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Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Camp
Helping young people explore their future is the mission of Ithaca Family Academy.
Program Background
AI is rapidly reshaping every industry. In this era, mastering computational thinking, collaborating with intelligent tools, and uniting innovation with business insight are core skills for AI natives.
From September to November 2025, Ithaca Family Academy and the University of Waterloo AI Team launched an AI Entrepreneurship Exploration Camp. The camp embeds project management and fundraising training, ending with a venture-style pitch to AI-focused investors.
The second cohort starts on Jan 10, 2026, focusing on AI application, business innovation, and project incubation, guiding students from idea to product to public pitch while planting lasting seeds for their future.
High School AI Entrepreneur Contest
The AI Entrepreneurship Camp is aligned with the High School AI Entrepreneurship Contest, helping motivated students upgrade class projects into competition-ready entrepreneurial AI ventures. The contest invites high school students worldwide to use AI to address social problems, assessing innovation through technical solutions, business models, and live pitch presentations.
The AI Entrepreneurship Camp mirrors contest standards, taking students from project selection and MVP through market research, modelling, and simulated judging to produce competition-ready entrepreneurship portfolios.
On top of the core course, we offer an optional 12-hour competition enhancement module for students planning to enter the contest:
- Interpreting current-year rules and scoring criteria, and refining problem statements, AI pathways, and business models;
- Coaching on business plans and technical documentation;
- Mock pitches and judge-style Q&A to build stage presence, resilience, and competitiveness for awards, university applications, and competition experience.
We also provide application procedures, materials checklists, and timeline planning advice to help families navigate complex competition schedules and manage commitments realistically.
Target students: G8–G12
Program Structure
Length: 13 Weeks（including Pitch Day）
Team Size: 5–8 students per team
Schedule: January 10 to March 28, 2026
- 1:00 PM ~ 3:00 PM Main Class
- 3:00 PM ~ 4:00 PM Contest Coaching (opt.)
Pitch Day: April, 2026（to be scheduled）
During March Break 2026, all students will be invited to Fidelity, Vanguard, Russell, and the RBC Trading Floor to see real AI applications in finance and discover related entrepreneurial opportunities.
Goals & Outcomes
1. Highly competitive experiences and skills.
1. Highly competitive experiences and skills.
1. Highly competitive experiences and skills.
2. A portfolio-ready AI startup project.
1. Highly competitive experiences and skills.
1. Highly competitive experiences and skills.
3. Access to a high-value mentor community.
3. Access to a high-value mentor community.
3. Access to a high-value mentor community.
4. Substantive AI entrepreneurship exposure.
3. Access to a high-value mentor community.
3. Access to a high-value mentor community.
Through our dual path, Students will move from Idea to Product, from Pitch to Real Contests, Entering future careers with greater maturity
Educators & Instructional Leads
Our teaching team blends classroom expertise with hands-on engineering practice. Instructors guide students through core concepts, workshop safety, and disciplined project execution—helping them build confidence, troubleshoot effectively, and develop strong learning habits through consistent feedback and coaching.
Industry Mentors & Guest Experts
We invite professionals from engineering, AI, and related industries to mentor, review student work, and share real-world perspectives. Through guest sessions, portfolio reviews, and community connections, students learn what high standards look like and how to effectively communicate their work to technical and non-technical audiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us by online chat or at ithacafo@ithacafo.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Ithaca Family Academy is a youth organization, empowering youth to explore the future and build the skills to thrive in the AI era. We guide students through real-world projects where they learn by building, testing, collaborating, and presenting. They can discover their strengths, interests, and a direction that is truly their own.
Ithaca offers a variety of services, including EV Challenge, AI Entrepreneurship Camp. Engineering Projects, and more.
All young people from grades 4 to 12 are welcome to participate in Ithaca programs.
No. This is an entrepreneurship-and-product program where teams build across roles; technical depth is supported but not the only path to impact.
A complete outcomes package: 1) an innovation project; 2) an MVP demo video and market-validation brief; 3) a pitch deck and pitch video; 4) a growth report; 5) social-media coverage; and 6) alumni-community access. Outstanding students may also receive mentor recommendation letters.
January 10 to March 28, 2026, with Pitch Day in April (date TBD).
Admission Brochure
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