Are you curious about how businesses and startups operate? If yes, entrepreneur summer camps can be very helpful. Typically organized by universities or business schools, these camps aim to develop practical skills such as brainstorming, teamwork, and transforming ideas into actual projects. Participants often create basic business plans, design products or services, and even present pitches to a group.
Most camps are just for a week or two, so they’re easy to fit into your summer plans. Whether you’ve already got entrepreneurial goals or you’re just curious about the startup world, these camps will help you explore, build new skills, and make informed decisions about your future.
Here are 13 entrepreneur summer camps for high school students worth checking out.
1. Drexel LeBow’s Camp Business
Location: LeBow College of Business, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $2,000 (Residential Sessions) | $950 (Commuter Session); need-based scholarships are available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Not listed
Dates: July 13 – July 18 (Residential Blue Session) | July 20 – July 25 (Commuter Session) | July 27 – August 1 (Residential Gold Session)
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Drexel LeBow’s Camp Business offers an introduction to business education at both corporate and college levels. Participants will study subjects such as accounting, marketing, finance, and management, while also gaining skills in leadership, professional etiquette, teamwork, and strategy. The program provides opportunities to work with financial documents, the stock market, and various technological tools. Throughout the camp, you and your team will develop a business pitch and present it during a final competition. If you’re interested in a shorter option, Drexel also offers Business Bootcamp, a two-day on-campus program where you’ll take college-style classes, hear from industry professionals, and study topics such as product development, accounting, analytics, and business ethics.
2. Business Horizons by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry Foundation
Location: Drake University, Des Moines, IA
Cost: $350 – $400; need-based financial assistance is available
Cohort Size: 66 students
Dates: July 13 – July 17
Application Deadline: July 5 or when the spots are filled; if you register before May 30, you’ll get a $50 discount
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12
Business Horizons is a five-day program designed for high school students to learn practical business skills. Participants will experience college life while engaging in team activities, competitions, and entrepreneurial challenges. You will work in groups to develop a business idea and prepare for three competitions: an investor pitch, an infomercial screening, and a trade show where the top product is selected. The program also includes workshops, keynote speakers, professional interactions, and evening activities. Throughout the week, you’ll develop your leadership abilities, explore different career options, visit local businesses, and network with professionals across various industries.
3. Colorado State University’s Venture Validator Summer Camp
Location: CSU SPUR Education Center, Denver, CO
Cost: $75; need-based scholarships are available
Cohort Size: Maximum 25 students
Dates: June 9 – June 13
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Rising 7th–10th-grade students
The Venture Validator Summer Camp, hosted by the CSU College of Business Institute for Entrepreneurship, is a week-long program where students explore what it truly takes to be an entrepreneur. On day one, you’ll define a problem, then spend the rest of the week working in small groups to design solutions and explore how those ideas could become real businesses. You’ll practice customer discovery, design business models, run market research, analyze competitors, prototype products, and sharpen your ideas into pitches for potential ventures. You’ll also study basic business principles and learn about career paths available in areas like marketing, international business, supply chain, innovation, and organizational management.
4. Rutgers Summer Business Camp
Location: Livingston Apartments and Rutgers Business School Livingston Campus, Piscataway, NJ
Cost: $2,500
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Around 90 students
Dates: July 6 – July 12 | July 13 – July 19
Application Deadline: Registration opens January 2 and closes when all spots are filled
Eligibility: Local high school students
Rutgers University’s Summer Business Camp offers a week-long opportunity for students interested in entrepreneurship. You’ll learn about fields like management, finance, accounting, marketing, and supply chain through sessions with RBS faculty, a business plan competition, and business site visits. Counselors, including Rutgers professors, students, and faculty, will guide you through the week as you build business plans, receive feedback from mentors and executives, explore analytics and IT, and practice pitching your ideas. You will also have the opportunity to present your business pitch to a diverse audience, including parents, Rutgers students, and faculty. You can view the program’s sample agenda for more details.
5. Summer Entrepreneurship Institute at the University of Michigan
Location: University of Michigan-Flint campus, MI
Cost: $50; need-based scholarships are available
Cohort Size: 20–25 students
Dates: June 16 – June 18
Application Deadline: April 30
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
The Summer Entrepreneurship Institute is a three-day camp for students who want to explore business and entrepreneurship. Throughout the sessions, you’ll gain a clear understanding of what the field entails, learn how new ventures are established and developed, and cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset. You will learn how to generate new business ideas, understand the skills entrepreneurs need, and evaluate whether those ideas are practical. The course also includes visits to local businesses, guest talks from entrepreneurs, interactive lectures with the School of Management faculty, group projects, creative thinking exercises, and presentations.
6. USF Bulls Startup Summer Camp
Location: Muma College of Business, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Cost: $550; the residential add-on costs $995
Cohort Size: Maximum 30 students
Dates: June 23 – June 27
Application Deadline: Applications open on February 1; rolling admissions
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th grade students
The USF Bulls Startup Summer Camp introduces students to the world of entrepreneurship and innovation. You’ll participate in hands-on workshops and interactive sessions with USF faculty and industry professionals, practicing creative problem-solving while learning how entrepreneurs spot opportunities and create value. Through brainstorming, you’ll come up with product ideas, design business models, and explore what makes products resonate with customers. You’ll learn about coding, cryptocurrency, and social media marketing, which will help you use technology and digital platforms in today’s business world. On the final day, you’ll refine your pitch deck and present your ideas in front of a panel of industry professionals.
7. Wharton Global Youth Program — Essentials of Entrepreneurship
Location: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $7,899 + $100 non-refundable application fee; scholarships are available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: Selective
Dates: June 8 – June 21 | June 22 – July 4 | July 13 – July 26 | July 27 – August 9
Application Deadline: January 29 (priority deadline) | April 2 (final deadline)
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9–11 can apply; no prior business experience is needed
Wharton’s Essentials of Entrepreneurship is a two-week program that introduces students to the process of building a startup. Through lectures, recitations, and hands-on activities, you’ll learn essential skills such as user research, opportunity testing, MVP development, marketing, scaling, and exit strategies. You’ll collaborate with peers to develop and pitch an early-stage startup idea. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to hear from Wharton faculty, lecturers, and PhD students, experience college life at the University of Pennsylvania, and explore Philadelphia. At the end, you’ll receive a Wharton Global Youth Certificate of Completion.
8. Stockton University’s Summer Entrepreneurship and Business Academy (SEBA)
Location: Stockton University, Galloway, NJ
Cost: Free
Cohort Size: This year, 19 students took part in the program
Dates: July 13 – July 19
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Stockton University’s Summer Entrepreneurship and Business Academy (SEBA) will allow you to explore the basics of business and entrepreneurship in a college-style setting. In this program, you’ll explore topics such as marketing, business analytics, hospitality, accounting, finance, computer science, and management. Students will be divided into teams to brainstorm ideas for new business ventures, then create and present a business plan in a competition judged by faculty, board members, and industry leaders. The winning team will receive a $500 prize. Additionally, you’ll learn about entrepreneurship, free enterprise, business ethics, and personal development while gaining practical skills like reading and interpreting financial statements.
9. Entrepreneurship Academy at Georgetown University
Location: Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Cost: $5,950 (Residential) | $4,145 (Commuter)
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Dates: June 15 – June 27
Application Deadline: January 31 (early deadline) | April 15 (final deadline)
Eligibility: Current 8th–12th grade students with a minimum 2.0 GPA
Georgetown University’s Entrepreneurship Academy offers students a chance to understand how to start and manage a business. Participants will learn about design thinking, brainstorming, market research, prototype testing, social innovation, and global business. They will also explore the challenges and opportunities involved in running their own ventures. Working in teams, students will create a business plan and present it in a final competition. Additionally, they will develop skills in communication, public speaking, and networking. The program features entrepreneurs from various industries sharing their experiences and providing tips for success in different careers.
10. North Carolina Central University’s Entrepreneurship Summer Camp
Location: North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC
Cost: $100
Cohort Size: 25 students
Dates: July 7 – July 18
Application Deadline: May 28
Eligibility: Rising 10th–12th-grade students
North Carolina Central University offers summer camps for high school students to explore careers in fields like entrepreneurship, accounting, wealth management, cybersecurity, and real estate through hands-on, interactive learning. The Entrepreneurship Summer Camp provides a chance to create a business idea, learn how to manage finances, build a brand, and enhance presentation skills. Participants can collaborate with other motivated participants, pitch their ideas, and develop key skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking.
11. Harvard Student Agencies’ Business: Entrepreneurship Academy
Location: Harvard University Campus, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $1,800; discounts and need-based financial aid are available
Acceptance Rate/Cohort Size: No information available
Dates: June 9 – June 13 | June 23 – June 27 | July 14 – July 18 | July 28 – August 1
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12 who are at least 14 years old
Harvard Student Agencies’ Business: Entrepreneurship Academy will introduce you to the basics of launching a startup, strengthen your financial literacy, and help you explore the startup world. Taught by Harvard students, the program combines lectures with hands-on work to help you build analytical skills and turn ideas into action. You’ll create and adapt your own startup idea to today’s market, conduct market and customer research, and practice tools like SWOT analysis and product–market fit. You’ll also study the structure of a business plan and build one yourself. You’ll get to analyze a real business school case study, craft persuasive elevator pitches, and present your final business idea in a mock pitch competition to a panel of judges.
12. Rowan University’s Think Like an Entrepreneur Summer Academy
Location: Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ
Cost: Free
Cohort Size: Around 90 students participated last year
Dates: June 23 – June 26
Application Deadline: May 18
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
At Rowan University’s Think Like an Entrepreneur Summer Academy (TLAE), participants will work in teams to tackle one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The program teaches students about entrepreneurial thinking by involving them in real-world challenges encountered when launching and managing new ventures, such as analyzing trends, financial statements, and metrics to assess a startup’s progress. Each day covers a new topic, including financial analysis, the Business Model Canvas, problem-solving, design thinking, customer discovery, prototyping, storytelling, and pitching. You’ll work with faculty and student mentors to shape your idea into a viable business. The program will culminate in a pitch event, where you and your team will get to present your solution to a panel of professionals
13. Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) High School Entrepreneurship
Location: University of California, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $6,292 (California Residents) | $7,332 (Out of State Residents) + an $80 non-refundable application fee; need-based scholarships are available
Cohort Size: 50 students
Dates: July 5 – July 19 | July 19 – August 2
Application Deadline: March 1; rolling admissions
Eligibility: High school students
The Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY) enables students to explore business disciplines at Berkeley under the guidance of Haas professors and guest speakers from the corporate world. You’ll learn the basics of starting and growing a business through independent research, computer lab work, and team projects. You will develop a complete business plan with your team and present it at the program’s conclusion. The program also supports college preparation by connecting you with Berkeley undergraduates and admission advisors, who will assist you with the application process, campus life, and crafting compelling UC personal statements and college essays. Upon completion, you will receive a UC Berkeley Business Academy for Youth Certificate of Completion.
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!
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