Based on 65 responses, 2025/26.
Superscript shows the year each school is entering with us.
Not on the list? Put your school on it ↗We turn up and run an assembly on what we do and how it works. If we haven't been to yours yet, you can tell us about it.
Not just a form. You pick a startup you like and answer some questions about it. We want to see how you think, not what grades you have.
Five days. In a team of around four you find a problem worth solving, talk to real customers, build a working app, make a deck, and pitch it.
Guest speakers all week. Laptop, travel and lunch covered.
Students have access to our custom-built compliant platform for support throughout.
You pitch at the end of your own week. The best teams from across the summer come back for the grand final, to a bigger room and, from 2027, a £4,000 prize.
●Get involved
The programme has taught me a lot. One of the things it has taught me is to put myself forward for opportunities which allow you to grow. In the end, we won because of our amazing teamwork and refusal to settle for anything less than spectacular. I am incredibly thankful to Bae HQ for giving me this opportunity, and seeing how much they care for us students really does mean a lot.
Redefining the experience of work experience, this week has truly been a memorable time and interactions with notable figures have bestowed lots of insight into further career choices. Nice meeting you & hope to drop in sometime.
The sessions have been a massive learning curve for me, and it’s taught me a lot about the way the people on the other end of the table think/what they value. This is such a great programme and you gave us the opportunity to build and pitch something in front of such a great audience. I’m super interested in keeping in touch, and hopefully one day I’ll be a guest for one of your future cohorts!
This was an experience I’ll never forget. What I’m taking away from this week is more than just the skills we learned. It’s the reminder that with the right people, support, and focus, you can achieve so much in such a short space of time. One week really can feel like months of progress. Once again thank you for making this possible.
Creating, developing and pitching our app wasn’t easy but I was proud to lead the project as CEO, and I could not have asked for a better team. I am extremely grateful to have been a part of the Bae HQ Youth Startups programme and proud of what we achieved together.
This week has been really beneficial, opening our eyes up to the possibility of entrepreneurship. I’ll make sure to stay in touch.
Your background and how you’ve built yourself as another South Asian is just astonishing and awe-inspiring. Thank you for inviting me onto this programme and unlocking doors into a future that would have taken me years to find. I hope to see you often (eventually joining the startup industry) and chat over some coffee as business to business.
I spent this week being part of an amazing team at Youth Startups, where I’ve gained lessons of a lifetime. Thank you for hosting us and giving us this chance! Thank you to our competitors for making this week full of giggles. And thank you to my team for making this week an adventure of a lifetime!
This week flew by and it wasn’t just a great opportunity but so enjoyable, I’m definitely going to miss it.
I have learned so much this week about startups and what it takes to create and pitch an idea. This opportunity has been something that I definitely won’t forget. This is from all the talks we had from so many people in the industry and having the chance to see the podcast in person. I’m going to miss this.
During the five-day programme, I learned so much from founders and investors, met new people, and developed my skills. The energy, humour, and support made the week even more enjoyable and unforgettable. This experience pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I’m so grateful for every moment.
Getting to meet other ambitious young people, speak to founders and pitch in front of real investors was an opportunity I’ll definitely remember. From developing the concept and business model to preparing our pitch, the whole process pushed me outside my comfort zone and helped me develop my public speaking, pitching, teamwork and entrepreneurial skills. Bae HQ made the whole experience so enjoyable.
I’ve always been interested in doing something like this but could never find any opportunities. I’ve had so much fun throughout the whole of this week and have learnt a lot. All of the investors, volunteers & you have been so inspiring.
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in the Youth Startups programme, and it has truly been a transformative 5 days, packed with innovation, teamwork, and stepping out of my comfort zone.
Thank you so much for creating opportunities like this, not only for us 8 but for hundreds of other students. This week has been amazing, filled with fun, learning about startups galore, and talking about untalked-about things within our society.
This was an amazing opportunity and allowed me to gain such valuable experience, as well as build a network with such incredible people.
The highlight for me was not just creating the prototype under tight deadlines, but the process of working together as a team to bring an idea to life. I’m especially grateful to our hosts. Their stories, advice, and openness added tremendous value and motivation to the week.
Reaching the finals was an achievement I’m really proud of. The experience taught me so much about entrepreneurship, teamwork, communication and how to confidently present an idea to others. Definitely an experience I’ll carry forward into future projects and opportunities.
This experience was really fun and enjoyable and I have learnt a lot throughout the week. I have learned many skills that would help with starting a startup. All of the investors have been inspiring.
●Who comes in
Every cohort gets sessions with people who have built and backed real companies. Students can ask them anything.
Past speakers have included
Amar Shah
Cofounder of Wayve
UK's first multibillion self-driving car company
Sai Shivareddy
Cofounder of Nyobolt
Billion pound battery company
Shiv Sivakumar
Cofounder of Omni
UK's fastest growing pet brand
Riya Patel
Cofounder of All The Aunties
UK's fastest growing paneer brand
Khyati Sundaram
Founder of Applied AI
Sold for millions
Vivian Chan
Serial entrepreneur
Sold several companies
Shamik Parekh
General Partner at Haviland Health
£200m healthtech fund
Shruti Iyengar
Investment Manager at Future Planet Capital
Runs the UK's space fund
Plus many more including from HSBC, Barclays, Imperial.
We're Gurvir and Amardeep, the cofounders of Bae HQ. We've built one of the strongest networks in UK startups. Growing up, neither of us knew that world existed.
Gurvir grew up in Southall, Amardeep in Ilford. Youth Startups is how we open that network to students who are where we were.
