If you’re a high school student in California thinking about studying business or starting a career in it, joining a summer business program can help you get a head start. These programs are designed to provide you with real-world experience in areas such as entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, and management. You get to work in teams, build business plans, learn how companies grow, and practice skills that matter in college and beyond.
California has numerous strong programs, run by universities, companies, and nonprofits, that welcome high school students every summer. You can learn directly from business professors, startup founders, and industry professionals while building your resume and confidence. Choosing a local program can also be a financially smart option. You avoid travel costs and still get solid training close to home.
To help you find the right program, we’ve put together a list of 14 summer business programs for high school students in California!
14 Summer Business Programs for High School Students in California
1. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective internship program for high school students interested in working with start-ups. If selected, you’ll be matched with a start-up from industries like technology, AI/ML, health tech, marketing, journalism, and consulting. Most participating start-ups are early-stage companies that have raised over $1 million in funding. During the internship, you’ll work on real projects under the guidance of both a company manager and a Ladder Coach. At the end of the program, you present your work to the start-up team. Here is the application form.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a real-world start-up boot camp for high school students, founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you work toward building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem. You also get mentored by entrepreneurs and professionals from companies like Google, Microsoft, and X. Alongside building the start-up, you take part in interactive classes on business fundamentals and ideation, workshops, skill-building sessions, case studies, and panel discussions.
3. Bank of America Student Leaders program
Location: Multiple locations, including California, a 1-week summit in Washington, D.C.
Cost/Stipend: No cost (stipend will be provided)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Around 300 students
Dates: 8-week program in June/July
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors
Bank of America Student Leaders is an eight-week paid internship for high school juniors and seniors. You’ll be placed at a local nonprofit, where you work on mission-driven projects and build experience in nonprofit operations, budgeting, program coordination, and community outreach. You’ll also take part in a weeklong leadership summit in Washington, D.C., where you meet policymakers and business leaders to learn how different sectors tackle public issues. The program includes structured mentorship and helps you strengthen skills in project management, communication, and systems thinking, all within the context of social impact and nonprofit leadership.
4. CLA High School Internship Program
Location: Multiple locations around the U.S.
Cost/Stipend: No cost (stipend will be provided)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 69 students (based on previous year)
Dates: Four weeks in June/July
Application Deadline: Applications typically close in January
Eligibility: Open to high school students aged 16 – 18 years
CLA High School Internship Program gives you early exposure to accounting and professional services through structured, hands-on learning. You’ll work on financial analysis, tax basics, and auditing concepts by joining client-focused case studies and shadowing professionals across different service lines. The program helps you build technical skills like reading financial statements, interpreting business transactions, and understanding compliance procedures. You’ll take part in team-based projects that focus on data interpretation, documentation, and communication in a corporate setting.
5. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) High School Entrepreneurship
Location: University of California
Cost/Stipend: California Resident $6,292 | Out of State Resident $7,332
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 50 students
Dates: Session 1: July 5 – July 19 | Session 2: July 19 – August 2
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: High school students
Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) is a two-week program where you work in a team to design and pitch a startup venture. You’ll apply key concepts from marketing, finance, operations, and management to create a business plan based on both primary and secondary research. You’ll learn from Berkeley Haas faculty and hear from corporate guest speakers. The program helps you build skills in business writing, financial modeling, and public speaking. You’ll also get experience with research methods and software tools used for data analysis and presentation. The program ends with a formal pitch to a panel.
6. The Intern Project (TIP)
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Cost/Stipend: No cost; student will receive a stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 85 students (based on the previous year’s program)
Dates: June 17 – August 9
Application Deadline: March 15
Eligibility: 10 – 12th-grade students attending an LA County High School
The Intern Project (TIP) offers you a paid, eight-week internship in fields like business, data science, engineering, or media. You’ll work on real-world projects while building skills in workplace communication, time management, data analysis, and teamwork. The program includes workshops on résumé building, interview techniques, and professional behavior. You’ll be matched with a mentor who supports you through your project and helps with career planning. You also earn college credit.
7. Leangap
Location: University of California, Berkeley, and online
Cost/Stipend: Online tuition cost: $6,450 | In-person tuition cost: $9,950
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Dates: Online: June 16 – July 11 | In-person: July 13 – August 9
Application Deadline: Application opens in Fall; Leangap sells out every year by March or earlier
Eligibility: High school students
Leangap is a startup incubator for high school students interested in entrepreneurship. During the program, you go through the full startup process: ideation, user research, prototyping, product-market fit, and launch. You’ll work in a team to build a minimum viable product (MVP), test it with real users, and refine it based on feedback. You’ll focus on customer acquisition, lean business modeling, and presentation skills, with mentorship from startup founders. By the end of the program, you pitch your startup to real investors and explore topics like funding and go-to-market strategies.
8. University of Pacific: Building Your Own Business
Location: University of the Pacific
Cost/Stipend: Regular tuition: $3,650
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Moderately selective
Dates: June 2 – June 12
Application Deadline: May 11
Eligibility: You must be entering grades 9 to 12
Building Your Own Business at the University of the Pacific’s Summer High School Institute gives you a hands-on introduction to entrepreneurship. Over two weeks, you’ll use tools like the Business Model Canvas and Value Proposition framework to design and test a business idea. You’ll work in a team to identify market problems, prototype solutions, and build go-to-market strategies. The program focuses on iterative design, customer feedback, and the basics of pitching. You’ll finish by presenting your startup idea to peers and faculty in a simulated investor pitch setting.
9. USC Exploring Entrepreneurship Program
Location: University of Southern California (USC)
Cost/Stipend: Residential cost: $11,347 | Commuter cost: $7,812
Dates: June 15 – July 12
Application Deadline: Domestic students: May 2 | International students: March 14
Eligibility: Participants must have completed at least the 10th grade before the start of the program
Exploring Entrepreneurship at USC gives you a practical introduction to launching a business. You will work in teams to develop original business ideas while learning core concepts in accounting, marketing, business ethics, and human resource planning. You will visit startups and venture firms in Los Angeles, especially in areas like Silicon Beach and the food and retail sectors, to see how entrepreneurship works in real settings. The program also helps you build skills in pitching, audience engagement, personal branding, collaboration, and public speaking.
10. Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute
Location: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and virtual
Cost: Total estimated fees: $3,921. Check more details here.
Dates: Session A: Virtual: June 23 – July 4; Session B: Residential: July 6 – July 19; Session C: Residential: July 20 – August 2; Session D: Virtual: August 4 – August 15
Application Deadline: Session A: June 13; Session B & C: June 6; Session D: July 25
Eligibility: Students who will be in 10 – 12 grade in Spring
Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute introduces you to the structure and strategy behind mission-driven ventures. Over two weeks, you will learn the basics of nonprofit formation and social enterprise development, including stakeholder analysis, revenue modeling for impact ventures, and legal considerations for 501(c)(3) organizations. You will work in teams to research, prototype your social venture, and build a clear pitch deck. The program ends with a formal presentation to a panel of entrepreneurs and investors who give feedback on both business feasibility and social impact.
11. NSLC on Business & Entrepreneurship – UC Berkeley
Location: University of California, Berkeley
Cost: $4,095
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-enrollment
Dates: Session 1: June 13 – June 21 | Session 2: June 25 – July 3
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions until sessions are full
Eligibility: Open to high school students (grades 9 – 12)
NSLC on Business and Entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley introduces you to startup development through simulation-based learning and team projects. You will work on business model development, stakeholder mapping, and product ideation, and learn how to create investor-ready pitch presentations. Leadership sessions help you understand communication styles, team dynamics, and conflict resolution. The curriculum includes case-based instruction from entrepreneurs featured on the Inc. 5000 list and professionals in marketing, operations, and finance. You will also visit local startups to see how ventures are formed and scaled.
12. Business & Entrepreneurship at UCSD
Location: UC San Diego
Cost: Residential cost: $5,698; Commuter cost: $3,298
Dates: Session 1: June 29 – July 11 | Session 2: July 13 – July 25 | Session 3: July 27 – August 8
Application Deadline: Final General Admission Deadline: May 16. You can check more details here.
Eligibility: Open to high school students
Business and Entrepreneurship at UCSD is a two-week program where you go through the full startup process, from market research and product development to financial modeling and investor pitching. You will work in a small team to study market opportunities, design a business model, and build a pitch deck for a Shark Tank-style presentation.
You will take part in simulations on business operations, sales strategy, and cost analysis. Instructional sessions will help you learn how to read financial statements and assess business performance. You will also visit local startups and marketing firms to see how these concepts apply in fields like consulting, investment banking, and brand strategy.
13. KP LAUNCH High School Internship at Kaiser Permanente
Location: Kaiser Permanente Medical Center or other business offices. Check your closest location here.
Cost: None. A stipend of $23/hour is provided.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 40-50 students
Dates: June 16 – August 1
Application Deadline: January 6
Eligibility: High school students aged 16 – 19 who can legally work in the U.S.; must have permanent residency in a Northern California Kaiser Permanente designated service area; priority is given to juniors and seniors. Read more here
KP LAUNCH High School Internship at Kaiser Permanente gives you exposure to the business and administrative side of healthcare through a paid summer internship. You will be placed in departments like accounting, marketing, product development, or communications based on your interests. The program focuses on building professional skills through weekly workshops, mentoring, and team projects. You will strengthen your communication, project coordination, and organizational skills while learning how healthcare systems are managed.
14. Interns 4-Good
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: Multiple opportunities throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Open to all high school students
Interns 4-Good connects you with remote, skills-based internships at nonprofit organizations. These internships focus on business-related roles like social media marketing, content writing, graphic design, data entry, and research. You will apply your skills to real nonprofit projects while gaining experience in client communication, project coordination, and digital marketing tools. All internships are virtual and volunteer-based, so you can join year-round. You will also track your hours for verified community service credit.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – Interns 4-Good