Venture & Tech Summer Program

The Venture & Tech Summer Program (VTSP) is the premier high school innovation academy. VTSP offers an unparalleled opportunity for ambitious, high-achieving high school students to immerse themselves in the innovation ecosystem. This selective online program exposes students with cutting-edge startups across diverse industries, providing hands-on experience in the most competitive fields. Participants work in small groups, meet founders, and gain mentorship and real-world exposure to technology, business strategy, innovation, and leadership.

Since its founding, VTSP has grown exponentially, now receiving thousands of applications each summer from students across 50 countries. The program continues to be supported by a global network of distinguished researchers, founders, and investors - world-renowned leaders united by a shared commitment to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship education for high school students.

"VTSP is the perfect way for young innovators to learn by doing. The ideal way to gain experience and develop critical thinking skills is through hands-on socially constructed learning."

— Chris Barton, Founder of Shazam (Acquired by Apple)

Program Components

Internship Projects Modeled for Real VC-Backed Startups

The capstone of this program is your internship project. We match every student with one of our real, industry leading, venture capital-backed startup run by entrepreneurs solving world-changing problems. Students work in small team throughout the 6-week internship in an industry and role tailored toward their career interests and goals.

Workshops Taught by Top Founders and Investors

Students attend daily interactive seminars and workshops run by founders of multimillion-dollar companies, world-class investors, and renowned university faculty. Workshops teach students about technology, innovation management, and problem-solving skills. Classes range from fireside chats with key thought leaders to hands-on sessions covering MBA-level case studies.

One-On-One Mentorship From Innovation's Brightest Minds

Every student works with our core team to discover and develop their ambitions. In addition to their academic experience as educators, the VTSP team has collectively scaled products to millions of users, IPO'd a company on the NASDAQ, raised $300M in funding, invested in startups like OpenAI, and joined Y Combinator. We help students find their path to college and beyond.

Learn From World-Class Experts

In addition to their internship experience and mentorship from the startup, students will have numerous opportunities to learn more about startups and entrepreneurship and experience personal growth through classes and events. VTSP features almost daily fireside chats led by luminaries in their respective fields. There will also be skill-building sessions and workshops that cover innovation management, strategy, operations, and investing in various verticals.

Featured Past Guest Speakers:

Mark Cuban

Mavericks Owner

Nick Green

Thrive Market CEO

Ted Sarandos

Netflix CEO

Chris Hulls

Life360 Founder

Thomas Kurian

Google Cloud CEO

Stanley Tang

DoorDash Co-Founder

Chris Barton

Shazam Founder

Ania Smith

TaskRabbit CEO

John Capodilupo

Co-Founder, WHOOP

Lila Snyder

Bose CEO

Josh Silverman

Etsy & Skype CEO

Cory Levy

Z Fellows Founder

Real World Projects Designed for VC-Backed Startups

In their startup projects, students tackle a real-world challenge by building a product or deliverable from scratch. They collaborate in small teams while working through a reverse-engineered case study designed around the company’s needs. It’s similar to the business case studies taught at the MBA level - but fully interactive. At every stage, students learn to make critical business and product decisions while building a cutting-edge project which they will present at the program's conclusion.

VTSP partners with leading companies across a wide range of industries, all supported by some of the world’s top venture capital firms. Our partner organizations span cutting-edge STEM field - including AI, engineering, and medical/biotech - as well as fintech, nonprofits, and arts/media collectives. Students work on projects from innovative startups backed by leading investors such as Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator. Collectively, the venture capital firms supporting VTSP’s participating startups manage over $200 billion in assets and were among the earliest investors in companies like Google, DoorDash, Dropbox, Coinbase, and Cruise.

Enrollment

The Venture & Tech Summer Program runs entirely online across two, six-week summer sessions:

Session I: June 8 to July 16, 2027
Session II: July 5 to August 13, 2027

Leading up to the official start date, admitted program participants will be invited to exclusive, virtual networking opportunities and fireside chats with various entrepreneurs, investors, and faculty.

Tuition for the 6-week program is $4750, regardless of whether a student enrolls in Session I or Session II. There is also a $35 application fee. Financial aid scholarships are available based on a holistic review of both demonstrated need and merit. More information on admissions and financial aid can be found here.

Ainsley B., Class of '25

"This program has given me more opportunities than I could have ever imagined. Not only was I taught what it really means to be an entrepreneur, I got hands on experience with startups, got to hear from some of the biggest names in business and tech, and most importantly I was introduced to a community of students my age with similar interests and goals."

APPLY TO VTSP

Please contact admissions@vtsp.com with any questions.