Youth Business Venture Competition 2026

By Elaine Luo

Event Overview

On August 15, 2026, the 2026 Youth Business Venture Competition was held at Stanford University. Initiated and organized by the Silicon Valley Youth Entrepreneurship Program, the event brought together young entrepreneurs from the United States, Canada, Russia, Brazil, and other countries and regions to present ventures through startup pitches, live Q&A sessions, and peer exchange.

The competition gave a new generation of innovators a platform to showcase their exploration of technology, business, and social innovation. Now in its second year, YBVC invited 15 high school and college startup teams to the 2026 in-person finals.

Ideas Into Real-World Ventures

This year’s event was designed to help young people move from creative concepts toward tangible business practice. Students were encouraged to focus on real-world problems while developing teamwork, business analysis, public speaking, and project execution skills.

Following the preliminary selection process, 15 teams advanced to the in-person finals: AcornPrep, AutiLearn, Avora, Axyera, Borrowly, Droplet AI, Dust Troopers, LUNA, Meridian, Never Again Ed, Nourishly, Radius, SNAPRight, Hapty, and Wasor.

The teams were divided into two sessions and took turns presenting their ventures and innovative concepts. During the live pitch sessions, each team delivered a five-minute presentation followed by two minutes of questions from the judges. Students responded in real time to questions about product positioning, market competition, business viability, user needs, and implementation.

A Diverse Judging Panel

YBVC 2026 brought together professionals from education, investment, technology, business, and social innovation to serve on the judging panel.

Jun Liu, founder of 7EDU Impact Academy, is a Wharton alumna with more than 20 years of experience mentoring and incubating youth projects. Bryant Art is a youth entrepreneurship coach and startup advisor with a cross-disciplinary background. Education industry leader and investor Bei Zhang has more than a decade of experience in industry operations and investment, with a portfolio that includes Nasdaq-listed GDS Holdings and education technology company MobLab.

Tianli Feng, a visiting professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education, has long focused on corporate social innovation, sustainable business, and social impact. Venture capitalist Zixuan (Alex) An has 10 years of experience in early-stage investing and emerging technologies, and currently focuses on the commercialization of artificial intelligence and frontier hard technologies at R42 Group.

The judges’ questions ranged from user needs, product positioning, and business models to market competition, team execution, technological innovation, and social value. At times, they pressed students on the market logic behind an idea; at others, they drew on professional experience to suggest ways a project could be strengthened.

Winners & Awards

After all teams completed their pitches, the event moved into the awards ceremony. Following the judges’ evaluation, several outstanding student projects received YBVC 2026 honors.

First Place

SNAPRight, presented by Varnika Gorkanti and Saanvi Yaratha, received the first-place award and a $5,000 prize.

Second Place

Wasor, presented by Joao Freire and Arturo Augusto, received the second-place award and a $3,000 prize.

Third Place

Avora, presented by Shrihan Ananthu, Amit Taduri, and Oliver Brown, received the third-place award and a $1,000 prize.

Innovation Excellence Award

Nourishly, presented by Karthik Pasupuleti and Nitish Nattudurai, received the Innovation Excellence Award.

Business Strategy Award

Droplet AI, presented by Leo Hoffmann, Bazigh Tahirzad, and Colin Li, received the Business Strategy Award.

Honorable Mentions

AutiLearn, presented by Deshan Ma, received an Honorable Mention Award.

Hapty, presented by Daria Zakharova, Georgy Belkin, Elizaveta Katulevskaya, and Will Zhu, also received an Honorable Mention Award.

Building Confidence Through Practice

This year marked the second consecutive edition of YBVC. Through authentic project-based practice, the competition aims to let young people experience the full process from identifying a problem and developing an idea to teamwork, business analysis, project presentation, and professional evaluation.

In an era of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, the way knowledge is acquired is changing. At the same time, the abilities to ask meaningful questions, think independently, innovate, collaborate, and solve real-world problems are becoming increasingly important qualities for young people preparing for the future.

Using entrepreneurship as a vehicle for learning, YBVC seeks to help students discover their potential, build confidence, and turn youthful ideas into actions that can create real value through authentic challenges, exchange, and collaboration.

Looking Ahead

Jun Liu, founder of 7EDU Impact Academy and lead coach of SVYEP, said YBVC aims not only to give young people an opportunity to showcase creative ideas and startup projects, but also to help a new generation broaden its international perspective and develop innovative thinking, leadership, and the ability to solve real-world problems through authentic business practice, cross-cultural exchange, and connections with Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem.

As more young people from different countries and regions take part, YBVC hopes to build an international platform connecting young talent, educational resources, and the innovation ecosystem. The goal is to give more young people the opportunity to move their ideas from concept to practice and grow through exchange and collaboration into a new generation of innovators with a global perspective.

Community Support

YBVC 2026 was made possible by the support of the entire community. Sponsors included MagStone Law, Star One Credit Union, and 7EDU Impact Academy; individual sponsors Kim Dinh Sirham and Tyrone Tan; and coffee, tea, and refreshment sponsors Philz Coffee and Stan’s Donuts.

With the support of Jun Liu and the SVYEP team, led by Isabella, in event organization and fundraising, these community partners helped create a platform where young people could present their ideas, exchange knowledge, and grow through hands-on experience. Together, they helped make YBVC 2026 a meaningful experience for the next generation of young entrepreneurs.