A 6-week virtual program where high schoolers design, build, and pitch their own startup or social impact initiative, then walk away with a professional pitch deck and a credential top universities notice.
Interested in joining the next Changemakers cohort?
Most students list activities. The changemakers program gives you a story: a problem you identified, a solution you tested with real people, and a venture you can speak to in an interview with confidence.
Over six weeks you'll move from a rough idea to a validated concept, a working prototype, and a polished pitch, guided by live coaching and feedback from the Avanza team at every step.
Every student develops one path from Week 1 through the Final Pitch Competition.
A product or service idea with a real business model. You'll define your value proposition, pricing, revenue streams, and cost structure, then test it against real potential customers before you pitch it.
A non-profit or community program built around a theory of change. You'll define who you serve, how you'll fund it, and the impact metrics that prove your program actually works, then test it with real members of that community.
Click a week to see what to expect and what you'll walk away with.
You'll choose a problem worth solving and start backing it up with real evidence: who it affects, and why it matters right now.
You'll talk to real people to test your assumptions, then build a first version of your idea to see how it actually holds up.
You'll learn how founders use AI tools to move faster, then apply them directly to your own project, with a live Q&A from an industry guest speaker.
You'll define how your idea makes money or creates impact, and decide exactly how you'll prove it's working, with input from another industry guest speaker.
You'll learn how to tell your story well, then design and rehearse a professional pitch with feedback from your peers and the Avanza team.
You'll polish your pitch to its final form and present it live to a judging panel for the Final Pitch Competition.
Three group sessions a week, every week.
Individual time with the Avanza team on your project.
Live Q&A sessions with guests from top companies. Guests vary each cohort.
Present to a judging panel, with a prize for the top pitch.
A polished pitch deck and business or impact plan you keep.
A completion credential built for your college applications.
Problem, evidence, proposed solution.
End of Week 13+ interviews and an MVP mockup.
End of Week 25 documented AI uses and an updated plan.
End of Week 3Canvas plus 3-5 tracked metrics.
End of Week 410+ slides and a recorded practice pitch.
Mid-Week 5Polished, professional final version.
Start of Week 61-page summary of the full project.
Start of Week 65-minute pitch, 3-minute Q&A.
Session 18These are the actual pitch decks Cohort 01 built and presented at their Final Pitch Competition, in their own words. Tap any cover to see it full size.
"When I started this project I didn't think I would have come this far. Doing the research and truly seeing how I could be the solution motivated me to want to keep moving forward with this project outside of the program."
"The program pushed me to make an idea I cared about into something real and buildable. It doesn't just teach you how to pitch, it teaches you how to think like a founder."
"I loved this experience because it helped me grow in the world of business and how this will help me for college and my future. I feel honored to be in the first group of students in this wonderful program."
"The program layout kept me organized and always knowing what to do each week. What I liked most was working through the real-world case study."
Roberto built Avanza Education after applying to top universities himself, and now guides students through the same process he once navigated as an applicant.
Join the next Changemakers cohort and turn your idea into a pitch deck, a real credential, and a story only you can tell.
Avanza Education helps students gain admission to top universities worldwide through college coaching, SAT prep, application strategy, and expert knowledge that actually makes an impact. 600+ students. 60+ schools. 7+ countries. $10M+ in scholarships secured.
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