Founded & run by Harvard entrepreneurs
Founded & run by Harvard entrepreneurs
Young Founders Lab is a real-world start-up incubator for ambitious middle and high school students. Students build organizations that generate revenue and serve their communities.
Address real-world problems and create impact.
Work directly in tech and build a real business.
Network with entrepreneurs and investors globally.
Where our companies and your mentors come from
Funded by
Studied at
Worked at
Students receive close guidance from mentors, startup founders and professionals with backgrounds across top universities and companies.
Founder & CEO
Google & McKinsey alum
Fintech Launch is focused on bridging the gap between fintech products for individuals in markets including the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
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.
Founder & CEO
Harvard & YC alum
Recognized in Forbes, NYT, and the Harvard Education Review, Fair Opportunity Project sends free college advice to 63,000 educators and 1:1 mentorship to hundreds of students.
Founder, Hydra
Harvard Business School MBA
CC Salzman is founder & CEO of Hydra Hydration. She built a background in brand management at Kraft Heinz, then earned her MBA at Harvard Business School, where Hydra first gained traction.
3-week entrepreneurship boot camp, 100% online, live interactive classes and group venture building.
12-week route with weekly one-on-one mentorship, flexible timing and support from the program management team.
3-week online boot camp with live workshops and team venture building.
Learn More10-week incubator for teams preparing for competitive pitch competitions.
Learn MoreFuture-ready entrepreneurship for younger students building real-world skills.
Learn MoreMeet your cohort or mentor and choose the problem space you want to explore.
Learn core business fundamentals and shape the start-up idea you will build.
Run market and user research, then build your first prototype or MVP.
Launch for traction and learn growth, marketing and sales skills.
Present your venture, pitch and next steps with live mentor feedback.
A survey of 340+ alumni who applied to universities in 2022–23 showed that 20% of our alumni who applied to an Ivy League university or Stanford got in — 4× higher than the general rate of acceptance at these universities.
UC Berkeley17acceptances
Cornell15acceptances
UPenn9acceptances
Columbia8acceptances
Yale7acceptances
Stanford4acceptances“YFL guided us through building a startup from the ground up. We created an MVP and pitch, then continued developing the venture with support from our mentor.”“YFL helped us turn an idea into an MVP and pitch. With our mentor’s support, we kept developing the venture after the program.”
Aalia Deora“YFL gave me hands-on experience in the field I want to pursue. Working with an experienced mentor taught me how entrepreneurship and innovation work in practice.”“YFL gave me practical experience in the field I want to pursue and showed me how entrepreneurship and innovation work in the real world.”
Neha Bhalla“YFL was invaluable. I developed practical skills, met ambitious peers and loved building alongside my teammates throughout the program.”
Reeyaa Ajay“YFL was an amazing experience. I learned so much about starting a business and even got to launch one by the end!”
Ronak ChughStudents in Grades 8–12 who want hands-on entrepreneurship experience — from complete first-timers to students already building something. If you're curious and driven, you're a fit.
No. Many founders arrive with nothing but curiosity. The program helps you find, validate and build an idea from scratch.
It depends on your route. The team-based boot camp runs about 3 weeks, while the individual and competition tracks run 10–12 weeks with weekly mentor sessions.
Yes. Every cohort runs live online, so students can take part from anywhere in the world.
A real venture with early traction, a pitch and portfolio, lasting mentor relationships, and a markedly stronger university application.
Share your motivation, interests and why YFL is a strong fit.
Wait as the admissions team evaluates your application.
Meet a senior member of the YFL team and talk through your goals.
The admissions team shares your outcome and next steps.
Start building with your mentor, cohort or team.
