Batch Zero takes five high-school startups per cohort, pairs each one with two mentors for eight weeks, and puts them in front of investors at an online Demo Day. You already shipped something. We help you make it real.
College accelerators won't take you. Most "youth entrepreneurship" programs are one-off pitch contests. Batch Zero is built for the students who already have users, revenue, or a working product — and need what real founders get: structure, mentors, and a room full of people who can fund and hire them.
You need to have started something. A live product, a prototype with users, a first customer. Ideas alone don't get in — that filter is the whole brand.
Up to six application windows a year. Miss one, apply to the next. Every cohort is five teams, so the signal of getting in actually means something.
Founders, capital, and hiring in the same place. Being selected is a credential that travels — to investors, to companies, to your college application.
A short form, a 90-second video, and proof you shipped: a link, a demo, a screenshot of your first sale.
Every application is scored on a fixed rubric — problem, traction, team, coachability, ambition. Top five are in. Everyone else gets written feedback.
Two mentors per team, weekly sessions, a milestone tracker, guest office hours, and a cohort that keeps you honest.
Online pitch to a judging panel and an audience of investors and companies. Scores land in-app. One team takes the prize.
Founders never pay. The people who get value from meeting them early do.
High-school students with a startup that already exists. Selection, mentors, structure, Demo Day, prize, exposure.
FREE · APPLICATIONApply now → MentorsOperators, founders, engineers and designers who want to back a teenage founder with real advice, not a LinkedIn post.
VOLUNTEER · VETTEDBecome a mentor → InvestorsA curated feed of every selected startup, Demo Day access, and intro requests routed through the platform.
SUBSCRIPTION · FOUNDING TIER FREERequest access → CompaniesReach founders and team members who opted in to internships, apprenticeships and project work. Meet them before everyone else does.
SUBSCRIPTION · PER SEATTalk to us →Every cohort ends with a live, online Demo Day. Teams pitch for five minutes, judges score on a fixed rubric inside Batch Zero, and the results are visible the moment the last vote lands. Investors and companies watch live. The winner takes a sponsor-funded prize; every team leaves with feedback they can act on.
| Cohort | Applications | Program | Demo Day | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Oct 01 – Oct 31, 2026 | Nov 16, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027 | Jan 15, 2027 | open |
| 02 | Jan 04 – Jan 31, 2027 | Feb 15 – Apr 11, 2027 | Apr 16, 2027 | upcoming |
| 03 | Apr 05 – Apr 30, 2027 | May 17 – Jul 11, 2027 | Jul 16, 2027 | upcoming |
| 04 | Jul 05 – Jul 31, 2027 | Aug 16 – Oct 10, 2027 | Oct 15, 2027 | upcoming |
Applications for Cohort 01 close October 31. Five spots.
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