A future-ready entrepreneurship program for middle-school innovators.
Hands-on learning, flexible formats, real mentors — built around school life, not against it.
We run the world’s most successful high school programs
Work with the very best companies
Where our companies and your mentors come from
FUNDED BY
STUDIED AT
WORKED AT
Don’t just take our word for it
Mentorship from a world-class network of young founders and industry leaders
FINTECH LAUNCH (STEALTH MODE)
Industry: Finance, Tech
Led by Kevin Junker,
Founder & CEO,
Cambridge Uni, Google & Mckinsey alum
Fintech Launch is focused on bridging the gap between financial products for individuals in markets including the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
BILLION DOLLAR STARTUP IDEAS
Industry: Tech, Media
Led by Michael Bervell,
Founder & CEO,
HBS MBA & Microsoft alum
Billion Dollar Startup Ideas is one of the world’s largest generator and aggregator of unicorn-level start-up ideas, with a reach of over 850,000 people.
FAIR OPPORTUNITY PROJECT
Industry: Tech, Non-profit
Led by Luke Heine,
Founder & CEO,
Harvard & YC alum, Microsoft
Recognized in Forbes, NYT, and the Harvard Education Review, Fair Opportunity Project sends free college application advice to 63,000 public educators and provides free 1:1 mentorship to hundreds of students.
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Today’s middle-school students are growing up in a world that rewards creativity, initiative, confidence, and real-world skills — but most education systems still focus on memorization, rigid structures, and outdated definitions of success.
Young students with curiosity, big ideas, and leadership energy often face a lack of real exposure to entrepreneurship, innovation, or real-world problem solving. Struggling with an education that feels disconnected from real life, students grapple with:
Few opportunities to build confidence through action
Lack of platforms to explore their ideas safely
No structured guidance to turn curiosity into capability
Schools that teach what to think, not how to build
Chronic under-stimulation
Ambition feeling out of place and punished instead of rewarded
Students with leadership energy, creativity, and vision do not face purely academic struggles — They find a lack in seeking meaning, challenge, and direction from their education.
They don’t need more homework. They need purpose, exposure, and possibility.
That’s the gap this program is designed to solve. -
This program is for YOU if:-
As a student you:
Ask the big questions
Aren’t satisfied being limited to the pages of a textbook
Love innovating, experimenting and creating
Want to learn how to make an impact on the world
Want to build something real
As a parent you:
See leadership potential in your child
Want future industry-ready skills for your child
Value confidence over competition
Want learning that builds character, not just grades
We don’t teach entrepreneurship as a subject. We teach it as a mindset, a skillset, and a way of thinking.
Through hands-on projects, real-world challenges, guided mentorship, and age-appropriate structure, students experience building something real in a safe, supportive environment.
Built for real students, real schedules, and real life — not rigid systems, outdated models, or one-size-fits-all learning.
That’s why we offer the program for the focused learner who benefits from one-on-one mentorship.
INDIVIDUAL
Weekly one-on-one mentorship session with startup coach
Support from program management team
100% online
1-hour per week of personalized mentorship
5-hours per week of student time commitment
Flexible timings
Flexible start-date with earliest date June 5
Start-up idea and coding skills not required
Interactive Events
Fireside chats
Remote socials with other solo founders from the cohort
A Global Student Community
Exchange ideas and brainstorm with the student cohort each working on their individual projects
Access to exclusive opportunities: Internships, Reference letters, Alumni network
One-on-One Guidance and Mentorship
Renowned instructors
Weekly office hours with external and internal mentors
Our application process
Building a start-up is hard. That’s why we only take the best.
Attend an info session
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Before you apply, please make sure you understand the program and its components. While this is optional, attending our info session is a great way to do this!
Fill out your application
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We want to know why you are interested in YFL and what makes you a good candidate. Make sure you allocate adequate time to filling up the application.
Complete your interview
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If you are shortlisted, we want to meet the person behind the application. You will have an interview with a senior member of our team to understand your motivation deeper. Just be yourself!
Receive an admission decision
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Based on your application as well as the interview, we will make a final decision within a week of the interview and update you via email.
Kick the program off
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If you decide to join the program, we will match you with one of our mentors based on your field of interest and sector of your startup. As soon as you confirm the match, the program begins.
Build your startup
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Get started on your journey of becoming an entrepreneur!
Frequently Asked Questions
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This program is designed for middle-school students who are curious, creative, and interested in learning real-world skills like problem-solving, leadership, and entrepreneurship — no prior experience needed.
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Not at all. The program is built as an introduction and foundation. Students start from curiosity, not prior knowledge.
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School focuses on academic subjects. This program focuses on real-world skills — confidence, communication, problem-solving, creativity, leadership, and building real projects.
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No. The program is built to support, not compete with school learning. It’s flexible, schedule-friendly, and designed to complement academics.
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Students learn foundational entrepreneurship concepts along with practical life skills like confidence-building, teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.
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Yes, students receive a completion certificate and recognition of participation and achievement.
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The program costs $3990. Partial financial assistance is available on a need based basis.
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The program runs according to different cohort start dates. However, we also offer a “Customized Start Date” option allowing the student to start the program as per their convenience.