About us
Helping Long Island teens
become founders.
Aeroventure pairs Long Island high school students with mentors, gives them step-by-step launch playbooks, funds early experiments, and connects them with a cohort of peers working on the same problems — all while still in school.
Our mission
Most students encounter entrepreneurship through case studies and theory. Aeroventure gives them the structure to practice it — with a real problem, real constraints, and direct feedback from customers. We exist to make that accessible and to put capital where it actually matters.
Our goal is simple: help you launch before graduation and join a lasting network of young founders who keep building long after the program ends.
How it connects
Students, mentors, and Aeroventure
Students
Long Island high schoolers, grades 9–12, any background
Aeroventure
Grants, structured curriculum, mentor matching, and peer community
Partners
Mentors, donors, schools, and LI businesses that power the program
Our story
From founding to today
July 2025
Aeroventure founded
foundingLaunched to address a clear gap: Long Island students with entrepreneurial drive and no structured local program to help them launch a venture.
Aug 2025
Cohort Beta accepted
cohortFirst class of student founders selected. Startup grants deployed, mentors matched, ventures launched.
Aug–Dec 2025
Cohort Beta runs
growthStudent founders build, validate, and grow their ventures over five months of mentorship, workshops, and pitch nights.
Jan 2026
Cohort Genesis applications open
growthApplications open for the next class of Long Island student founders. School district outreach expands.
June 2026
Cohort Genesis launches
cohortCohort Genesis launches. Startup grants deployed, mentors matched, cohort ventures under way.
What we believe
Four principles that guide the program
Startup funding, not classroom exercises
Accepted students receive grants of up to $500 — deployable toward inventory, software, prototypes, marketing, or customer testing. No fake budgets. No equity taken.
Build before you graduate
High school is the right time to learn by doing. We give structure, mentorship, and room to launch a real venture.
Rooted on Long Island
Long Island mentors, in-person workshops, and a peer cohort that meets regularly — so guidance is available locally, not just asynchronously over the internet.
Accessible by design
Free for accepted students. No polished pitch deck required — just curiosity, commitment, and willingness to learn.
Who we serve
Designed for Long Island high school students.
We focus on Long Island specifically because local programs build local networks — and local networks hold. No prior experience or business plan required. What matters is a willingness to commit and follow through.
Grade level
9th – 12th grade
Location
Long Island, NY
Experience needed
None required
Cost to join
Free for all accepted
School required
Any LI high school
Time commitment
3–5 hrs / week
Community and collaboration — founders building together.
Why Long Island?
A talented region with no local infrastructure for teen founders.
Long Island has a strong talent base — competitive high schools, motivated students, and a professional community full of operators and founders. What it lacked was a structured, accessible program specifically designed to help high schoolers act on entrepreneurial ambition rather than just study it.
Most entrepreneurship programs aimed at teens are national and asynchronous — online courses, competitions, or summer intensives. Aeroventure is local by design. Local mentors know the market. In-person workshops build trust and accountability. A cohort of peers from the same region stays connected long after the program ends.
1,500+
High schools on Long Island
30+
Vetted local mentors in the network
9+
School districts reached so far
June 2026
Cohort Genesis launch date
How we measure impact
What we track, and why.
Ventures launched
Counted when a student has made at least one sale or received verified market feedback on a working product or service.
Mentor hours delivered
Logged sessions between matched student–mentor pairs. Each confirmed session counts once per student.
Grant capital deployed
Total dollars disbursed to accepted students as startup grants. Reported per cohort and cumulatively.
Students served
Cohort participants who completed at least one full mentor cycle and submitted a progress update at the midpoint checkpoint.
We do not report projected valuations, revenue run-rates, or speculative outcomes. All published figures reflect verified activity from completed cohort cycles.
Legal & governance
Organizational type
Operating nonprofit program
Adult oversight
All program activities are supervised by adult staff and vetted mentors. No unsupervised student–adult contact.
Student data
Student information is confidential. Not shared with schools or third parties without explicit consent.
Ready to build?
Apply for Cohort Genesis, explore the program, or reach out about mentoring or partnership.