[B0]BATCH ZERO
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Cohort 01 · applications open

The Startup Accelerator for High School Founders.

An 8-week online program for high-school startups that already exist. Each startup gets two dedicated mentors, and the cohort ends with an online Demo Day in front of investors. Free, no equity.

I'm a founder — apply → I'm a business partner →

Investor, sponsor company, or mentor? Pick your door →  ·  See the 8-week program

Mentors: See all
network / live founders · mentors · capital cohort_01 · 2026
Per cohort05 startups
Length08 weeks
Cost to founders$0
Applications close in--d --h --m --s
Why this exists

Not a competition. Not a summer camp. A batch.

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.

01filter

Post-idea only

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.

02cadence

Rolling cohorts

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.

03network

Three-sided from day one

Founders, capital, and hiring in the same place. Being selected is a credential that travels — to investors, to companies, to your college application.

How it works

Apply. Get picked. Build for eight weeks. Pitch.

01Weeks −4 → 0

Apply

A short form, a 60-second video, and proof you shipped: a link, a demo, a screenshot of your first sale.

022 weeks

Review

Every application is scored on a fixed rubric — problem, traction, team, coachability, ambition. Top five are in. Everyone else gets written feedback.

038 weeks

Program

Two mentors per team, weekly sessions, a milestone tracker, guest office hours, and a cohort that keeps you honest.

04Week 8

Demo Day

Online pitch to a judging panel and an audience of investors and companies. Scores land in-app. One team takes the prize.

Two doors in

Which one are you?

Founders

I'm a high-school founder.

You've already started something — users, revenue, a live product. Apply to the next cohort: five spots, two mentors, eight weeks, Demo Day. Free, always.

Apply as a founder → 10-minute application · 1 link · 1 short video Business partners

I want to back them.

Investors who want to see the cohort first, companies that sponsor a prize and meet the builders early, and operators who mentor a team for two months.

Partner with Batch Zero → Investors · Sponsor companies · Mentors
Demo Day

Scored in the open. Judged in the app.

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.

Watch the next Demo Day →
demo_day / cohort_01judge 3 of 5
Problem & insight8.8
Traction7.2
Team9.1
Product demo8.4
Ambition9.5
● livetotal 43.0 / 50
0startups selected per cohort
0weeks of mentor-led program
0mentors matched to every team
0application windows per year
CohortApplicationsProgramDemo DayStatus
01Oct 01 – Oct 31, 2026Nov 16, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027Jan 15, 2027open
02Jan 04 – Jan 31, 2027Feb 15 – Apr 11, 2027Apr 16, 2027upcoming
03Apr 05 – Apr 30, 2027May 17 – Jul 11, 2027Jul 16, 2027upcoming
04Jul 05 – Jul 31, 2027Aug 16 – Oct 10, 2027Oct 15, 2027upcoming
FAQ

Questions we get a lot.

Who can apply?
Anyone currently enrolled in high school (or the equivalent), anywhere in the world, who has already started a company, product, or project with real users or revenue. Teams are welcome; at least one founder must be a high-school student. If you're under 18, a parent or guardian signs a consent form after you're selected.
What counts as "already started"?
A live product, an app in the store, a prototype people are using, a first paying customer, a newsletter with subscribers, a Discord with an active community. A pitch deck and a domain name don't count yet — but apply to the next cohort once they do.
Does it cost anything?
Nothing for founders, ever. We don't take equity and we don't take a cut of anything you raise. Revenue comes from investor and company subscriptions and from sponsors who fund the prize.
How is the program delivered?
Fully online, inside the Batch Zero app. Weekly mentor sessions on recorded video calls, biweekly cohort calls, a milestone tracker, and guest office hours. Expect 4–6 hours a week on top of school.
How do mentors and investors interact with students?
Through the platform only. Mentors are interviewed and background-checked, sessions happen on the platform, and investors and companies get visibility and intro requests — never direct contact details. Founders opt in per person, not per team.
What's the prize?
A sponsor-funded cash prize for the Demo Day winner, announced with each cohort. Every selected team also gets alumni status, the Demo Day recording, and written judge feedback.
Cohort 01

You already built the thing. Now build the company.

Applications for Cohort 01 close October 31. Five spots.

I'm a founder — apply → I'm a business partner