sponsorship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: July 14 – July 19
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Open to high school students in grades 9–12
The Technology Entrepreneur Academy at Stony Brook University is a short, focused summer program that looks at entrepreneurship through technology rather than generic business ideas. You spend the week working through how emerging technologies become real products, starting with identifying a problem and checking whether a solution is technically and economically feasible. Sessions cover customer discovery, opportunity evaluation, basic financing choices, and how to structure an early-stage pitch. The program regularly pulls examples from areas like artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, genomics, and sustainable technology, so the discussion stays tied to real technical domains.
10. Leadership & Entrepreneurship Summer & Winter Program
Location: New York City
Cost: $890 for the 2-week course; housing is optional at an additional cost
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment; placement based on English proficiency
Dates: Winter (January) and Summer (June–August) sessions
Application Deadline: Typically 3–6 weeks before session start
Eligibility: Open to students ages 16 and above; minimum English level CEFR B1 (or equivalent TOEFL/IELTS score)
This two-week program at Pace University combines business fundamentals with leadership and communication practice, particularly for international and multilingual students. You study entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, business law, and leadership styles through classroom discussions and applied activities. Classes run four hours a day during the week, leaving space for guest speakers, workshops, and guided city visits that connect lessons to places like Wall Street and the South Street Seaport. The structure balances academic work with practical skill-building, including resume preparation and professional communication support through Pace’s career resources.
11. NYC Ladders for Leaders Program
Location: New York City
Cost: Paid program; hourly wages provided during internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; competitive citywide cohort
Dates: Summer session
Application Deadline: January 16
Eligibility: Open to high school and college students ages 16–24 who are NYC residents and legally authorized to work in the U.S., with prior paid or volunteer work experience
Ladders for Leaders is a paid summer internship program run through New York City that places you in professional workplaces across corporations, nonprofits, and government agencies. Before starting your internship, you complete mandatory training focused on resumes, interviews, workplace behavior, and professional communication. Once placed, you work regular hours in a real office environment, gaining hands-on experience rather than observation-only exposure. The program also connects you to a citywide alumni network that continues after the summer ends.
12. Bossgirls Summer Program - Zahn Innovation Center at CCNY
Location: The City College of New York campus, New York City
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: June 29 – July 30
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Open to current high school girls and nonbinary students in grades 9–12 who can commute to the CCNY campus and commit to the full program duration
The Bossgirls Summer Program is a five-week, free entrepreneurship program hosted at The City College of New York and focused on idea development through teamwork. You work in groups to identify a problem, research who it affects, and design a solution using human-centered design methods. Over the program, teams shape an original venture idea and prepare a final pitch, with regular input from mentors and guest speakers. The environment is structured but collaborative, with an emphasis on discussion, iteration, and practice rather than competition. The program runs in person and requires consistent attendance throughout the five weeks.
13. ieSoSC – Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and the Science of Smart Cities
Location: NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York
Cost: Free; full scholarship provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: July 6 – August 7 or July 13 – August 7
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Open to NYC residents ages 15 and older, current 9th graders through graduating 11th graders
ieSoSC is a four- to five-week summer program at NYU Tandon that combines engineering skills with entrepreneurship around urban and smart-city challenges. You learn technical foundations such as coding, circuits, sensors, microcontrollers, and system integration, then apply them in team projects. Alongside the technical work, you study product development, economics, branding, project planning, and intellectual property. Teams build and refine a smart-city solution and present it at the end of the program. Communication workshops are built to help you explain technical ideas clearly during pitches and presentations.
14. Mercy University School of Business – Summer Leadership Academy
Location: Dobbs Ferry, New York (with visits to Manhattan and Fortune 500 companies in NYC)
Cost: No tuition; $695 program fee to cover food and activities
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort
Dates: July 5 – July 11, July 19 – July 25, or August 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until sessions fill
Eligibility: Open to current high school juniors (rising seniors) with a weighted GPA above 90 and demonstrated leadership and interest in business
The Summer Leadership Academy at Mercy University is a one-week program focused on leadership through business examples and applied activities. You work through team challenges, leadership simulations, and pitch-style exercises that mirror how decisions are made in organizations. Sessions are led by faculty with industry backgrounds, and the schedule includes both on-campus learning and visits to companies in New York City. The program also includes workshops on communication and public speaking. The structure is fast-paced but contained, making it easier to see how leadership, teamwork, and business thinking connect in real settings.
15. National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) on Business & Entrepreneurship
Location: New York City (Columbia University campus option available)
Cost: Approximately $4,495 for the NYC session
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective; multiple sessions with capped cohorts
Dates: 9-day sessions in July
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until sessions fill
Eligibility: Open to high school students
NSLC’s Business & Entrepreneurship program mixes business simulations with guided instruction over nine days. You take part in group exercises where you manage a mock company, respond to changing conditions, and pitch a business idea to a panel. Sessions cover marketing, finance, leadership, and decision-making through case examples and role-based activities. Outside the classroom, the program includes campus living and structured leadership workshops that focus on communication and teamwork.
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