Teen Startups

Following are some of the most frequently asked questions about our ACF startup teams:
 

• How many students are usually in a startup team?
  Our startup teams usually consist of 3 - 6 members, simulating a real-life early-stage startup and ensuring a small class size for better learning. 
   

• What is the typical duration of the startup team journey?
  An ACF startup team journey typically lasts 1 - 3 years, depending on a project's scope, commitment, level, and a team's passion. We divide our startup team process in the form of 14-week-long seasons. 1 - 1.5 years is often enough for a team to develop their working prototype, after doing sound market research and validating product-market fit. During Year 2, our advanced startup teams focus on applying to one or more teen entrepreneurship competitions. Beyond that, our passionate teams delve into launching to market, finding early adopters and beta customers, testing and improvisation, and improvement.
   

• Who is eligible to join a start-up team class?
  Our start-up team classes are a great fit for high school students (8th. - 12th. Grade, or homeschool equivalent). We also have a junior startup team track for middle school students (5th. - 7th. Grade, or homeschool equivalent).
   

• I don't have past advanced coding experience, but I am very passionate about applying. Am I eligible?
  Although having some past coding or computing exposure is recommended, having none is not a barricade from applying. Some of our students tend to take 1:1 coding sessions with ACF Coaches, in addition to their startup team meetings, to level up their coding skills fast! As long as you are truly passionate about your team, we believe you will find a way to contribute meaningfully.
   

• I am not interested in coding, but am very passionate about the project. Are there other roles within the team?
  Like every real-life startup team, different members bring different ammunition skill sets. We have several roles available within the team, such as CMO, CFO, COO, community lead, etc., that involve minimal coding. We believe you will find a way to let yourself shine.
   

• I didn't get accepted last time for the program. Can I reapply?
  Yes, absolutely! Although our startup team program is our most advanced track with less acceptance rate, we love go-getters. We try our best to provide feedback for every application, which can help you make a more relevant application in the future. Sometimes, we also recommend a member to join a different startup track within ACF, based on their skillset and match.
   

• Do I need a startup idea to apply?
  No. The team will go through the ideation, brainstorming, and idea finalization process together, under the guidance of their Coach. So, no worries if you don't have an idea already.
   

• Are classes virtual or in-person? Do you accept international (outside the USA) students?
  Classes are primarily virtual, with quarterly, optional in-person team meet-and-greets, to strengthen team bonding. There may also be additional industry visits, field trips, or market research opportunities in person, with virtual alternatives or responsibility ownership for students who cannot make it in person, due to geographical or time constraints.
  Yes, we do accept international students for our startup teams! We believe that talent exists everywhere around the planet. Many of our teams have members and team Coaches coming from different time zones and countries around the world, cross-collaborating.
   

• Who are the startup team Coaches?
  Our true wizardmakers are our startup team Coaches! Each startup team has two Coaches, namely- a head Tech Coach, and a Business Coach. Our head Coaches are industry veterans, with vast experience working within startups, big tech, and leading businesses, either as a founder or stakeholder. Our business Coaches are in charge of helping our team stay on track, leading important market research initiatives, and supporting immensely during competition prep season.
   

• I have a hard scheduling conflict- is it possible to reschedule a session? Can I miss a session?
  Our team class schedule is set at the beginning of every semester, based on the common availability of all team members and Coaches (with very limited schedules). Hence, we expect our members to respect the schedule as good team camaraderie. However, we know that life happens! We do allow students to miss a session in case of emergencies, in which case they may catch up via the class recording. The Coach will also make a special effort to help the member catch up with the rest of the class. We highly discourage class no-shows, without communication, which impacts the rest of the team. Class rescheduling requests (one-time or permanent) need to be made on the team's Discord server, at least 2 weeks in advance and will be accommodated as long as the rest of the team is okay with it.
   

• What is your "Customized College Consulting Service" program for startup team classes? Is it mandatory?
  This course is most recommended for students who are either currently pursuing or have finished our “High School Startup Team” track, and who are preparing for their college application season. The course offers personalized 1:1 sessions with a seasoned lifelong educator and college counselor, to help a student best highlight their coding (namely, ACF startup team) journey highlights, core learnings, teachable moments, personal achievements, and more. Achieving success in prioritization, goal setting, and time management through the college application process hinges on obtaining a holistic view and discovering the personal motivations that fuel students' ambitions and objectives. Our students have often cited their ACF startup team experience as one of the most hinging factors that help their college applications shine! Our "Customized College Consulting Service" will ensure that students can customize their college application, according to their startup experience.
  It is not mandatory, but very beneficial. Be it through these sessions or autonomously, we highly recommend our students document their startup journey, either through an engineering notebook, personal startup journal, etc., for their future use (especially, university application)!
   

• Does ACF provide training for participating in entrepreneurship competitions?
  For advanced ACF startup teams, we provide not only regular support with a team's entrepreneurial journey but also help them hone important skills required for competition success, such as pitching, Q&A, direct submittal work (e.g., video shooting and editing, critical thinking, articulation of answers, etc.). We are there every step of the way!
   

• Are ACF startup team programs fee-based? If yes, what are the charges?
  Yes, our startup team courses are fee-based. Each class semester (lasting 14 weeks) costs approximately USD 1720 per student. We do offer need and merit-based scholarships to students who have demonstrated exceptional passion or merit, on a case-by-case basis. We do not want financial constraints to be a hindrance to someone's talent.
   

• Why is the startup team program fee-based?
  Here are the key reasons why the ACF startup team program is fee-based:
  Expert Mentorship
  Our program is taught by industry professionals as head coaches, bringing years of tech domain knowledge (including the latest AI trends), and seasoned mentorship experience, which surpasses what beginner or intermediate courses offer. This makes the ACF startup team our most prestigious program.
  Commitment
  When the program is free or heavily discounted, we have noticed a significant drop in student commitment. Many students skip classes, leading to the team’s instability and a lower-quality experience.
  Active Outreach
  ACF puts lots of behind-the-scenes effort through global networking and resources to make our startup teams successful beyond the classroom. This type of global community introduction and engagement is powerful and extraordinary that normally doesn't exist with lecture-based programs.
  Competition Prep Support
  ACF startup teams have been successful with major international competitions (like the Congressional App Challenge, Conrad Challenge, Diamond Challenge, Model Entrepreneur Competition, etc.), and our startup teams have benefitted from these alumni teams' substantial records and advice. 
  Beyond the Classroom
  ACF startup team students can make the most of the startup opportunity through additional engagement programs at ACF, that are specially created for them to exercise their leadership, collaboration, and technical skills. Some of these programs include the ACF Startup Newsletter Team, SVTTT, and Monthly App Challenge (MAC). Find out more here.
   

• Do all startup team projects get funded, post-graduation? 
  ​Like all real-life startup team projects, getting funding or investment is not guaranteed. However, a majority of our ACF startup teams have beaten the odds. Several of our past teams have received funding in the form of competition prize money, and no-strings-attached grants from venture capitalists or organizations. Through our annual "Future Impact Challenge", ACF also provides funding to our best startup teams.
   

• How do you support your alumni teams?
  Our alumni teams join our vast, and experienced alumni startup community. We connect them with potential investors, stakeholders, and venture capitalists. We also invite exceptional alumni members with demonstrated leadership as mentors and sub-coaches for our junior and newbie startup teams. We are honored to also write LOR-s and program recommendations for our alumni.

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If you are looking for more ACF-centric questions or want to contact us for more information, please head over to our FAQ page!