Application deadline
1 April 2026
Summer College Prep application.
In-person Program
Future Founders: Become a Startup CEO
Future Founders is a hands-on entrepreneurship seminar where students develop startup ideas, interview potential users, refine solutions, and practice pitching and team leadership.
Last verified: 6 Oct 2026Reviewed by:SSSean Stevens
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Future Founders at a glance: cost, dates and eligibility
Current status
Upcoming
Eligibility
Rising sophomores-seniors; GPA 3.0+
Age range / Year group
Ages 15-18
Location / Region
Evanston, Illinois, United States
Cost
$3,625; $5,235
Duration
2 weeks
Format
In-person
EntrepreneurshipBusiness & Economics
Accommodation: Shared double rooms; assigned roommates
Meals: Residential: three meals daily
Certificate / Outcome: Northwestern certificate and official transcript
Campus experience: Wildcat Connect workshops; campus activities
Instructor: Angie Mercurio
Sessions / cadence: 9 × 3.5-hour mornings, Monday-Friday
Future Founders summary
Future Founders turns entrepreneurship into a practical project: you brainstorm a startup concept, investigate customer needs, and refine your solution.
Expect collaboration, customer interviews, and pitches to classmates, supported by brief lectures and guided discussions.
It suits students who want to test their ideas and become more confident communicating and leading a team.
What is Future Founders: Become a Startup CEO?
Future Founders: Become a Startup CEO is an entrepreneurship seminar within Northwestern University's College Preparation IN FOCUS series. Students explore how an idea becomes a venture through customer research, pitching, and teamwork. The course emphasizes practical startup decisions and leadership.
You collaborate with classmates to identify promising ideas, interview potential users, and use feedback to improve your solution. Brief lectures and guided discussions introduce sales, networking, and effective meetings. The experience culminates in developing and pitching an original startup concept.
Why Succeed highlights Future Founders
Customer interviews encourage students to test assumptions against real user needs.
Repeated pitching and class feedback make improvement part of the project.
Angie Mercurio connects the classroom to experience in product development, engineering, and technical sales.
The startup project combines leadership practice with concrete entrepreneurial work.
Wildcat Connect workshops add structured preparation for college life.
Who is Future Founders for?
Best for
Students curious about entrepreneurship who want to interview users, improve an idea, and practice leading and pitching with classmates.
Not ideal if
You prefer independent study or a lecture-centered course, since collaboration, interviews, presentations, and active participation are central.
Is Future Founders worth it?
The strongest reason to choose Future Founders is the chance to practice entrepreneurship through a project that changes with feedback. Customer interviews and collaborative pitching can help you discover whether you enjoy the uncertainty and communication involved in startup work.
The value depends on how actively you participate and whether the program fits your family's budget. Developing a startup concept is a useful learning outcome, but it does not establish that you have launched a business. Participation also does not guarantee Northwestern admission.
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Founder, Succeed
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A practical overview of cost, accommodation, meals, dates and provider details to review before deciding.
Cost and what is included
$3,625; $5,235; includes Tuition and the program fee are included in both totals., Residential pricing includes room and board., Residents receive three meals per day while on campus., IN FOCUS includes Wildcat Connect: Get Ready Series workshops., Successful completion earns a Northwestern certificate and official transcript..
Accommodation
Shared double rooms; assigned roommates
Meals
Residential: three meals daily
Provider details
Review the Northwestern College Prep provider page and official sources before making a final decision.
Dates and logistics
2 weeks; Evanston, Illinois, United States.
What to check before committing
Confirm current dates, payment terms, travel arrangements, cancellation rules and what is included with the provider.
Compare this program with similar options before deciding on dates, cost, format and fit.
Compare with similar programsHow much preparation does Future Founders need?
Effort level
Moderate to high.
Best started
Allow four to six weeks before the next published application deadline for writing, transcripts, and planning.
Main challenge
Revising your idea when customer insights challenge your assumptions.
Typical preparation
Choose a recent academic experience to discuss in your personal statement.
Draft both personal-statement answers within approximately 500 words total.
Request English-language transcripts and any required proficiency scores early.
Practice explaining a problem, a potential user, and a proposed solution in a short pitch.
Useful if
You want to test your interest in entrepreneurship through practical work.
What do students do on Future Founders?
You work through a startup-development process with classmates, using customer insights and feedback to improve an original concept. Along the way, you practice the communication and leadership skills needed to move an idea toward execution.
Step-by-step process
- 1
Brainstorm problems and identify promising startup ideas.
- 2
Pitch initial ideas to classmates and discuss their feedback.
- 3
Use Jobs to Be Done analysis to investigate customer needs.
- 4
Interview potential users and gather actionable insights.
- 5
Analyze feedback and iterate on your proposed solution.
- 6
Develop and pitch your refined startup concept.
Future Founders dates and deadlines
Next cycle not announced yet. These dates are from the latest verified cycle and should be used as a reference only.
Reference date
Programme dates
21 June-3 July 2026
Student orientation
21 June 2026
6-7 PM Central Time for residential and commuter students.
Residential move-out
3 July 2026
Leave the residence hall by 7 PM Central Time.
| Milestone | Date | Timezone | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Application deadline | 1 April 2026 | Local | Reference date | |
Programme dates | 21 June-3 July 2026 | Local | Reference date | |
Student orientation | 21 June 2026 | Local | Reference date | |
Residential move-out | 3 July 2026 | Local | Reference date |
Eligibility and requirements
Be a rising high school sophomore, junior, or senior.
Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0/4.0.
US and international students may apply.
Provide English proficiency scores when language or schooling requires them.
Maintain medical insurance during the program.
Commuters must live with a responsible adult over 18.
How much does Future Founders cost?
Commuter program fee
$3,625 — Two-week total: tuition and program fee.
Funding or discounts
- Residential program fee: $5,235 — Two-week total including room and board.
- Enrollment deposit: $1,000 — Nonrefundable; credited toward the total program cost.
- Application fee: $60 — Nonrefundable application charge.
- Tuition scholarships: Need-based — Domestic US rising seniors with strong academic and extracurricular achievement.
- Application fee waiver: By request — Requires a signed student and parent or guardian form.
What's included
Tuition and the program fee are included in both totals., Residential pricing includes room and board., Residents receive three meals per day while on campus., IN FOCUS includes Wildcat Connect: Get Ready Series workshops., Successful completion earns a Northwestern certificate and official transcript.
How to apply to Future Founders
- 1
Use Northwestern's College Prep admissions destination to review the on-campus application requirements.
- 2
Select Future Founders and complete the program application.
- 3
Write approximately 500 words answering both personal-statement questions.
- 4
List extracurricular activities with dates, descriptions, and your role.
- 5
Arrange English-language transcripts and any required English proficiency score.
- 6
Pay the $60 application fee or request an application fee waiver.
- 7
After acceptance, activate your NetID, set up email and guest access, and pay the deposit.
- 8
Complete the SchoolDoc registration forms to finalize enrollment.
Next step with Succeed
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What does Future Founders cover?
The program covers the following focus areas.
Startup ideation
Identify a promising problem and develop an original startup concept.
Customer discovery
Use Jobs to Be Done analysis and interviews to understand potential users.
Feedback and iteration
Analyze customer insights and class feedback to refine your solution.
Pitching and sales
Practice communicating persuasively and learn the fundamentals of sales and networking.
Leadership and teamwork
Collaborate on a startup project and practice running effective meetings.
Curriculum may be adjusted based on participant interests and current developments.
What is a typical day on Future Founders?
A typical day during the program.
Seminar classes
Monday-Friday, 9:15 AM-12:45 PM Central Time; no class July 3.
College preparation
Wildcat Connect workshops complement the academic seminar.
Residential check in
10 PM Sunday-Thursday; 11 PM Friday-Saturday.
Who teaches on Future Founders?
Instructor Angie Mercurio brings experience in product development, technical sales, and projects at Walt Disney Imagineering, alongside Northwestern training in engineering design and innovation. Jeffrey Eschbach is the course consultant.
Where do students stay on Future Founders?
Residential plan
- Shared double rooms: Air-conditioned rooms pair students of the same gender identity with assigned roommates.
- Three daily meals: The mandatory meal plan includes three meals per day while on campus.
- Residential support: Trained residential staff live in the hall and support academic and social adjustment.
- Common and study spaces: The residence hall has social common areas, quiet study rooms, and wireless internet.
Non-residential plan
- Commuter option: Off-campus students must stay with a responsible adult over 18.
- Activities and workshops: Commuters can join College Prep activities, excursions, and the Get Ready Series.
- Meal access: Commuters may purchase meals at Norris University Center.
Roommates are assigned; residents may explore independently after checking out and must return for nightly check-in.
What happens after Future Founders?
After completing this program, participants often pursue:
Develop a refined original startup concept.
Gain experience pitching to an audience.
Practice customer interviewing and feedback-led iteration.
Earn a Northwestern University certificate upon successful completion.
Receive an official Northwestern University transcript.
Participation does not guarantee admission to Northwestern University.
Where does Future Founders take place?
Northwestern's 240-acre Evanston campus sits on Lake Michigan, just north of Chicago. CTA buses and trains connect Evanston with Chicago, while Metra serves surrounding suburbs.
Families arrange airport-to-campus transportation.
Future Founders FAQs
You develop and pitch an original startup idea, interview potential users, analyze their feedback, and refine your solution with classmates.
Angie Mercurio is the instructor, and Jeffrey Eschbach is the course consultant. Mercurio brings experience in product development, technical sales, engineering design, and entrepreneurship.
Successful completion earns an official Northwestern University transcript and certificate. Students must attend and participate in every class and complete all assignments to earn a Satisfactory grade.
Yes. Commuters can participate in College Prep activities, but students living off campus must stay with a responsible adult over 18 throughout the program.
Residents share air-conditioned double rooms with assigned roommates of the same gender identity. The residential meal plan includes three meals per day while on campus.
Tuition scholarships are available to domestic US rising seniors who demonstrate financial need and strong academic and extracurricular achievement. A scholarship application and complete program application, including transcripts, are required.
Yes. English proficiency scores may be required, and Northwestern directs international IN FOCUS students to confirm visitor-visa requirements with their US embassy or consulate. Medical insurance is required.
No. College Prep participation can form part of a college application profile, but it does not guarantee admission to Northwestern University.
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Save this program in Succeed to compare it with similar programs, dates, costs and formats in one place.
Compare with other programsContent reviewed by
Sean Stevens
Co-founder, Succeed | Founder, Immerse Education (2012–2026)
Sean works at the intersection of academic enrichment, program quality and university preparation, with expertise in evaluating pre-university experiences for ambitious secondary school students.
Sources & verification
Source types reviewed
- International Students, Northwestern College Preparation Program: School of Professional Studies | Northwestern University
- Campus Life, Northwestern College Preparation Program: School of Professional Studies | Northwestern University
- Admission, Northwestern College Preparation Program: School of Professional Studies | Northwestern University
- Tuition and Fees, Northwestern College Preparation Program: School of Professional Studies | Northwestern University
- Northwestern Pre-College Online Program
- FAQs, Northwestern College Preparation Program: School of Professional Studies | Northwestern University
- College Preparation Program — Application Fee Waiver Form
- College Preparation Program — Summer 2026 Student Handbook
- IN FOCUS Seminar Series | Northwestern SPS: School of Professional Studies | Northwestern University
Succeed uses official provider information where available, but keeps this public page focused on comparison and planning inside Succeed.
What we verified (on 6 Oct 2026)
Official course page reviewed
Application requirements reviewed
Historical application deadline checked
Commuter and residential totals checked
Scholarship eligibility reviewed
Housing and meals reviewed
Handbook policies reviewed
How Succeed uses this information
We use source material to verify core facts, then show older cycle dates as reference when a current cycle is not available. Always check current application instructions before applying.
Future Founders: Become a Startup CEO
by Northwestern College Prep
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