The Thiel Fellowship gives $100,000 to young people who want to build new things instead of sitting in a classroom.
2 Years
previous experience + communication ability + quality of idea
Their fellows are not living together, meaning they have a lower likelihood to bond and found ideas together. We help with the cofounder selection process by pairing students together. There is no trial period to pick who to invest in, potentially leading to worse talent. I don’t think they have twice weekly coach check ins which may lead to founders not working efficiently. People come in with a specific idea, potentially not doing a thorough exploration of the field, we give our fellows 3 extra years to land on an optimal idea. The motto is drop out of school, not experience your “Venture Years” which limits the type of individual who would apply.
Bloom Institute of Technology (Lambda Schools)
Get a job or else you education is free! They focus on people who want to get a job in tech. Courses are online
960 hours = 6 working months
a cognitive aptitude test which they provide a study guide.
acceptance test can be gamed
Students focus on entrepreneurship and live in a new country every year.
4 years
complete challenges + video interview
they do not take equity in the startups (they are not properly incentivized for their student’s success) they create content to teach students focused on sustainable startups poor UX (known from experiencing their website & from hearing a student’s experience)
The overall goal of YC is to help startups really take off. They arrive at YC at all different stages. Some haven’t even started working yet, and others have been launched for a year or more. But whatever stage a startup is at when they arrive, our goal is to help them to be in dramatically better shape 3 months later.
3 months
previous experience + communication ability + quality of idea & team
acceptance criteria prioritizes existing idea & team
Each year, we choose over 500 early-stage companies to join one of our 3-month, mentorship-driven accelerators, investing $120K and providing hands-on mentorship and access to the Techstars network for life.
3 months
previous experience + communication ability + quality of idea
acceptance criteria prioritizes existing idea & team
Travel the world for four years when you go to college with 120 other students in your class. Similar to college class structure.
4 Years
writing ability + test scores + previous experience
did minerva, he didn’t like the structure of the class (we have none). The people were not sharp who he was forced into conversing with (we will do our best), it was expensive, he was locked in for 4 years with 120 students (we need to sell that you will be meeting lots of people on the college campuses and in the cities you move to). He didn’t think he would get much from staying there.
International College education.
4 Years
writing ability + test scores + previous experience
It’s like a typical college education with classes.
raised 490 million in 2017 IPO []
Located on the campus of MIT, LaunchX is one of the most widely known and reputable programs out there. It brings together top aspiring high school entrepreneurs from around the world each summer, and supports them through the process of launching a startup. LaunchX gives promising young entrepreneurs the chance to learn from industry experts. It also provided=s the course materials and the support needed to build real products and solve business challenges in viable ways.
LaunchX helps its student start real companies following the four steps of the program:
Explore – Identify, research, and test business opportunities Test – Formalize the idea through market research Iterate – Design and test your solution Launch – Build business logistics and start selling 1 Month
“Great applicants do not need to have experience in entrepreneurship, but need to have shown self-initiative, resilience, problem solving capacity, and teamwork skills that show the propensity for great entrepreneurial capacity.”
We do it for a longer period of time Students must pay ~$6,000 for the month
university of waterloo accelerator which take 0% equity. + supports students with 25k and connections in SF. Will invest up to 50k
1-3 Years
We support and invest in early-stage (pre-seed or seed) companies capable of driving positive, large-scale, global impact.
not 5 years of support (typically 1-3, access to advisors forever)
Stanford’s accelerator. Takes 0% equity. Connects you with Stanford students, will invest in you.
they help you decide how much time to commit
Already have an idea.
Go from pre-idea to fundraise, supported by a community of founders who have launched over 1000 companies.
8-10 weeks
List of many programs for high school entrepreneurs
most are significantly less than 5 years
List of many “Gap Year” programs
generally a year or less in length