GLOBAL
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
CHALLENGE
2026-2027
Find a real problem.
Solve it with your team.
Pitch it in Lisbon.
The Global Entrepreneurship Challenge is a free, school-year program for high school teams, created by the Scarsdale High School Design Lab with Hudson Lab Ventures. Students interview people in their own community, build and test solutions, and pitch them to entrepreneurs, investors, and executives.
TEAMS OF 2-6 • OCTOBER TO APRIL • FREE ONLINE • LISBON FINALE, APRIL 16–19
Sponsors & Organizers:
What Is the Global Entrepreneurship Challenge?
The Global Entrepreneurship Challenge (GEC) is a free, multi-month innovation program open to qualifying schools from October to April capped with an in-person 3-day sprint in Lisbon, Portugal.
Each year students focus on a local problem related to a specified United National Sustainable Development Goal.
Student Teams:
Identify meaningful, real-world problems
Conduct interviews and stakeholder research
Generate, test, and refine solutions
Communicate their thinking clearly through pitches, vlogs, and presentations
Educators:
Mentor student team(s) at their school
Learn and apply a structured innovation process
Join a global community of forward-thinking teachers and school leaders
Who Participates
Students
High school students
Teams of 2–6 students
Curious, motivated, and willing to work with others
No prior business or entrepreneurship experience required
Student Benefits
Confidence earned through real responsibility
Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
Experience working in teams with real expectations
A repeatable framework for tackling complex problems
A clearer sense of how they think and contribute
High School Educators
1+ faculty mentor per team
Open to educators in any subject area
Ideal for teachers interested in project-based learning and real-world application
Schools may enter multiple teams.
Educator Benefits
Low lift. We’ve designed the program so students can complete much of the work independently
Fun trip to Lisbon
A classroom-ready innovation framework
Structured curriculum, tools, and timelines
Ongoing support from the GEC team
Access to a global educator network
Join the GEC
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Summer 2027
Educator Innovation Program
July 2027
Educators may apply to join a one-week summer innovation program in Lisbon, hosted in collaboration with Unicorn Factory Lisboa. You’ll be able to dive into the GEC innovation process as a learner and collaborate with educators from around the world.
