15 Entrepreneurship Workshops for High School Students

If you're a high school student looking to build your own venture, entrepreneurship workshops offer the fundamental knowledge and guidance to get started. 

What do entrepreneurship workshops involve?

Entrepreneurship workshops give you insight into how businesses function and the fundamental knowledge to get started on your own venture. You will receive mentorship from entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses, and learn from business executives across domains such as marketing, finance, and operations.

Why participate in entrepreneurship workshops? 

Beyond skill development, these workshops strengthen your college applications by demonstrating initiative, intellectual curiosity, and a clear interest in business-related fields. Many entrepreneurship workshops offer mentorship, feedback on projects, and opportunities to connect with peers who share similar goals, helping you start building a professional network early.

If you’re looking for adjacent programs, you can check out entrepreneurship summer programs. Or, to get an international experience, have a look at entrepreneurship programs abroad.

We’ve compiled a list of the top 15 entrepreneurship workshops for high school students.

15 Entrepreneurship Workshops for High School Students

1. Drexel University Entrepreneurship Bootcamp

Location: Drexel University LeBow College of Business, Pearlstein Building, Philadelphia, PA

Cost/Stipend: $500

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open registration

Dates: July 21–25

Application Deadline: June 30

Eligibility: Current high school sophomores, juniors, and rising seniors; interest in entrepreneurship, communication, marketing, or business

The Rising Starters Entrepreneurship Bootcamp is offered to high school students interested in learning business fundamentals and developing the skills needed to run their own businesses. The one-week camp covers core areas of entrepreneurship, including marketing, social media, and AI, through hands-on workshops, guest speaker sessions, and pitch presentations.  Through hands-on activities and projects, you will develop the professional skills needed to run your own venture, including communication, problem-solving, time management, negotiation, and team-building.               

2. Young Founders Lab 

Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops

Cost: Varies according to program. There is need-based financial aid

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Dates: Varies by the cohort

Application Deadline: There are 3 application deadlines to choose from; more details in the brochure!

Eligibility: Open to all high school students

The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards launching a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real problem, including building a non-profit. Throughout the program, you'll be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from companies such as Google, Microsoft, and X. In addition to building the startup itself, you will participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and ideation, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, and panel discussions. You can check out the program brochure here.

3. Seton Hall University Summer Entrepreneurship Institute

Location: Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ

Cost/Stipend: Not specified

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open registration

Dates: July 20–24

Application Deadline: Applications processed on a rolling basis

Eligibility: High school students; no prior knowledge of entrepreneurship required; interest in small business, product creation, and startups

Seton Hall University offers its Summer Entrepreneurship Institute to high school students looking to gain business knowledge and develop the skills needed to launch a successful venture. In the five-day program, you will cover fundamental concepts within entrepreneurship, learn about how startups operate, and gain insight into product creation. These sessions also help you approach your entrepreneurship through an ethical and societal perspective. The program offers interactive workshops where you will gain practical experience in creating a product prototype and pitching your business ideas to an audience towards the end of the session. 

4. Ladder Internship Program

Location: Remote

Cost: Varies; Financial aid is available

Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Around 10%; 70-100 students

Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year

Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort

Eligibility: High school students who can work for 8-12 weeks

Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program that places high school students with fast-growing startups across a range of industries. The start-ups offering internships span various fields, including finance, tech/deep tech, AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, and consulting. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies backed by Y Combinator and have raised an average of over $1 million in funding. Beyond your placement, the program includes one-on-one training in communication and time management, as well as group learning sessions with other interns. Startups in the program are often led by founders with experience at organisations such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, providing you with mentorship shaped by industry experience.

5. Suffolk Summer Entrepreneurship Program

Location: Suffolk University, Boston, MA

Cost/Stipend: Free (tuition, lunch, and local transit pass provided)

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Dates: July 7–24

Application Deadline: March 13

Eligibility: Rising high school seniors; minimum GPA 2.7 (juniors on space-available basis)

The Suffolk Summer Entrepreneurship Program takes you through the process of building a business and teaches you the skills to lead in various business domains. Over three weeks, you will learn from the practical experience and insights of successful entrepreneurs and business executives across entrepreneurial organisations. You get to practice what you learn through hands-on activities and team projects throughout the program. The experience culminates in a final event at which you will present an idea for an innovative business.

6. Wake Forest University Entrepreneurship Institute

Location: Wake Forest University campus; includes tours of local start-up companies and business accelerators, Winston-Salem, NC

Cost/Stipend: $3,500 

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Dates: June 21–26 | July 12–17 

Application Deadline: Obligations processed on a ruling basis.

Eligibility: Current high school students in grades 9 to 12

Entrepreneurship Institute at the Forest Summer Immersion Program takes you through the process of building a business from ideation to pitching to potential investors. You will be mentored by founders, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders on building successful ventures. Topics covered include financial modelling, entrepreneurial marketing, concept development, prototyping, testing, and customer targeting. The program also focuses on building professional skill sets, personal branding, developing an entrepreneurial mindset, and overcoming business challenges. You'll take what you've learned over the week and put it into practice by planning a business idea and pitching it by the end of the program.

7. Georgetown Entrepreneurship Academy

Location: Georgetown University campus, Washington, DC

Cost/Stipend: $6,465 residential; $5,075 commuter; scholarships available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive

Dates: June 7–19

Application Deadline: Applications processed on a rolling basis

Eligibility: Current high school students; interest in entrepreneurship, business, and leadership

The Georgetown entrepreneurship academy offers high school students an in-depth look at what running their own business would look like. The program combines theory and practice, where you will learn the basics of design thinking and brainstorming, as well as how to run a business through prototype testing, market research, operations, and social innovation. The program includes building entrepreneurial skill sets through hands-on experience to help you improve public speaking, develop networking strategies, strengthen communication skills, and enhance team-building techniques. Apart from classes, you’ll learn through a mix of guest speaker sessions, discussions, case studies, and interactive activities. You’ll get to practice your learnings by working on a business plan and pitching your idea in front of an audience.

8. NYU School of Professional Studies: Entrepreneurship and Business Startups 

Location: NYU School of Professional Studies; optional on-campus housing available, New York, NY

Cost/Stipend: $2,579 tuition

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate 

Dates: Multiple 4-day sessions available between June and August.

Application Deadline: March 14 (international students); April 29 (residential students); June 12 (commuter students)

Eligibility: High school students who have completed grades 9, 10, or 11; a 250–500 word essay and an official high school transcript are required

NYU School of Professional Studies offers an Entrepreneurship and Business Startups program for high school students interested in building foundational knowledge to start their own businesses and develop an entrepreneurial mindset. Through a mix of exercises, lectures, cases, and discussions, you will gain insight into the dynamics of starting a business and solving the problems that startups face.  You'll gain familiarity with the lean startup model and learn unconventional ways to deliver business solutions.

9. National Student Leadership Conference Business & Entrepreneurship Program

Location: American University campus, Washington, DC

Cost/Stipend: $3,095 residential tuition; fee covers housing, meals, course materials, trips, and transportation; commuter option available; partial need-based scholarships available 

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective 

Dates: Multiple sessions in summer (specific dates not published)

Application Deadline: Rolling; scholarship deadline March 11

Eligibility: Current 9th–12th grade students; ages 14–18; must have completed at least one year of high school

The National Student Leadership Conference offers a business and entrepreneurship program for high school students interested in learning the behind-the-scenes of building a business and working with multiple stakeholders. You will learn from entrepreneurs and industry leaders and explore the inner workings of startups through field trips. Additionally, you’ll network with professionals in the fields of marketing, finance, and operations. You will get to practice by working on business challenges, honing decision-making skills, and developing innovative solutions. You will develop a new product or service and create a persuasive pitch to investors, gaining feedback from real entrepreneurs.

10. University of South Florida Bulls Startup

Location: Session 1: USF St. Petersburg campus, St. Petersburg, FL | Session 2: USF Tampa campus, Muma College of Business, Tampa, FL

Cost/Stipend: $575 day program

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective 30 students per session

Dates: July 6–10 (USF St. Petersburg); July 20–24 (USF Tampa);

Application Deadline: Not specified

Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th-grade students; interest in entrepreneurship, innovation, and business; no prior experience required

The University of South Florida offers Bulls Startup to high school students interested in learning the skills and mindset to take their ideas and build a business through a mix of hands-on workshops, problem-solving activities, and interactive sessions. You will dive into how to spot opportunities, create value, and understand what it takes to build a business model. Learnings include how to structure and validate your idea for launching a business, and pitching your idea to investors, which will be judged by industry professionals. The program includes an overview of digital trends such as coding, social media, marketing, and cryptocurrency, as well as how to leverage platforms and technologies to successfully market and sustain your business.

11. Wharton One-Day High School Experience

Location: The Wharton School, Philadelphia, PA

Cost/Stipend: $299

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective 

Dates: March 27

Application Deadline: Applications processed on a rolling basis

Eligibility: Current high school students, grades 9–12; interest in business, finance, and entrepreneurship

The Wharton One-Day High School Experience helps high school students learn about entrepreneurship, business pathways, and the professional skills required to pursue them. The sessions offered allow you to identify opportunities in entrepreneurship that align with your interests and to explore the key components of building an entrepreneurial mindset.  You will also explore how business professionals make decisions that require knowledge across multiple business domains. This experience will allow you to network with professionals and explore pathways in academics, research, and entrepreneurship.

12. Schulze School of Entrepreneurship High School Innovation Day

Location: University of St. Thomas, St. Paul Campus, St. Paul, MN

Cost/Stipend: Free

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Up to 10 students per school; school registration required; open to all qualifying high school students

Dates: November 21

Application Deadline: Not specified 

Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors; must register as a school group (teacher or educator must register on behalf of students; up to 10 students per school)

The Schulze School of Entrepreneurship hosts a High School Innovation Day for high school students to explore entrepreneurship by participating in an event that helps them work on their entrepreneurial skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and ideation. The day starts with a hands-on workshop focused on fundamental entrepreneurship skills, such as design thinking and ideation. You then get to put this into practice by collaborating with like-minded peers to create a prototype of a business concept. As part of a competition, you will then pitch your business idea to a panel of judges and receive feedback. 

13. Sacred Heart Cathedral Entrepreneurship Workshop

Location: Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, San Francisco, CA

Cost/Stipend: $525 

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment

Dates: June 8–12

Application Deadline: Not specified

Eligibility: Rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders; no prior experience required

Sacred Heart Cathedral offers an Entrepreneurship Workshop for high school students seeking creative ways to solve everyday problems by creating a business to address them. You will learn the fundamentals of starting your own business from the experiences of successful entrepreneurs. They will take you through the process of building a business and provide guidance or clear any doubts that you may have. The workshop culminates in a simulated shark tank-style event where you will pose as an entrepreneur to showcase your products and business plans to win investment.

14. Startup Studio: Teen Entrepreneurship and Product Design Workshop

Location: Clark Family Branch, St. Louis County Library, St. Louis, MO

Cost/Stipend: Free

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Dates: April 8–May 13 (6 sessions); public market May 31

Application Deadline: March 28

Eligibility: Current high school students; in-person attendance required; 80% participation required to complete

The Teen Entrepreneurship and Product Design Workshop offers an introduction for teens looking to turn their creative ideas into successful businesses and learn the skills of successful entrepreneurs. The workshop covers topics like business planning, market research, and financial literacy. You'll delve into product design through hands-on activities, including three different toys, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and prototyping.  Additionally, you’ll learn how to market and sell your products, along with potentially receiving funding to bring your ideas to life and get started with your business. 

15. Madison College Centre for Entrepreneurship, Workshops and Events

Location: Madison College Truax Campus, Madison, WI

Cost/Stipend: Free

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderate

Dates: Varies by program 

Application Deadline: Varies by program 

Eligibility: Area high school students

Madison College Center for Entrepreneurship offers Workshops and Events where you will learn from experienced entrepreneurs and explore emerging technology in the field.  Workshops range from instruction on topics such as how small business owners can use AI to market themselves more efficiently. This workshop guides you through integrating data into your business plan and using AI to build better strategies. Additionally, you can also participate in a pitch competition where you submit a video explaining your business idea and then compete to pitch your business to a panel of judges.

Luke Taylor

Luke is a two-time founder, a graduate of Stanford University, and the Managing Director at the Young Founders Lab

Previous
Previous

15 Finance Summer Programs in Chicago for High School Students

Next
Next

15 Marketing Summer Camps for High School Students