Global Entrepreneurship Challenge
2026-2027

Find a real problem. Solve it with your team. Pitch it in Lisbon.

A free, online, school-year program for high school teams around the world.

Join the wait list Students and teachers
Students and a mentor laughing and relaxing on red and white beanbags on a sunny rooftop terrace
Cost
Free online
Teams
2 to 6 students
When
October to April
Finale
Lisbon, April 16 to 19, 2027

Created by the Scarsdale High School Design Lab with Hudson Lab Ventures.

A group of students on the floor sorting sticky notes together

For students

Create value by solving problems that matter.

You and your team learn how to find problems worth solving. You ask people, build small tests, and learn from what happens. Then you pitch your solution to decision makers in your community. You don’t need a business background. Curiosity and a willingness to work as a team are enough.

  • Join a team of 2 to 6 from your school.
  • Join each of the 5 live online sessions (recordings also available).
  • Pitch at the Lisbon finale, or at Virtual Pitch Day if you cannot travel.
Join the wait list
A mentor talking with two students at a table in a bright room

For teachers and mentors

Mentor a team, with the plan already written.

We provide session plans, live sessions, team challenges, and a network of GEC educators around the world, so you can learn to build like an entrepreneur alongside your students. In Lisbon, you coach side by side with entrepreneurs.

Your role

  • Mentor students at your school either as part of a class or a club
  • Join the live sessions with your team (recordings also available)
  • Time commitment: about an hour a week
Join the wait list

01. The season

Find a problem. Test a solution. Pitch it.

Each year's challenge connects to one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Your team picks a local problem that fits it. Live sessions start at 7:45 am New York time.

  1. OctoberIntroduce yourselfOnline
  2. November 3Meet the challengeEmail
  3. November 10Problem identificationZoom
  4. December 8Problem reframingZoom
  5. January 12Solution developmentZoom
  6. February 9Solution #1 testZoom
  7. March 9Solution #2 testZoom
  8. April 16 to 19Lisbon 3-day sprint, plus Virtual Pitch DayIn person
Students laughing together behind a glass wall covered in colorful sticky notes

Find

Students standing in two lines facing each other in an outdoor square, talking in pairs

Test

A student team standing at the podium of a lecture hall, getting ready to pitch to a seated audience

Pitch

02. What you build

Six skills that go with you into any room.

  1. Find problems worth solving

    Problem finding is as important as problem solving so you don't waste time trying to fix the wrong things.

  2. Collaborate

    Understand your own superpowers and work with people with complementary strengths.

  3. Develop and test ideas

    Build it small, test it with real people, make it better.

  4. Think creatively

    Multiple choice has one right answer. Real problems don't. Design better solutions.

  5. Communicate to stakeholders

    Pitch it so an investor and your neighbor both get it.

  6. Take initiative and ownership

    Did you know? A Harvard study found your capacity to work is a better predictor of adult success and mental health than intelligence or social class.

03. The finale

Lisbon.

April 16 to 19, 2027

From classroom project to boardroom pitch

Before Lisbon, your team tests its idea with real people. You arrive with what you learned and leave confident enough to pitch an investor. Over three working days, real innovators work alongside educators to coach each team. Students pitch, take feedback, rewrite their story, and pitch again. On the final day, they present the way they would to a company's Board of Directors.

Teams arrive Friday and leave Monday evening. Schools or families cover travel, and each team brings a school chaperone. Teams that cannot travel pitch at Virtual Pitch Day.

Students gathered in a sunny cobblestone courtyard in Lisbon, mid-game, with one student crouching in the center
Students chatting in a sunny Lisbon square A large group of students, mentors and teachers posing together under a tent, smiling at the camera

Students on a Hudson Lab Ventures summer program in Lisbon.

04. Questions

Good questions.

What does it cost?

Online participation is free. Travel to Lisbon is paid by the school or family.

Do we need business experience?

No. Students need curiosity and a willingness to work as a team.

Can our school register more than one team?

Yes.

What about time zones?

Five live sessions run from 7:45-8:45 am New York time. Sessions are recorded, but we encourage students and educators to join each of the 5 sessions.

What if English is not our first language?

Materials use short, plain language. Students are assessed on their reasoning, not their English fluency.

05. GEC Registration

Join the wait list.

Registration closed for 2026-27. Please tell us about your school to join the wait list because you never know...

Form not loading? Email hello@hudsonlabventures.com.

For teachers

Try the process yourself.

Join the Summer 2027 Educator Innovation Program in Lisbon this July, with Unicorn Factory Lisboa.

Learn more