Most students learn about business.
Aeroventure students build one.
Introducing
Aeroventure Institute
Build your first venture before college.
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Find your path
What brings you to Aeroventure?
Cohort Genesis — Applications are now in review. Cohort launches June 2026.
The Program
Six skills that take you from untested idea to first customer.
Aeroventure moves students through six applied skills — each one producing a real deliverable, not a worksheet. By the end, they've validated a market, shipped an offer, and faced actual customers.
01
Ideation
Find a problem worth solving by examining your own experience — not business textbooks. Ideas rooted in everyday friction are far more likely to find paying customers.
Deliverable: A validated problem area worth investigating further
e.g. identifying a gap in local tutoring, food delivery, or community services
02
Validation
Test whether people will pay before you build anything. Talk to potential buyers and document what you find.
Deliverable: Evidence of demand from at least 10 customer conversations
e.g. confirmed willingness to pay, identified objections, pricing range tested
03
Building MVPs
Build the minimum version that tests your core assumption. Early feedback from customers who actually pay is more useful than months of planning.
Deliverable: A working prototype, offer, or service generating early customer feedback
e.g. a landing page, a packaged service offer, or a physical prototype
04
Pitching
Learn to explain what you're building — and why it matters — to different audiences. Students practice their pitch in front of mentors and live audiences before Demo Day.
Deliverable: A 5-minute pitch tested in front of live audiences at cohort pitch nights
e.g. a structured deck delivered at an Aeroventure demo night with mentor feedback
05
Customer Discovery
Talk to potential customers using structured interview techniques. Document what you hear, challenge your assumptions, and use the findings to sharpen the offer.
Deliverable: A customer insight report from 5+ structured interviews
e.g. documented findings on pain points, workarounds, and willingness to pay
06
Launch Strategy
Identify the right channel for your first customers, make the first sale, and document what it took. Early growth is tracked and measured, not left to chance.
Deliverable: First paying customers and a documented acquisition channel
e.g. first sale completed, acquisition cost tracked, pricing model confirmed
Included in every cohort
Venture funding
Each selected student receives a $500 startup grant. Top performers are eligible for additional rolling grants. No equity taken.
1-on-1 mentorship
Bi-weekly sessions with a mentor-matched Long Island founder or operator who has built and sold something.
Founder community
In-person workshops, pitch nights, and office hours with a cohort of peers building alongside you.
How it works
Four steps. Your first startup.
No prior experience required at any stage. Each step builds directly on the last.
01
Apply
Fill out a straightforward application. No GPA cutoffs, no business experience, no fees.
02
Join a cohort
Get matched with a mentor and a peer group. You bring your idea; the program gives you structure.
03
Build your startup
Work through a structured curriculum. Startup grant deployed. Mentor-matched from day one, with hands-on support every two weeks.
04
Pitch and launch
Present your venture at a cohort pitch night. Build toward your first customers, measurable traction, and a business you own entirely.
The student journey
From idea to launch
Eight stages. One cohort. A venture you built, validated, and own outright.
Apply
Fill out the application — no GPA cutoffs, no business experience needed. Just curiosity and commitment.
Get accepted
We review every application and notify you. Accepted students are invited to join the next cohort.
Validate your idea
Work through the ideation playbook. Talk to potential customers. Figure out if the problem is real before you build.
Meet your mentor
Get matched 1:1 with a Long Island founder, operator, or expert. Your first session kicks off your build sprint.
Steps 5–8 include funding deployment, MVP build, first customers, and Demo Day. See full roadmap →
What you leave with
Six things every student leaves with.
Every accepted student. Every cohort.
A launched venture
You leave with a student-owned venture that has cleared the validation process and reached at least one paying customer or launch milestone.
Up to $500 in startup capital
Startup grant funds spent on your venture — inventory, marketing, tools, or prototyping. It is your money to deploy. No debt, no equity given up.
A mentor relationship
A working relationship with a Long Island founder, operator, or domain expert who has followed your venture from the start. Many mentor relationships continue well past the final pitch.
Market feedback
Customer conversations, pricing tests, and demand signals — documented throughout the cohort. You leave knowing which assumptions held up and which ones needed rethinking.
A pitch and a track record
You present at a cohort pitch night. You leave with a documented record of what you built, what you learned, and a launch milestone you can point to.
A peer network
A cohort of other Long Island student founders who went through the same process — people who understand what building means and who stay connected beyond the program.
For parents
Safety, supervision,
and how this works.
Safe and supervised
All program activities happen in structured, supervised settings. Mentor meetings follow a defined protocol. Unsupervised in-person contact is not permitted without a parent or guardian present.
Vetted mentors only
Every mentor goes through a professional background review, a structured interview, and alignment with our code of conduct before being matched with any student.
No fees. No equity. No surprises.
The program is completely free. We do not take any equity or ownership stake in student ventures — ever. Anything your student builds belongs entirely to them.
Documented work for college applications
Students leave with a launched venture, recorded market experience, and a verified mentor relationship — all of which can be referenced directly in college applications.
FAQ
Common questions.
From students, parents, and counselors.
Yes. Accepted students pay nothing. There are no application fees, no program fees, and no costs at any stage. The program is funded by sponsors and donors.
Get started
Find your place in the program.
Students
Ready to build your first venture?
Apply to the next Aeroventure cohort. Long Island high school students, grades 9–12. Free. No experience required.
Parents
Before your student applies.
Read the parent guide — covering program safety, mentor vetting, time expectations, no fees, and full student ownership of any business built.
Mentors
Guide a student founder this year.
Join the Aeroventure mentor network. A few hours per month working directly with a student who is building something real.
Schools & donors
Bring Aeroventure to your community.
Refer students, bring the program to your school, or sponsor a student founder. Options for schools, businesses, and individual supporters.
Start building now.
Applications are free and open to any Long Island high school student in grades 9–12. No business experience needed — just curiosity and commitment.
Grades 9–12 · Long Island, NY · 100% free · No equity
Send us a message
For mentorship, partnerships, donations, or general questions.