Young Ventures Bootcamp | Entrepreneurship for Secondary School Students

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YOUNG VENTURES BOOTCAMP

Not every founder needs to code. But every founder needs to build.

Secondary students with entrepreneurial ambitions often have bold ideas, sharp insights, and the drive to solve real problems. But here’s the truth: not every future founder will be a coder—and that’s okay. The best founders just need to know how to bring ideas to life.

Work with professional developers & leverage AI coding tools to build a functioning product in 6 weeks.

What you'll do:

Learn to think like a founder
‍How to come up with great startup ideas and validate them.

Work with Pros & Leverage AI
Collaborate with professional designers & developers who will help you build. Learn how to use AI tools to build products.

Turn ideas into products
Learn how to manage tech teams to create real apps and websites.

Iterate & Launch to real customers
Test, tweak and improve your product based on market feedback, just like real startups do.

Programme SCHEDULE

How It Works

Pre-programme: Saturday June 14th
(3 hours, in-person)

Preparation & Ideation

Come up with an idea and form teams. Utilise customer validation frameworks to refine problem statements and create a Lean Canvas for your idea.

Sat June 14th

Product Prioritisation & User Journeys

Learn how to develop wireframes and initial designs, and get ready to engage with developers and designers to start building v1 of your product.

Sat June 21st

Pre-programme: Saturday June 21st
(3 hours, in-person)

Pre-programme: w/c June 28
(1 hour, virtual office hours)

Product Alignment

Office hours to ensure you are ready to hit the ground running at the bootcamp. Your idea and wireframes should be ready at this point.

w/c June 30th (virtual)

Product Building & Refinement

Build the product using low-code tools, conduct user testing, and iterate based on feedback for a functional prototype.

July 14th - 18th (Week 1)

Programme Week 1: July 14th - July 18th
10am to 5pm (in-person)

Programme Week 2: July 21st - July 25th
10am to 5pm (in-person)

Sales, Marketing & Launch

Secure your first customers with a working product. Create financial models, determine pricing, and develop sales strategies to validate the business model.

July 21st - July 25th (Week 2)

Demo Day & Celebration

Demo your product and present your business to investors, mentors and parents, ending with a celebration!

Friday July 25th 6pm

Demo Day
Friday July 25th 6pm

Meet Your Mentors

Learn from the Best

Gain guidance from industry leaders and young founders from Startups, VCs and Corporates:

WHAT'S DIFFERENT

Why do the Young Ventures Bootcamp?

Young Ventures is the only summer programme in the world that hires in professional designers and developers to build on students' ideas. Over 6 weeks, participants will go beyond the theory to build and launch a working product with professional resources at their disposal.

Students are guided through ideation, customer discovery, product management, sales and marketing to gain real-world experience in business building. They will then showcase their business to venture capitalists and industry experts.

Students will gain differentiated management, leadership and prioritisation skills that most young professionals don't experience until later in their careers.

Key Highlights:

Build a demo-ready product, not just a pitch deck

Lean from young founders and mentors from startups, tech companies, and VCs

Pitch to real investors and industry experts

Differentiate your portfolio with a working product, real customers and invaluable real-world experience

Testimonials

"Attending the Makers Conference was a turning point in my career. The sessions were not only insightful but also practical, providing tools I could immediately apply."

Emily Davis

Freelance Digital Artist

"The networking opportunities at the conference were invaluable. I met industry leaders and fellow developers who have since become mentors and collaborators."

John Smith

App Developer

"I left feeling motivated, equipped with new skills, and connected to a network of professionals who share my dedication to enhancing user experiences."

Lisa Nguyen

UX Designer

Your questions answered

What sets Young Ventures apart from other programmes?

Young Ventures is founded on the belief that learning through hands-on execution is the most effective way to gain meaningful experience.

It is the only summer programme in the world that hires in professional designers and developers to build on students' ideas. As a result, you will gain real-world management, leadership and prioritisation skills that most young professionals don't experience until later in their careers.
‍
Unlike other entrepreneurship programmes, Young Ventures is designed to immerse you in the realities of building a startup from scratch. The programme provides a framework on how to validate an idea, produce a functioning product, and launch to customers. We are moving out of the classroom and into the real world. We treat each student as a young professional, and adapt the advice and activities according to the challenges that teams face during the programme.

With a very limited class size (12 max.), the experience is highly tailored and each competitively selected student receives personalised attention.

The founders of Young Ventures have both run and participated in the most successful venture building and accelerator programmes in the world, and have designed the programme accordingly.

How much is tuition?

Tuition for the Young Ventures Summer Programme is $74,750 HKD (full-price), or $65,000 HKD (early-bird, extended: before May 16th). Most significantly, this covers access to full-time designers and developers who will help students design and build their ideas. In addition, it includes curriculum, classes, office space for two weeks, mentorship by entrepreneurs and industry specialists, access to the digital tools and platforms used during the programme.

Who should apply?

This programme is designed for secondary school students aged 14-18. The language of instruction will be in English.

Students who are interested in what it means to be a founder, building a startup scratch or creating impact through technology should apply.
‍
If you believe you would benefit from this programme but you're unsure if you're a fit, please contact us directly at hello@youngventures.org

What kind of experience do I need to join?

We are looking for high-agency and curious individuals. Someone who just gets things done, be that in the classroom or completely outside of an academic setting. There is no specific prior knowledge needed to participate. Some experience in business, design, marketing and coding would be helpful, but we will guide you through these skills if this is your first exposure to these topics. The application is designed to discover students' entrepreneurial interest and drive, as opposed to a specific skill or prior achievement.

I'm interested in getting involved as a speaker, young founder mentor or sponsor.

Please contact us at hello@youngventures.org

How does the programme structure work?

The programme is broken down into a 4-week pre-programme preparation period and 2 week intensive full-time bootcamp.

The first 4 weeks of Pre-Programme prep is a very important time where you'll meet your fellow founders, form teams, and decide on an idea.
‍
💡 1. PRE PROGRAMME WORKSHOP #1
Sat June 14th, 10am
3 hours of interactive workshops to meet your fellow founders, decide on an idea.

🤔 2. INDEPENDENT WORK
Sun June 15th - Fri June 20th
4-8 hours of independent work. Validate your idea by finding and interviewing potential users.
‍
🧑🏻‍🏫 3. PRE PROGRAMME WORKSHOP #2
Sat June 21st, 10am
3 hours of interactive workshops to learn how to design your minimum viable product (MVP), create product wireframes and start working with your designer & developer team.

💻 4. PRE PROGRAMME CHECK IN #3
June 28th - July 11th, 1 hour per team
1 hour virtual workshop between your team and the instructors* to finalise your idea, and ensure you are ready to hit the ground running when the two-week intensive begins. *scheduled independently between the student team and instructors

🚀 5. BOOTCAMP: 2-WEEK INTENSIVE
Mon to Fri, 10am to 5pm
July 14th to July 25th
Mornings (3-4 hours): Daily interactive workshops and classes
‍
Afternoons /Evenings: With your team, you'll work on your startup, collaborate with your development team, and meet with mentors.

🚀 6. DEMO DAY
Fri 25th June, 6pm
Present your business and progress to a room of investors, industry specialists and young founders. Parents welcome.

What does a typical day in the programme look like?

Mornings (2-3 hours): Daily interactive workshops and classes.
‍
Afternoons/Evenings: With your team, you'll work on your startup, speak to customers, collaborate with your development team, and meet with mentors. Like real-life entrepreneurship which is fast paced and requires flexibility and adaptability, there is no fixed schedule for how you use this time, but your instructors will set goals with you that you should strive to achieve daily.

So which days exactly do I need to be available to attend the programme in-person?

Pre Programme Workshops:
Saturday June 14th, 10am - 1pm
Saturday June 21st, 10am - 1pm

2-Week Intensive:
Monday to Friday July 14th - 19th, 10am - 5pm
Monday to Friday July 21st - 25th, 10am - 5pm

Demo Day:
Friday July 25th 6pm

What is Demo Day?

Demo Day is a chance for you to present your product and business to venture capital investors, industry specialists and other young entrepreneurs and hear their feedback on your business. You will have a chance to meet and network with these professionals after the presentations, where light refreshments will be provided.
‍
Parents are invited to participate and see the student's final presentations as well.

Can I leave to do other extra-curriculars when we don't have classes?

We ask for a full-time commitment from our students. In order to build and launch a company in 6 weeks, you will have to live the life of an entrepreneur, which requires you to be flexible, adaptable and deeply focused. The bootcamp should be your main focus during the 2-week intensive in order to get the most out of it. While you may be able to balance other activities, it will affect your ability to fully engage with the startup building process, and we ask that if you really must take time out, that you share this openly with your teammates and instructors so that they can also adapt accordingly.

Apply Now

Ready to Build Your Future?

Applications are open for the Young Ventures Summer 2025 Bootcamp! Spaces are limited, so don’t miss your chance to join.

reach out to us

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Build Your Startup.
Shape Your Future.

Not every founder needs to code. But every founder needs to build.

What you'll do:

How It Works

Preparation & Ideation

Product Prioritisation & User Journeys

Product Alignment

Product Building & Refinement

Sales, Marketing & Launch

Demo Day & Celebration

Learn from the Best

Why do the Young Ventures Bootcamp?

Key Highlights:

Schedule

Day 1 - Friday Nov, 8

Opening

Consultations

Keynote

Dinner

Day 2 - Saturday Nov, 9

Opening

Consultations

Keynote

Dinner

Day 3 - Sunday Nov, 10

Opening

Consultations

Keynote

Dinner

Testimonials

Your questions answered

Build Your Startup. Shape Your Future.

Not every founder needs to code. But every founder needs to build.

What you'll do:

How It Works

Preparation & Ideation

Product Prioritisation & User Journeys

Product Alignment

Product Building & Refinement

Sales, Marketing & Launch

Demo Day & Celebration

Learn from the Best

Why do the Young Ventures Bootcamp?

Key Highlights:

Schedule

Day 1 - Friday Nov, 8

Opening

Consultations

Keynote

Dinner

Day 2 - Saturday Nov, 9

Opening

Consultations

Keynote

Dinner

Day 3 - Sunday Nov, 10

Opening

Consultations

Keynote

Dinner

Testimonials

Your questions answered

Ready to Build Your Future?

Apply Now

Build Your Startup.
Shape Your Future.