You might have arrived here by looking for the best summer program experience for you: a young mind eager to show the world what you are capable of. However, there are so many options! How is Leangap any different? Any better? Let me guide you through the reasons why Leangap is worth it over any other plans that might pop up during your summer.
5 Reasons Why Leangap is Worth It
Five reasons to say YES! and start your application right away:
Real-World Experience
Leangap is execution and results-based. You don’t rely on textbook case studies; instead, you go out and learn by doing. We believe that the best learning comes from interacting in the real world, talking to customers, and solving problems for their needs. By doing this, you learn more about yourself and get hands-on with creating a functional product.
Our online and in-person cohorts are typically 40 students each, with a student-mentor ratio of 4:1. This means you get individualized and tailored attention from people who have made it in the real world.
Students ideate and pitch in the first week and start building their MVPs (minimum viable product) and begin testing with customers in just the second week, while other programs delay this process until the fifth week.
At Leangap, the lean startup cycle is compressed into four stages: finding your problem and solution fit, creating your business idea, generating traction, and pitching!
Keynote Speeches at Demo Day
You will pitch in front of real investors and CEOs who can help take your company to the next level on Demo Day, where you could be a keynote speaker for an invite-only audience. This is where all the work done during those four weeks will shine!
After the camp, you’ll have obtained work experience, which will make you stand out in college applications and future job applications as a young co-founder with a product that recruiters can actually purchase or use.
Other programs conducted by universities can also fall short. You could find many, like the Entrepreneurship at Cornell, Babson Summer Study, Berkeley Business Academy for Youth or Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies, but even when they all will fill up your hours during the summer, you won’t put into practice vital skills to actually sell your new brand and product and get traction.
The same applies to other summer programs, such as LaunchX or BETA Camp, that won’t give you a real hands-on experience of what it takes to make it in the real world. They won’t show the reality of entrepreneurship nor have mentors that will remind you to take care of yourself and your mental health during the process.
Alumni & Mentor Network
ALUMNI
Over 410 students have created startups of their own in the last nine years and gone through our process. Some have continued their startups, and even moved onto new startups, or are now in incubators such as Y Combinator (notable Y Combinator companies include Airbnb, DoorDash, Twitch, Reddit, & Coinbase). Others have stuck to more traditional routes, getting admitted to top-ranked colleges and then leveraging our network to land major internships.
What our alumni have in common after leaving the program is a hunger for more! They take the growth acquired during these four weeks and use it to claim their own piece of the world. Entrepreneurship is the tool to become the person you want to be.
Furthermore, what makes our alumni network unique and elite is the willingness to help out! Our alumni share the same deep-rooted experiences. The ups and downs of traction. The late nights from working on your MVP. The butterflies on Demo Day. We’ve all been there, so we’re more than willing to help out.
MENTORS
Our mentors are creators, doers, and dreamers. From CEOs and Shark Tank contestants to FAANG engineers, our mentors share their real-world experience with students and are the secret sauce to our program.
They’ve all made their mark in the industry and are more than willing to share their network to connect you with the missing piece to make your startup succeed.
Each year, an extraordinary, limited number of professionals are invited to mentor (always including a licensed therapist, as we’re the only summer program to do this), and they make room in their agendas to guide the next generation that will lead the industry.
Build Hard and Soft Skills
Hard skills are essential and can most quickly be learned through relentless execution. Want to learn how to code? Go out and build a website. Want to get better at marketing? Put out TikTok and Google Ads, and experiment with what works and what doesn’t. Want to communicate better? Pitch in front of an audience of fifty.
Hard skills are needed to build a product, but soft skills are equally —or even more— important.
Soft skills can’t be learned in a classroom setting. They’re interpersonal skills such as leadership, persuasion, teamwork, problem-solving, active listening, and time management. Year over year, employers have increasingly looked at applicants’ soft skills, as hard skills can more easily be learned in the traditional sense.
At Leangap, you learn how to lead others in a team, how to receive honest feedback, persuade others of your ideas and viewpoints, problem-solve when building your product, and much more. You learn invaluable skills that will carry on with you for the rest of your working life. Mastering soft skills at an early age will set you years ahead of your peers, further distinguishing yourself and making you stand out.
After all, every profession in every industry requires communication skills. It's the foundation of team coordination, project management, and the thread that creates a proactive and positive company culture.
Join From Anywhere
Leangap offers two cohorts: in-person or remote. Each one is open to anyone around the globe!
What makes the Online program awesome is that it also gives you a peek into a modern remote work setting. By working with other students in different time zones, you'll be getting ready in advance for remote work life.Â
On the other hand, the San Francisco program immerses you in the heart of global tech innovation. Here, you can engage with the vibrant startup ecosystem, interact with industry leaders, and connect with customers face-to-face.
Take a look at your plans for next summer and choose the modality that works with your schedule and preferences!
Begin your application today and get ahead of your peers!
