Leangap Summer Startup Program
An intensive entrepreneurship program based at UC Berkeley (with a fully online option) where high school students validate a business idea, build a prototype, and launch a real startup over four weeks. The program culminates in a Demo Day pitch to investors and Silicon Valley business leaders.
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BizWorld Young Entrepreneur Success (YES!) Program
A free 10-12 week mentorship program from BizWorld for young entrepreneurs ages 16-22 with an early-stage business idea or venture. Participants receive one-on-one mentorship from industry professionals, networking opportunities, and access to funding resources; past cohorts have generated over $3 million in combined revenue.
JA Be Entrepreneurial: Rapid Business Planning
A Junior Achievement of Northern California learning experience where high schoolers use Design Thinking and the Lean Canvas framework to turn a business idea into a one-page business plan across six sessions; participants may go on to compete in the JA Social Innovation Challenge.
Building Young Entrepreneurs (B.Y.E.)
A Silicon Valley Center for Entrepreneurial Development initiative that equips African American youth in Silicon Valley with entrepreneurship skills, guiding participants from idea generation through researching, developing, and pitching a business for startup investment funding.
Contra Costa Ballet Summer Intensive
A 2-4 week ballet summer intensive for dancers ages 8-18 at Contra Costa Ballet Centre in Walnut Creek, requiring in-person or video audition for ages 9+, with daily technique, pointe, jazz, character, and repertoire training for intermediate/advanced levels.
SFMade FlexFactor
SFMade's flagship in-classroom program where student teams identify a real-world problem, design a hardware-based solution, build a business model around it, and pitch their venture to industry professionals, exploring manufacturing and entrepreneurship career pathways.
SUMMERFILM: Documentary Film Production for Teens (CAFILM Education)
SUMMERFILM is an immersive documentary filmmaking workshop for teens run by CAFILM Education, the youth education arm of the California Film Institute (which also produces the Mill Valley Film Festival). Students in grades 9-12 spend a week working with professional filmmakers at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael to learn documentary storytelling, production, and editing, culminating in an original short film.