15 Startup Incubators for Low-Income High School Students
If you have a business idea or you just want to know what it actually feels like to build something from scratch, a startup incubator can be one of the best places to start before college.
What do startup incubators involve?
Startup incubators walk you through actual startup steps. You’ll learn about shaping your idea, talking to potential users, testing early versions, and learning what it takes to move from “concept” to something real.
Why participate in startup incubators as a low-income student?
Many incubators cover the full cost and offer mentorship, tools, and support so you can focus on learning and building, not on whether you can afford to participate. They give you something solid to show in college applications and interviews. They will help you learn entrepreneurial skills that you can use to build your own business.
Additionally, for more financially inclusive opportunities, you can check out economics programs for low-income students or leadership programs for low-income students.
With that in mind, here are 15 startup incubators for low-income high school students!
(Note: This list includes incubators, accelerators, internships, and competitions with varying costs and accessibility. While some programs are free or prioritize low-income students, others charge fees but offer scholarships. Check individual eligibility and costs before applying.)
15 Startup Incubators for Low-Income High School Students
1. Future Founders - Be Your Own Boss
Location: Future Founders, Chicago, IL (virtual national cohort)
Cost: Free; paid internship with a cash stipend based on attendance and participation
Application Deadline: January 12
Dates: January 20 – February 12
Eligibility: High school students, prioritizing low-income and urban/rural settings
Be Your Own Boss by Future Founders is a short, virtual program where you work in a team and build a business idea into a basic app prototype. The sessions are led by entrepreneurs, so the work is structured around pitching, prototyping, and making decisions as a group. You spend time turning a rough concept into something you can demo, then present it at a virtual community showcase. The program is also tied to a paid internship model, where your stipend depends on attendance and participation, so you are expected to show up and contribute consistently.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a program for high school students who want to learn how new businesses are built. In the program, you work through the process of developing a start-up, aiming to create a product or service that addresses a real-world problem. You receive guidance from experienced entrepreneurs and professionals with backgrounds at companies such as Google, Microsoft, and others. Alongside building your start-up, you participate in structured classes that cover key business topics, including idea development, market research, and business strategy. The program also includes workshops, case studies, and panel discussions with industry professionals, giving you practical insight into how businesses operate. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. Get Girls Going Startup Incubator
Location: Get Girls Going, Boston/Worcester area, MA (on college campus)
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: Typically early May
Dates: Six weeks in the summer
Eligibility: Black high school girls
Get Girls Going Startup Incubator is a six-week summer incubator for Black high school girls that runs on a college campus and mixes entrepreneurship training with identity and leadership work. You attend Entrepreneurship 101-style classes, then move into workshops that deal directly with race, gender, and the barriers Black women face when building careers or businesses. The program also includes community engagement and an end-of-program Business EXPO, so you are not only writing ideas but showing them publicly. A lot of the learning is discussion-based and workshop-based, with professional development sessions built into the schedule.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world
Cost: Full financial aid available
Application deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
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 program designed for high school students interested in gaining hands-on experience with start-ups. In the program, you will work directly with a growing start-up on meaningful projects. Participating start-ups come from a range of industries, including technology, AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Many of these companies are in a growth phase, having raised significant funding, and are led by founders with experience at well-known tech companies or with prior start-up experience. During the internship, you collaborate closely with your manager and a Ladder Coach, contribute to real projects, and have the opportunity to present your work to the company team. While not an incubator, you will be exposed to how startups work and make important connections.
5. Allsup Entrepreneurship Academy
Location: Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO
Cost: $695 (includes lunch, snacks, activities); scholarships available
Application Deadline: Unspecified
Dates: July 20 – 24
Eligibility: High school students
Allsup Entrepreneurship Academy at Saint Louis University is a week-long, in-person program at the Chaifetz School of Business, where you learn entrepreneurship through challenges and pitching. You attend sessions led by guest entrepreneurs, then work through innovation activities that force you to test ideas quickly and explain them clearly. The program is built around interaction, not long lectures, so you spend time working with other students and getting feedback. It ends with a pitch competition, which gives the week a clear finish line and keeps the work focused.
6. Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP KC)
Location: Kansas City, Missouri (mostly in-person; limited remote options available)
Cost: No cost / Stipend of $12–14/hour + $2,500 scholarship
Application Deadline: February 1
Dates: Session 1: June 2 – June 27; Session 2: July 7 – August 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors from the Kansas City metro area
The Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP KC) is a four-week paid internship for high school students interested in startups. During the program, you spend around 30 hours per week working on projects in areas such as finance, marketing, and strategic planning, gaining hands-on experience and building practical business skills. You also take part in weekly company visits, where you can see how startups operate, make funding decisions, and approach leadership challenges. Each student is matched with a startup that fits their interests, providing opportunities for focused mentorship and applied learning.
7. Young Entrepreneurs Academy
Location: Various chapters. All locations here
Cost: Not specified
Application Deadline: Varies by partner site
Dates: Academic year or summer (duration ~7 months for year-round, varies for summer pilot)
Eligibility: Open to middle and high school students near a YEA! chapter
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a program that guides high school students through the process of starting a real business or nonprofit. In the program, you move step by step, from developing your idea to creating a business plan, registering your venture, and making your first sales. You also have the chance to present your business to a panel of investors, which may provide an opportunity for initial funding. Throughout the program, you develop practical skills in areas such as financial planning, leadership, and public speaking. Many students continue to operate their ventures after the program, with support from YEA!’s ongoing network and resources.
8. UC San Diego High School: Startup Bootcamp
Location: Virtual
Cost: Approximately $175 for previous years
Application Deadline: Not specified
Dates: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students can apply
Startup Bootcamp: Build Your Big Idea is a 15-hour program that guides you through the fundamentals of starting a business. You explore how to identify a problem, develop a product or service to address it, and consider who your potential customers are. The program includes practical topics such as conducting market research, creating a basic business plan, managing simple financial projections, and presenting your idea effectively. You also examine strategies for reaching and retaining customers. The program concludes with a pitch to a simulated investor, where you explain your idea and outline how it could operate.
9. High School Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge
Location: Boise State University, Boise, ID, with remote participation options
Cost: Free
Application Deadline: February
Dates: April 15
Eligibility: Open to all Idaho high school students, confirmed by program descriptions
High School Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge is a statewide competition run by One Stone, where you build a business idea as a team and pitch it publicly. You work through market research, create a pitch deck, and prepare a presentation for judges. Mentors support teams during the process, so you are not doing everything alone. The focus is on taking an idea and making it defensible, meaning you need to show who your customer is, what problem you are solving, and how your concept could work in the real world.
10. Seeds of Fortune Girls Startup Business Accelerator
Location: Unspecified (online workshops, in-person pitches, Miami trip), U.S.
Cost: Free; win up to $6,000 in funding
Application Deadline: Typically early May
Dates: One-year program; Finalist Pitch Trip scheduled in July
Eligibility: High school junior girls (household AGI under $125,000)
Seeds of Fortune Girls Startup Business Accelerator is a year-long program where you develop a social impact idea with support through workshops and pitching opportunities. You attend online sessions led by industry professionals, get feedback on your idea, and work toward an in-person pitch event called Founders Day. The program also includes a chance to win funding, and there is a Miami pitch trip tied to the experience. A lot of the work is built around communication and readiness, meaning you are practicing how to explain your idea, handle questions, and present yourself professionally.
11. CEOs of Tomorrow Business Incubator
Location: Madison, WI
Cost: $160
Application Deadline: Until slots are full
Dates: February 8 – April 12, as per this brochure, open during the fall as well
Eligibility: Open to 9–12 grade students
CEOs of Tomorrow is a nine-week program for high school students in grades 9 through 12, where you create a business that addresses a problem in your community. You explore topics such as finance, marketing, branding, and operations while developing your product or service. You receive guidance and feedback from local entrepreneurs and have opportunities to strengthen practical skills, including leadership, public speaking, and decision-making. The program concludes with the Teen Pitch and Launch Event, where you present your business to professionals and sell to real customers. Participants with strong presentations may receive cash awards or college scholarships.
12. University of Colorado Boulder Business Leadership Program
Location: Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
Cost: Free; top team wins $1,000 scholarship
Application Deadline: March 13
Dates: June 21 – 27
Eligibility: Current high school juniors (2025–26 academic year); Colorado residents or attending Colorado high school; designed for diverse students, including first-gen, low-income
The University of Colorado Boulder Business Leadership Program is a residential program hosted through CU Boulder that runs like a business case competition. You work in teams on a real-world problem and build a marketing campaign for corporate partners that have included EY, Deloitte, and KeyBank. Leeds School of Business faculty and staff guide the process through structured activities, so you are not left guessing what to do. The program also includes professional sessions where business leaders talk through their career paths, and you spend the week living on campus with other students.
13. Business Opportunities Summer Session — Penn State Smeal College of Business
Location: Penn State University Park campus, University Park, PA
Cost: $350 (required after acceptance)
Application Deadline: March 20
Dates: June 14 – 26
Eligibility: High school juniors from the U.S. and Puerto Rico interested in business education
Business Opportunities Summer Session at Penn State Smeal College of Business is a two-week residential program where you spend time on college prep and business fundamentals taught by Penn State faculty. The schedule includes group presentations where you practice pitching and presenting in a business format, not just writing essays. The program also includes visits to corporate environments, which help connect classroom topics to how companies operate. Since you live on campus and follow a daily schedule, the experience feels closer to a structured college routine than a workshop series.
14. Uncharted Learning by INCubatoredu
Location: Participating high schools across the U.S.
Cost: Free to students (school licensing/membership fee-based)
Application Deadline: Unspecified (enroll via school)
Dates: School year (August/September – May/June)
Eligibility: High school students in grades 10–12
Uncharted Learning by INCubatoredu is a full-year entrepreneurship course offered through participating high schools. You work in a student team, identify a problem you care about, then build a product or service idea through customer discovery and validation. Entrepreneurs serve as volunteer coaches, so you get feedback from people who have built businesses before. The course ends with a pitch event that can involve real funding, and some schools offer a second-year option where teams push for real traction and company formation.
15. HEX High Accelerator
Location: Virtual
Cost: $634
Application deadline: Varies as per the term
Dates: Multiple terms
Eligibility: Students in grades 10 to 12 between the ages of 15 and 18
In HEX High Accelerator, you spend six weeks learning the basics of startups through short video lessons, live masterclasses, and guidance from mentors. During the program, you develop a startup concept and create an entrepreneurial portfolio that can support your future college or career plans. You explore areas such as design thinking, rapid prototyping, branding, pitching, and different models for funding innovation. The program offers the option to earn academic credit through the University of Sydney. It concludes with Pitch Day, where you present your venture idea to mentors, judges, and fellow participants.