Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute

# Startup UCLA: Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute The Social Entrepreneurship Summer Institute (SESI) is Startup UCLA's two-week pre-college program teaching students how to build organizations for social good. In the first week students learn the fundamentals of researching and creating a mission-driven venture; in the second they build their idea in teams and deliver a five-minute pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs and leaders. Summer 2026 offers four virtual sessions ($2,000) between June 22 and August 14 and two residential sessions on the UCLA campus ($6,000, July 6-31 windows). ## What You'll Do - Learn mission-driven business models, impact measurement, and fundraising basics - Research a social problem and design a nonprofit or social-enterprise solution - Build the venture in a team during week two - Pitch to a panel of entrepreneurs and receive live feedback ## Who Should Apply Students in grades 10-12 interested in social impact and entrepreneurship. Residential participants must be 17 or older by the program start; applications are reviewed on a rolling basis while seats remain. ## Outcomes Participants finish with a complete social-venture concept and pitch deck, panel feedback from working entrepreneurs, and a UCLA pre-college experience that demonstrates initiative to selective colleges.