Applications open — Cohort 1: July 2026
BuildUp Venture Lab is a competitive online accelerator for Grade 8–12 students. You will identify a real problem, build a product, and take it to market — so that when you apply to university, you are not describing what you did. You are describing what you built.
BuildUp Venture Lab teaches you to do exactly that — identify a problem you care about, build something real around it, and take it to market. That conviction doesn't just build a venture. It builds an application.
Harvard University
University of Oxford
NYU
UCLA
UC Berkeley
Brown University
Duke University
UPenn
LSE
NUS
Carnegie Mellon
King's College London
USC
UCL
London Business School
University of Warwick
Harvard University
University of Oxford
NYU
UCLA
UC Berkeley
Brown University
Duke University
UPenn
LSE
NUS
Carnegie Mellon
King's College London
USC
UCL
London Business School
University of Warwick
BuildUp Venture Lab is a competitive online accelerator for Grade 8–12 students. You will identify a real problem, build a product, and take it to market, so that when you apply to university, you are not describing what you did. You are describing what you built.
The students in our programs don't wait for university to start doing something meaningful. They identify a problem, build around it, and walk into their applications with a story that admissions offices remember.
Divya Sijwali · India
TYRON
Overview
Stylish footwear crafted from recycled tyres, creating employment for 30+ cobblers. Winner of the World Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, TGELF/JA India Company of the Year, and first in the Future Leaders Scholarship Programme.
View full case study1 / 6
Phase 1 — July to September 2026 · Phase 2 — October to December 2026
Most students jump to solutions. You won't. This month is about identifying a problem worth solving through real conversations, real observation, and genuine curiosity. You leave with a validated problem brief and a clear direction.
Month 1
Find the Right Problem
Month 2
Month 3
Sessions are led by people who have built, scaled, and invested in real ventures. Twice-monthly live sessions (90 minutes) plus monthly advisor office hours.
Ina Jovicic
Founder | eNOugh
Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe 2026
Maxwell Stern
Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Faculty · Duke University
Justin Seghers
Founding Partner, Momentous
Former investor, Pact
Nickhil Jakatdar
CEO, GenePath Diagnostics
Former Founder & CEO, Viu
Arya Diwase
Founder & CEO, BuildUp Global
Duke · NYU
Anushka Desai
COO, BuildUp Global
UCL School of Management
Our mentors run hands-on sessions across the six months covering the full arc of building a venture — from spotting a problem worth solving, to getting your first users, to telling your story in a university application.
$500 discount for applications confirmed before [EARLY BIRD DATE]. Cohort 1 is limited to 20 students.
Individual
$3,750 USD
/ Per student · 6 months
Team (2–3 students)
$2,750 USD
/ Per student · 6 months
Admissions, eligibility, time commitment, and what happens after you apply—clear answers before you submit.
Contact our teamNo. Month 1 is dedicated to finding the right problem to solve. You need curiosity and commitment. If you have an idea, we will use Month 1 to help you refine it.
Venture Lab is open to students in Grades 8–12. The earlier you start, the more time you have to build on your venture before university applications. That said, students in Grades 11 and 12 have used the program to anchor their applications in the same cycle.
Expect to commit 3–5 hours per week. This includes two live sessions per month, advisor office hours, and the work you do independently on your venture between sessions.
Yes. Venture Lab is fully online. Our current cohort includes students from India, the UAE, Southeast Asia, the US, EU, Australia, South Africa, and the UK.
No. The skills you build around problem identification, user research, product thinking, and storytelling are relevant whether you go into entrepreneurship, consulting, finance, design, or academia. The venture is the vehicle. Where you take it after is up to you.
This is the wrong question — and also the most important one to answer. Universities are not looking for students who have succeeded. They are looking for students who have tried something hard, learned from it, and can articulate what they have learned. A venture that pivoted, struggled, or changed direction entirely is still six months of original work. It is still a story. In many cases, it is a better one.
All sessions are recorded and available within 24 hours. Students across time zones regularly use this option. Most sessions will be conducted over the weekend to accommodate school schedules and time zones.
By the end of the program you have a validated problem statement, a working product or initiative, documented user feedback, and a Founder Showcase presentation. That is six months of concrete, original work you can speak to with depth in your essays, interviews, and activities list. For students who want to go further, our College Launchpad add-on helps you build your full application narrative around your venture.
BuildUp’s other programs are shorter, project-based experiences. Venture Lab is a six-month accelerator that is deeper, more rigorous, and designed specifically for students who want to build something substantial enough to anchor their university application.
Yes. We encourage you to bring co-founder(s). Teams of two to three students can apply together and work on a shared venture. Team applications are reviewed together and, if accepted, work through the program as a unit with shared advisor access.
Tell us who you are, how to reach you, and what draws you to building something real. The full form lives on a dedicated page — quick to complete, easy to save and return if you need a break.
Next step
Continue on our secure apply page
