9 Fall Entrepreneurship Programs for Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
For middle school students interested in business, innovation, or launching their own ideas, entrepreneurship programs are a great way to start building skills. These programs introduce you to key concepts like product design, marketing, budgeting, and pitching through projects and mentorship.
Fall entrepreneurship programs are designed to fit into the school year. Unlike short-term summer camps, fall programs often run after school or on weekends. This slower pace encourages deeper learning, longer-term projects, and more sustained engagement with mentors and peers. Below, you’ll find 9 fall entrepreneurship programs for middle school students, selected for their focus on innovation, leadership, and business experience.
9 Fall Entrepreneurship Programs for Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies by cohort. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Multiple 8 week cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines throughout the year
Eligibility: Middle school students in grades 6 to 8
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a personalized online experience designed for middle school students eager to explore the world of entrepreneurship, among other fields. You will be paired one-on-one with a mentor, often a PhD or industry expert from a top university, who guides you through the process of discovering your entrepreneurial interests. In the first half of the program, you can explore various business concepts, including idea generation, product design, and market research. In the second half, you select a focus area and can develop your own mini-business or innovative project. Your mentor helps you refine your concept, build problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and understand key principles of entrepreneurship. By the end of the program, you will produce a final deliverable that showcases your creativity, business insight, and initiative.
Location: Available virtually and in person
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Varies by school or local JA chapter
Dates: Offered year round
Application Deadline: Determined by participating school or JA regional office
Eligibility: Middle and high school students in grades 6 to 12
The JA Company Program Pop-Up gives students a guided, hands-on experience in launching and managing a small business venture. You’ll work in teams to set goals, define business roles, and understand marketing essentials like product, price, place, and promotion. Over the course of several sessions, you’ll plan, operate, and close out a pop-up business, gaining insight into teamwork, leadership, and decision-making. The program can be led by educators or volunteers and is available in classroom, remote, or after-school formats. Profits from the ventures typically benefit schools or community organizations, reinforcing both entrepreneurship and social responsibility.
Location: Virtual, classroom based, or after school
Cost/Stipend: Varies. Often free through schools or volunteer led implementation
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Flexible. Depends on school or program schedule
Application Deadline: Determined by participating school or JA regional office
Eligibility: Middle school students
JA It's My Business! is a middle school entrepreneurship program that helps students turn ideas into actionable business ventures. Using design thinking as a problem-solving framework, the program guides you through identifying your entrepreneurial strengths, understanding real-world problems, developing innovative products or services, and pitching your ideas to potential funders. The curriculum is structured around six 45-minute sessions, with optional extended activities and digital resources available through JA Connect. The program can be implemented in-person, after-school, or online, offering flexible access while aligning with national and state standards in reading, math, social studies, and career readiness.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $595. ESA or Empowerment Scholarship funds accepted
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: 90 day self paced program with weekly check ins
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Teens ages 13 to 17, including homeschool students
The Next-Level Startup Program by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) offers students the opportunity to design and launch a functional business in just 90 days. You’ll explore how AI can serve as your cofounder by handling tasks that once required full teams or large budgets. The curriculum covers topics such as prompt engineering, AI ethics, digital branding, customer outreach, and business pitching. The course combines self-paced learning with weekly live check-ins, peer collaboration, and expert mentorship from industry professionals. By the end, you’ll have built a fully operational business and gained hands-on experience with modern startup tools.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $595. ESA or Empowerment Scholarship funds accepted
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment
Dates: 90 day self paced program with weekly check ins
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Teens ages 13 to 17, including homeschool students
This Entrepreneurship Program is a self-paced, structured path to understanding how startups succeed and scale. Over three months, participants will explore essential topics such as team building, legal structures, demand generation, and growth financing. The program includes insights from startups and established venture capital firms, covering diverse industries like consumer packaged goods, e-commerce, internet, media and entertainment, and technology.
Location: Bay Area, CA
Cost: Varies by session, for example $195 for recent Start Up Olympiad
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective. Varies by event
Dates: Rolling sessions year round
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Girls ages 8 to 18
Girls Crushing It is an entrepreneurship and leadership program designed to help young girls build confidence and business skills early on. Through hands-on workshops, startup challenges, and mentorship from industry leaders, you’ll learn to pitch ideas, develop products, and understand the fundamentals of running a business. The program collaborates with partners such as the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and features inspiring women leaders like Cindy Deily (VP at Sephora), offering both skill development and networking opportunities. Supported by figures like Jack Dorsey, Girls Crushing It aims to help young entrepreneurs strengthen their voices.
Location: Loveworks Leadership, Norman, OK
Cost: Not specified
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: One to two sessions per week for a single semester
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8 residing in Norman or surrounding districts
Loveworks Leadership’s Afterschool Program provides a structured space for you to develop entrepreneurial leadership, personal growth, and community engagement. The program blends interactive workshops, hands-on projects, and mentorship, often involving local artists and community partners. You are encouraged to attend twice a week for a semester to participate in “Leadership Days,” which focus on teamwork and socio-emotional skills, and “Discovery Days,” where they dive into self-directed passion projects.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $650
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Semester long program. Exact dates not specified
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Middle school students
Middle School C.E.O. is a semester-long virtual program designed to introduce middle school students to the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship. Throughout the course, you’ll work in teams to generate ideas, create detailed business plans, and explore key topics such as market research, financial planning, marketing strategies, and product development. By the end of the program, you’ll gain hands-on experience in building a business from the ground up, enhancing teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. For more information, you can contact the program at dquast@projectecho.org.
Location: Partner schools and online programs nationwide. Rochester Institute of Technology hosts the annual Saunders Scholars National Competition
Cost/Stipend: Varies by location. Financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Year long program. Specific dates vary by school or cohort
Application Deadline: Varies by location
Eligibility: Middle and high school students in grades 6 to 12
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a year-long, hands-on entrepreneurship program that aims to transform middle and high school students into confident, capable business founders. You will generate your own business ideas, conduct market research, write business plans, pitch to panels of investors, and ultimately launch your own companies. The program emphasizes real-world learning and aims to develop young people’s creativity, problem-solving skills, and leadership potential. Partnered with institutions like the Rochester Institute of Technology, YEA! provides opportunities for national competitions and mentorship from business and academic leaders.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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