Launch your own business or nonprofit, guided by mentors from Harvard, Stanford, and Oxford, using frameworks drawn from Y Combinator and the world's top accelerators.
The Edify Startup Incubator is a selective program for high school students who want to build something real — a company, a nonprofit, or an impactful initiative — with expert mentorship every step of the way.
Build a business or nonprofit from scratch — not a hypothetical project. By the end, you have something you actually launched.
Work with experienced mentors from top universities and accelerators, using best practices from Y Combinator and leading startup ecosystems.
Choose the 3-week intensive group program during summer or the 12-week 1-on-1 individual program, available year-round.
Tech, social impact, education, health, consumer products — mentors span a wide range of industries and are matched to your vision.
The curriculum is built on proven startup methodologies — problem validation, MVP development, pitch preparation, and go-to-market strategy.
Founding a venture — and being able to speak to that experience with depth — is one of the most compelling stories a student can tell in a college application.
Both formats lead to a launched venture. Choose based on your timeline and preference for group or individual work.
12 weeks · 1-on-1 with expert mentor
+ $200 refundable deposit
3 weeks intensive · Mon–Fri, 9am–12pm PST
+ $200 refundable deposit
Need-based financial aid is available for students from families earning under $80,000/year. Select the financial aid option in the application to be considered.
The Individual Program follows a 12-week journey based on frameworks from top accelerators with your Edify counselor supporting integration into your overall application strategy.
Explore your interests, identify a problem worth solving, and align with your mentor on the direction for your venture.
Research your target market, talk to potential users, and sharpen your value proposition before committing to a build.
Develop a minimum viable product or initiative with hands-on mentor support. Iterate based on early feedback.
Put your venture into the world — whether that means a live website, a first customer, or a launched nonprofit campaign.
Prepare and deliver a final pitch of your venture. Reflect on lessons learned and what you would do differently — powerful material for college essays.
The time commitment is 6-8 hours per week.
The mentor and the student choose a mutually convenient time for their meetings. Based on our experience of running the program for over 100 students, finding an appropriate time has never been a problem.
Every two weeks students need to submit an assignment based on the readings part of the weekly curriculum.
The individual program effectively has a rolling start date and can be begun at any time of the year.
2026 August Cohort Final Deadline is July 21st.
2026 September Cohort Final Deadline is August 21st.
