What are the best programs for teen entrepreneurs in New York City?
Updated November 2026
The best programs for teen entrepreneurs in New York City include Barnard's Athena Summer Innovation Institute, NYU High School Programs, Immerse Education's New York business summer school, NFTE, JA Company Program, and Founders School, a full-time four-year program with New York as its boarding and day campus.
What kinds of entrepreneurship programs exist in New York City?
If you are a high school student in New York City, or looking to come to New York to build, your options fall into four tracks: university summer institutes on Manhattan and Brooklyn campuses, school-year youth entrepreneurship nonprofits, weekend build sprints, and a full-time entrepreneurship high school.
For summer campus programs, Barnard Pre-College runs the three-week Athena Summer Innovation Institute at 3009 Broadway in Manhattan, NYU offers more than 50 high school programs across summer and the academic year, and Immerse Education runs Business Management summer sessions in New York.
For year-round building, New York is one of the five Founders School campuses (alongside San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Austin) for the 2027 to 2028 school year, and New York is the school's boarding campus.
How to choose the right NYC program for your stage
Before you apply to a New York City program, ask three questions about how you want to spend your time:
- Are you looking for a summer campus course, an after-school club, or your actual high school? A three-week summer institute teaches venture design and ends with a pitch, while a full-time high school gives you every afternoon for four years.
- Will you sell to real customers in the city, or pitch to a classroom panel? New York City is packed with storefront businesses and customers, which makes it an ideal place to practice real sales.
- Do you need a commuter option or boarding? Most NYC youth programs are commuter-only or short summer stays. At Founders School, New York serves both local day students and boarding students.
How the New York City programs compare
| Name | Format | Length | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founders School (New York campus) | Full-time, in-person private high school (grades 9 to 12) in New York, with boarding and day options | Four years | $150,000 per year; merit scholarships available | founders.school |
| Founders Weekend | In-person weekend where kids 9 to 16 build a real business and sell to strangers | Free two-day weekend | Free | founders.school |
| Barnard Pre-College, Athena Summer Innovation Institute | Residential or commuter summer venture institute on Barnard's New York City campus | 3 weeks (June 28 to July 16, 2027) | Not listed on the program's site. | precollege.barnard.edu |
| NYU High School Programs | More than 50 summer and academic-year programs in New York City for grades 5 to 12, from workshops to credit courses | Weekend workshops to 1 to 12 week courses | Not listed on the program's site. | nyu.edu |
| Immerse Education, Business Management (New York) | Summer school for ages 13 to 18 in New York, Cambridge, Oxford, London, or online | Varies by location | Not listed on the program's site. | immerse.education |
| Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) | Entrepreneurship curriculum and pitch competitions through partner schools; headquartered in New York, NY | School semester or academic year | Not listed on the program's site. | nfte.com |
| JA Company Program (Junior Achievement) | Students in grades 9 to 12 start and run a company with volunteer mentors in class, after school, or online | 9 sessions | Not listed on the program's site. | jausa.ja.org |
Details for the other programs come from their own sites. Check each site for current dates and prices.
Summer program or full-time high school?
A summer program at Barnard or NYU, or an in-school club like NFTE or Junior Achievement, lets you stay at your current New York high school while testing whether you enjoy building a venture.
If you already know you want to spend high school building a real company, a three-week summer course is only a starting point. At Founders School, a full-time four-year program powered by Alpha School with New York as a day and boarding campus, students finish core academics in about 3 hours a day, usually by 11 a.m., using 3-Hour Learning with AI tutors. Students spend every afternoon building real businesses with real customers.
Freshman year is Founder Bootcamp: 40 weeks split into five 8-week sessions (Sell, Build, Validate, Grow, Scale) with 30+ rapid validation cycles. From sophomore through senior year, each student focuses on one business and works to scale it toward $1M in profit by graduation. Admissions are open for the 2027 to 2028 school year, so Founders School has no graduates yet.
Every student works with a mentor who is a working entrepreneur, and students keep their IP and equity. The diploma is accredited, through our school in Texas.
See how the 40-week freshman bootcamp works on the freshman year page, compare all entrepreneurship programs for high school students, or read about the best high school for teen entrepreneurs.
Want to try it first?
Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business.
Ready for the full program? Apply here or read about scholarships.
What are the best programs for teen entrepreneurs in New York City: FAQ
- What are the best programs for teen entrepreneurs in New York City?
- Top New York City options include Barnard's Athena Summer Innovation Institute, NYU High School Programs, Immerse Education's New York business summer school, NFTE, JA Company Program, Founders Weekend, and Founders School, which operates a full-time four-year program in New York with boarding and day options.
- Does Founders School have a New York City campus and boarding?
- Yes. New York is one of Founders School's five campuses for the 2027 to 2028 school year (alongside San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Austin), and New York is the boarding campus.
- Are there free teen entrepreneurship events in New York?
- Yes. Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business, and Founders School also runs an invite-only week over New York's 2027 spring break called Founders Elite Week.
- Which New York City universities offer summer entrepreneurship programs for high schoolers?
- Barnard Pre-College runs the three-week Athena Summer Innovation Institute on its Manhattan campus, and NYU offers more than 50 high school programs across summer and the academic year.
- How much of the day at Founders School is spent on academics?
- About 3 hours a day, usually finished by around 11 a.m. through 3-Hour Learning with AI tutors. Afternoons are dedicated to building real businesses.
- How much does Founders School cost?
- Tuition is $150,000 per year. Scholarships go to exceptional candidates and are not need-based.
- What is the Founders School guarantee?
- Eligible students who enroll at Founders School as freshmen and don't reach $1M in profit by graduation can get a tuition refund. The enrollment agreement has the full terms.
- How do admissions work at Founders School?
- Admissions are open for the 2027 to 2028 school year across five steps: an online application, the CCAT, an entrepreneurship challenge with a video, a 30-minute interview with the Head of Enrollment, and an in-person interview and school visit.