The secret sauce to the leading teen entrepreneur program.

We invite only the best and brightest in the world to Leangap, and that applies to staff as well. Meet some of the most respected entrepreneurs, engineers, marketers, designers, CEOs, therapists, and more.

Our mentors have received prestigious recognition from Forbes 30 under 30 and FastCompany, as well as being showcased on Shark Tank and the TEDx stage. We have a 4:1 student to staff ratio.

We have launched and worked at leading companies in the industry.

Our mentors are real entrepreneurs and technologists, not professors.

We often confuse knowing with doing. Knowing what to do or talking about what you are going to do is not doing it. Planning is important, but execution trumps business lessons. This is why our mentors and instructors are people who have walked the path you're about to embark. This is not a classroom. Leangap is your protocol for the real world.

Here are some of the mentors you'll meet at Leangap:

Sadok

Cervantes

Sadok is a TEDx speaker and one of FastCompany Magazine's "Most Innovative People". He also received the Best Mobile Innovation award at the Mobile World Congress.

Gemma

Busoni

Co-founder at Discovr Labs, Forbes 30 under 30, Thiel Fellow. She has an EdTech background having previously founded an educational nonprofit. Former research associate at CalTech.

Kaeya

Majmundar

While in college, Kaeya got a deal on ABC’s “Shark Tank” with a prototype for her first product, BZbox. She is now the founder of a venture-backed startup disrupting e-commerce.

Oliy

Barrett

Oliy started his first company as a teenager, which grew to over 6 million monthly users. He is the Co-Founder of Rythm, a social music listening platform with over 30 million users.

Luis

Orihuela

Luis is a Software Engineer specialized in web development. He has worked with brands like BMW, Zumper, and Y Combinator-backed companies.

Chelly

Fontalvo

Chelly founded a non-profit at 19 and has been recognized by TEDx and newspapers as a notable social leader. Her skills include graphic design, branding, and impactful social media.

Pablo

Paredes

Pablo runs a successful creative agency, collaborating with Craftd London, Microsoft, BMW, and Audi. He focuses on AI for creatives, no-code tools, branding, marketing, and web design.

MariaJose

Alanis

MJ is a licensed psychotherapist with 10+ years of experience in trauma, anxiety, and mood disorders. She holds dual Master's degrees and has developed mental health programs globally.

Marianna

Biraki

Marianna is a journalist who loves educational technology. She has 4+ years of experience working in startups, including Platzi, an online platform with 5 million students.

Eliza-Jane

Fogg

Eliza-Jane is our Admissions Director, having reviewed over 9,000 applications from all over the world. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and an MBA.

Sebas

Salazar

Sebastian, a Paid Digital Media consultant with a master's in Digital Marketing, has worked on ad campaigns for luxury car brands and universities like Arkansas State.

Tommy

Koo

Tommy is a Design Lead at Curai, a healthtech company building a patient-first primary care telemedicine platform. He's worked with Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator companies.

The mentors were fantastic, they're easily some of the best people I've met in my life. We still keep in touch, even after the end of the camp. I can truly say that every single mentor is a friend for a lifetime.

“

— Mehar Poreddy, 15

Leangap Class of 2019

Mehar is a junior at Lawrence Academy, in Massachusetts, USA. He's also the co-founder of OnTracK, a company focusing on improving the productivity and study habits of its users.

Our staff has the highest standards and expertise

Mentors and students are supported by a team of passionate and committed staff members with multiple years of experience as camp counselors, who are always there to bring out the absolute best in you. When you're at Leangap, you're in the safe, capable hands of our staff.

More than staff members, your partners

Our staff is here for your teen. Each one of our staff members has their own expertise and will be available to help them throughout the day.

Maybe they want to get some specific details on career coaching, college, or life in general. Even if it's an existential crisis, they know they can count on our staff. We know that success takes time and that mistakes are only part of the process.

Rigorous vetting process

We get the best of our students, and we owe our students the best of us! That's why not only do we have exceptional mentors, but we also gather the best staff.

Key staff members are certified in Cardiovascular Life Support (CPR and emergencies) by the American Heart Association.
Background and reference checks.
Adult-age mentors with relevant experience.

Join Leangap® '25 online or in-person, you choose.

Leangap® Online brings the startup experience to your home anywhere in the world. Leangap® San Francisco puts you in the middle of Silicon Valley. Limited to 40 seats for each program. Apply now!

Apply for
Summer 2025

“Leangap changes your life, not just your summer. What I created and experienced at Leangap played a big part to being admitted to Harvard.”

—

Aryan S., Leangap Class of 2021

“The mentors are easily some of the best people I've met in my life. We still keep in touch, and they still look out for us.”

—

Devesh P., Leangap Class of 2018

“I came home with the start of a movement, incredible friends, and the knowledge/backing of an invaluable network of entrepreneurs.”

—

Swapnanil G., Leangap Class of 2015

“I've developed an invaluable network with entrepreneurs and executives that will set any kind of person up for success!”

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Hannah Z., Leangap Class of 2018

“I can't believe how we created a real tangible product that impacted very real people in the world in just a couple of weeks.”

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Amelie G., Leangap Class of 2020

“I learned things that I only could by actually building a business, stuff I wouldn't learn by attending 'entrepreneurship' classes”.

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Sarah J., Leangap Class of 2018

“I was pushed above and beyond my limit and gave more than I thought I had in my arsenal for the sake of the company and my team.”

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Andrew C., Leangap Class of 2017

“One time, one of the mentors stayed up the entire night to help me code and build our prototype. Talk about commitment.”

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Vish N., Leangap Class of 2017

“I made lots of new friends. I know these friends will stay for life and the lessons will help me in the future to create my own business.”

—

Christie N., Leangap Class of 2018