Masters’ Union, a b-school based in Gurgaon, has announced the launch of High School Startup League (HSSL), the largest entrepreneurship competition in India for high school students from Classes IX to XII. This dynamic platform will give students the opportunity to ideate and present their own startups while competing for funding and national acclaim. With a prize corpus of up to INR 20 lakhs, it promises to support the most innovative students from across the country.
This competition will consist of three main rounds. For the initial ‘Startup Weekends,’ participating schools will run their own first-round events in which students will work for 2 days in teams to develop their business concepts and pitch them to a panel of judges. Masters’ Union will visit cities across the country to facilitate these events from August 2024 to November 2024.
The public will be able to vote for the best business ideas during an online voting phase in the next round. Voting will close on December 31, 2024, and the results will be shown on the competition leaderboard. The ‘Final Showdown’ will be held on January 31st, 2025, where the top 15 teams get an opportunity to present their ideas in front of celebrity judges. The winners will receive grants of up to INR 20 lakh.
With over 500 schools and 10,000 students expected to participate, the High School Startup League hopes to motivate and empower young entrepreneurial talent nationwide. The participants will be exposed to 200+ CXOs, MDs, and leading entrepreneurs, including Bengaluru startup community. They will get significant social media reach as well as hands-on mentorship from some of these experienced people. The winning teams will also receive an exclusive co-working space at one of India’s leading business parks.
“Our goal is to encourage students across the country to think beyond traditional textbooks by teaching business through hands-on experience. We believe that running a business and engaging deeply with its challenges and opportunities is perhaps the best way to understand it. The success of the CEO Challenge has reinforced our commitment to nurturing young entrepreneurs. With HSSL, we plan to provide high school students across the country an exposure to the world of entrepreneurship and business management. This is not just a one-time event but rather a sustained effort in the direction of nurturing the next generation of innovators,” said Swati Ganeti, Director, Undergraduate Programme, Masters’ Union.
