Launching Your Startup Journey
"The best founders didn't wait. Neither should you."

Academic Quests takes pride in collaborating with international organisations to provide enriching opportunities for students.

The Venture Lab is a highly selective 4-week technical intensive designed for ambitious students in Grades 9–12 who want to transform ideas into real-world projects. Through expert mentorship, structured frameworks, and hands-on project development, students will learn how successful founders identify problems, validate opportunities, build prototypes, and test their solutions.

By the end of the programme, every participant will have developed a tangible project and gained practical experience in startup thinking, market analysis, AI-assisted development, and customer discovery.

Unlocking the World of
Academic Exploration for Students
Who Should Apply?

The Venture Lab is ideal for students who:

  • Want to explore entrepreneurship and innovation
  • Have an idea they want to develop further
  • Enjoy problem-solving and project-based learning
  • Are interested in technology, startups, AI, consulting, or business
  • Want to build practical skills beyond the classroom

No prior startup experience is required.

Why Join The Venture Lab?

✔ Build a real project from scratch

✔ Learn practical startup frameworks used by founders and consultants

✔ Gain experience with AI-powered development tools

✔ Receive personalised mentorship in a small cohort setting

✔ Develop analytical, research, and product-building skills

✔ Showcase your work during Demo Day

Have an idea but don't know where to start?

Week 1: Identifying the Problem

Topics Covered

  • Problem Definition
  • Assumption Mapping
  • Research Framing
  • Opportunity Identification

Hands-On Activity

  • Problem Deconstruction Sprint

Learn how successful founders identify meaningful problems worth solving and develop a structured approach to researching them.

Week 2: Market Sizing & Business Analysis

Topics Covered

  • TAM, SAM & SOM Frameworks
  • Market Research
  • Data Sourcing
  • Quantitative Modelling

Hands-On Activity

  • Consulting-Style Market Sizing Case

Develop analytical skills used by consultants, investors, and startup founders to evaluate opportunities.

Week 3: Building Your Prototype

Topics Covered

  • AI-Assisted Development
  • Prompt Engineering
  • Product Design Thinking
  • Rapid Prototyping

Hands-On Activity

  • Landing Page & Prototype Design

Learn how modern founders leverage AI tools to accelerate development and transform concepts into tangible products.

Week 4: Testing, Feedback & Demo Day

Topics Covered

  • User Testing
  • Customer Discovery
  • Product Iteration
  • Next-Step Planning

Hands-On Activity

  • Demo Day Presentation

Present your project, gather feedback, and develop a roadmap for future growth.

To ensure personalised mentorship and meaningful interaction, each cohort is limited to 10 students only.

Ready to Build Something This Summer?

Join The Venture Lab and turn your ideas into reality.

Applications for Summer 2026 are now open.

2026 Summer Cohorts

 

  • Cohort 1: June 19 – July 11, 2026
  • Cohort 2: July 10 – August 1, 2026
  • Cohort 3: July 17 – August 8, 2026
  • Cohort 4: July 24 – August 15, 2026

View The Useful Information Regarding This Program:

Proceed With Your Registration

Melbourne, Australia
(Sat - Thursday)
(10am - 05 pm)