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Harrington Foundation Accelerator

Harrington Foundation Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator, with Lemonade Standers

A free eight-week virtual accelerator ending in a live pitch, with real investment for the winner.

Run by The Harrington Foundation, in partnership with Lemonade Standers

Official website Reviews and tips

Key facts

Eligible grades
Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.
Not stated by the Foundation. The previous listing's 'high school' was an assumption.
Eligible ages
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.
The Foundation's own site does not state an age range on the pages checked. Local press reporting the pilot launch described applicants aged 12 to 18, split into two cohorts by age. Treat as unconfirmed until the Foundation publishes eligibility for a future cohort.
Individual or team
Individual · Limited to 25 students per cohort, per the Foundation's site.
Where it runs
Online · United States
Entry cost
FreeThe Foundation's site states: Free. Virtual. Eight weeks.
Registration deadline
Set locally, not published as a single national date No open application window was found. The Foundation's site carries a programme application page; check it for the next cohort.
Competition dates
Edition I, the Class of 2026, began the week of 8 June 2026 and culminated in a live Capstone Pitch Event on Wednesday 29 July 2026 at ARK Innovation in the Tampa area. No 2027 cohort has been announced on the pages checked.
Difficulty
CompetitiveSerious preparation over a season. Advancing past the first round separates prepared students from unprepared ones.
Prizes
Investment in the winning business, plus mentorship from Kevin HarringtonNot stated on the Foundation's site. Press reported a $10,000 investment in the 2026 winning business; that is a report of one outcome, not a published prize schedule.

What Harrington Foundation Accelerator is

The Harrington Foundation runs a free eight-week virtual accelerator where students build an actual business rather than write a business plan about one. Cohorts are capped at around 25 students, each is matched with a mentor whose background fits their idea, and the programme ends with a business fair and a live pitch to a judging panel. The 2026 winner received a $10,000 investment for Lumivo, a platform helping students find scholarships and internships.

How the competition works

An eight-week virtual programme with a game-based, youth-centred curriculum designed by Lemonade Standers: live sessions, hot seats, peer feedback and weekly action challenges, plus an artificial intelligence component. Each student builds a Business Plan Portfolio and gives a final pitch. Mentors meet students in thirty-minute virtual sessions across the eight weeks.

Eligibility notes

Cohorts are limited to about 25 students, so acceptance is competitive. The programme has run in the summer; check the Foundation's site for the current cohort's eligibility and dates.

Is Harrington Foundation Accelerator right for you?

Experience needed
None. The programme is explicitly designed for students who have not started a business before.
Time commitment
Eight weeks of real work, including live sessions and independent building between them.
What you actually do
You build an actual small business over the cohort, get critiqued in hot seats, work with an assigned mentor, then present at a business fair and, if selected, pitch a panel of investors live.

A good fit if

  • You have an idea and want structure and a mentor rather than a blank page
  • You want investor contact rather than a trophy
  • You can commit eight consecutive weeks

Probably not for you if

  • Students who want a one-off submission competition
  • Students who cannot make live sessions

Compare this against competitions matched to you

Common mistakes

  • Waiting for a cohort deadline that does not exist. Places are capped and fill, so apply when a cohort opens.
  • Treating it as a course rather than a competition. The pitch at the end is judged and only a few finalists reach it.
  • Underusing the assigned mentor, who is matched to your specific business and is the scarcest resource in the programme.

How to register

  1. Check harringtonfoundation.org for an open cohort. Places are capped at roughly 25, so this is the binding constraint.
  2. Apply with your business idea. You do not need a finished plan; the programme is built around starting rather than planning.
  3. If accepted, commit to eight weeks of live sessions, hot seats and mentor meetings.
  4. Build toward the business fair and the finalist pitch.

Register on the official site

What skills you need

  • Idea validation
  • Customer research
  • Pitching to investors
  • Working with a mentor
  • Camera presence
  • Giving and receiving feedback

Recommended resources

Frequently asked questions

Is this a competition or a course?

Both, and that is the point. Eight weeks of structured building and mentorship, ending in a judged pitch where a small number of finalists compete for investment. If you want a submit-and-wait competition, the Diamond Challenge or Blue Ocean suit better.

Is it really free?

The Foundation states the programme is free and virtual. The scarce resource is places, not money: cohorts are capped at roughly 25 students.

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