A selective 10-week Venture Strategy Studio for ambitious teens aged 14–19 to work with live startups, apply consulting-level strategy, conduct real customer research and build portfolio-worthy evidence of contribution.
Oct–Dec 2026 Cohort
A ten-week autumn studio.Ages 14–19 Students
Ambitious secondary students.Selective · Limited Places
Application and interview based.Dubai / Hybrid Format
In-person and online sessions.AED 6,500 Founding Rate
Founding school partner rate.TryNex students worked with UAE-based circular fashion startup Yalla BB on a live market and customer adoption challenge: researching customer behaviour, analyzing trust and adoption barriers, prioritizing recommendations and presenting directly to the founder team.
customer inputs and insights gathered
live venture data — no mock cases
real startup challenge
executive founder presentation
“First of all, well done because I think to reach that stage probably it took me 10 years of experience... and probably you are quite close to what a market research company would deliver. So well done. That's surprising and highly appreciated.”
“TryNex is taking you out of the box.”
TryNex students work on live growth, customer and strategy questions from operating ventures, not archived case studies. The October Studio focuses on UAE-based impact ventures shaping circular economy, sustainability, resale and consumer behaviour.
Venture Ecosystem Partners
Additional regional startups in development.
Founder briefs focus on: market entry, product testing, prototype design, Gen Z adoption, trust friction, positioning and scalable community activation.
Why it matters: Students move beyond broad exposure into real strategic contribution. They work close to founders who are actively building, scaling and testing impact solutions and develop evidence-backed recommendations that can help inform real decisions.
Students step into a junior venture strategy role and work through one live venture challenge from problem framing to founder presentation. The TryNex methodology incorporates proven consulting, innovation and venture-building frameworks into a proprietary, teen-appropriate system: issue trees, hypothesis-led research, customer discovery, evidence synthesis and strategic recommendations.
Real startup work, ambitious peers and portfolio-worthy evidence you can proudly show.
Access structured Gen Z insight and fresh strategic thinking on live business challenges.
A low-friction, premium venture strategy pathway for high-potential students.
This is where students stop feeling like “just a student.”
Work on real problems. Challenge assumptions. Build strategy. Present to founders.
Not for marks. Because the work matters.
And leave knowing: I can do this. I can contribute.
Founder-facing presentation with challenge, evidence, insights, recommendations and next steps.
Customer inputs, market observations, competitor signals and research-backed conclusions.
Project story explaining the student's role, methodology, insights and contribution.
Documented feedback where appropriate, reflecting contribution, growth and strengths.
Reflection on ambiguity, evidence, teamwork, communication and young strategist identity.
Phase 1
Founder brief, context, stakeholders and research questions.
First principles, issue trees, assumptions, hypotheses.
Phase 2
Customer inputs, market signals, competitor benchmarks and patterns.
Customer discovery, survey/interview design, evidence confidence.
Phase 3
Translate evidence into insight and prioritize recommendations.
MECE-style clarity, prioritization matrices, trade-offs.
Phase 4
Present recommendations and package the portfolio artifact.
Executive storytelling, founder Q&A, feedback integration.
Guided by TryNex's proprietary venture methodology and supported by founders, innovation practitioners, educators and strategy-trained professionals, students learn to ask sharper questions, structure messy problems, test assumptions, interpret evidence and communicate recommendations at a higher standard.
Students join a selective peer community interested in startups, innovation, sustainability, AI, business and strategy. As cohorts grow, TryNex alumni will stay connected through founder challenges, peer learning, mentor sessions and selected next-step opportunities.
TryNex is not an admissions consultancy. It gives students credible material for future applications: real venture work, customer evidence, structured methodology, team collaboration and founder-facing recommendations. For US-style applications, this can support a high-signal activity. For UK-style applications, it can support personal statement reflection in Business, Economics, Management, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability or Innovation.
AED 5,900
Applications submitted by 5 September 2026
AED 6,500
Selected founding school partners, October cohort
AED 8,500
Standard value following founding partner window
Includes the 10-week Studio, guided methodology, live strategy sessions, founder exposure, mentor feedback, portfolio deliverables and participation in a selective peer cohort.
Everything families and schools ask about the Venture Strategy Studio, selection and time commitment.
No. It is a focused Venture Strategy Studio with live startup work, guided research, founder exposure and a final strategic deliverable.
No. Students work on a partner venture challenge. They need curiosity, commitment and readiness to engage with ambiguity, customers and real founder questions.
Weekend sessions and selected evening check-ins across 10 weeks, designed to fit around demanding school schedules while remaining rigorous.
TryNex is application-based. Students complete a short written application and, if shortlisted, join an individual or small-group interview. The process looks beyond grades to understand curiosity, motivation, initiative, resilience, collaboration and readiness for serious independent follow-through between sessions.
Yes. Schools can nominate students or circulate a dedicated application link. TryNex manages applications, onboarding, delivery and parent communication.
Applications are open for the October 2026 Founding Cohort. This is for students ready to think deeply, work seriously and contribute to real venture decisions before university.
