What are the best weekend entrepreneurship programs for high schoolers?
Updated November 2026
The best weekend entrepreneurship programs for high schoolers include Founders Weekend, a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business, Build Weekend by Founders School, Techstars Startup Weekend, DECA conferences, and the Diamond Challenge summit. For daily building, Founders School runs a full-time four-year program.
Three kinds of weekend entrepreneurship events you can join during the school year
You do not need to wait for summer break to test whether you like building a startup. Weekend entrepreneurship programs let you ship a product, pitch strangers, or compete with a team between Friday and Sunday without missing your regular high school classes.
First, hands-on build weekends ask you to launch something real before Sunday evening. In the Weekend Series by Founders School, there are three tracks with a hard finish line: Founders Weekend (a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business and get in front of 20 strangers), Build Weekend (a weekend AI build competition where you ship an app by Sunday), and audience-building weekends.
Second, open community hackathons like Techstars Startup Weekend run for 54 hours across three days, pairing builders of all ages to pitch ideas and assemble a prototype. Third, student business organizations like DECA and pitch competitions like the University of Delaware's Diamond Challenge culminate in multi-day weekend conferences and summits.
How to pick the right weekend program
Before you register for a weekend event, check three details:
- Will you sell to real customers or only present slides? At Founders Weekend, you build a real business and pitch to strangers over two days rather than just rehearsing a slide deck.
- Is the event built for your age group? Founders Weekend is built specifically for ages 9 to 16, DECA and the Diamond Challenge are built for high school students in grades 9 to 12, and Techstars Startup Weekend is primarily an adult community event where age rules vary by local organizer.
- Does the weekend connect to a longer path? If your Build is met at Founders Weekend and confirmed by the Head of Enrollment or a desk owner, Founders School waives the assessment fee and build video step when you apply to the four-year high school.
How the weekend programs compare
| Name | Format | Length | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founders Weekend (by Founders School) | In-person weekend where kids 9 to 16 build a real business, pitch 20 strangers, and leave with a plan to make their first $10K | Free two-day weekend | Free | founders.school |
| Build Weekend (by Founders School) | In-person weekend AI build competition where students ship a working app by Sunday | One weekend | Not listed on the program's site. | founders.school |
| The Weekend Series (by Founders School) | Single-weekend sprints to start a business, build a product, or build an audience | One weekend per event | Founders Weekend is free; check each event page for details | founders.school |
| Techstars Startup Weekend | Three-day community event in 150+ countries to pitch ideas, form teams, and build a startup prototype | 54 hours (3 days) | Not listed on the program's site. | techstars.com |
| DECA High School Programs (Conferences) | High school chapters with nearly 60 competitive events and weekend conferences like the Ultimate DECA Power Trip | 3 to 4 day weekend conferences during the school year | Not listed on the program's site. | deca.org |
| Diamond Challenge (University of Delaware) | Global high school entrepreneurship pitch competition in business and social innovation tracks; $12,000 first prize | Competition season ending in a multi-day summit | Not listed on the program's site. | diamondchallenge.org |
| NYU High School Programs (Weekend Workshops) | New York City academic-year weekend workshops and summer courses for grades 5 to 12 | Weekend workshops to multi-week courses | Not listed on the program's site. | nyu.edu |
| Founders School | Full-time, in-person private high school (grades 9 to 12) for teens who want to build every afternoon | Four years | $150,000 per year; merit scholarships available | founders.school |
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 weekend sprint or a summer program is the fastest way to see if you love building and selling. In 48 hours at Founders Weekend, you can launch a first offer and talk to real customers.
If one weekend leaves you wanting to build every day, a two-day event or a three-week summer camp will not give you enough runway. At Founders School, a full-time four-year program powered by Alpha School, students finish core academics in about 3 hours a day, usually by 11 a.m., using 3-Hour Learning with AI tutors. Every afternoon is dedicated to building real businesses.
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 gets 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 four-year schedule 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.
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What are the best weekend entrepreneurship programs for high schoolers: FAQ
- What are the best weekend entrepreneurship programs for high schoolers?
- Top weekend options include Founders Weekend (a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16), Build Weekend by Founders School, Techstars Startup Weekend (54 hours), DECA weekend conferences, and the Diamond Challenge. Teens who want to build every afternoon can apply to Founders School.
- Is Founders Weekend free for high school students?
- Yes. Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend for kids 9 to 16 to build a real business.
- Does attending Founders Weekend help when applying to Founders School?
- Yes. It's waived for families already enrolled at an Alpha School campus, and for families whose Build was met at Founders Weekend, so those applicants do not pay the assessment fee and do not need to send a separate build video.
- What is the difference between Founders Weekend and Build Weekend?
- Founders Weekend is a free two-day weekend where kids 9 to 16 build a business and pitch 20 strangers, while Build Weekend is a weekend AI build competition where students ship an app by Sunday.
- How long is Techstars Startup Weekend?
- Techstars Startup Weekend runs for 54 hours across three days, from Friday evening pitches to Sunday demonstrations.
- How much does the full-time Founders School high 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.