Your student is coming to Founders Weekend
Everything you need before Friday.
Founders Weekend runs on the idea that the fastest way to learn business is to run one. Your student has an idea on Friday, builds it on Saturday, and finds out on Sunday whether anyone will pay for it. Three days is short on purpose. It pushes students to decide and go talk to real people rather than spend the weekend planning.
We measure the weekend by how many people your student puts their idea in front of. Selling a lot is good. Getting in front of twenty people matters more, and the students who hear the most nos tend to learn the fastest. If you do one thing before Friday, go through the checklist with your student.
The weekend at a glance
Parents required Taught module Speaker Working time
Parents are on site for all of Friday evening, then again for Saturday dinner and Sunday from 4:00.
By the end of FridayOne idea chosen and a team decided.
By the end of SaturdayA live website, an offer with a price, and real customers, with most students earning their first dollar.
By the end of SundayA pitch delivered in front of the room, and a 90 day plan for their first $10,000.
What to be ready for
They'll be selling to people you know
The first customers a student thinks of are the ones they already have, so expect your family and friends to hear from them on Saturday. Outreach happens in the room with staff and mentors there, students are never sent off on their own, there's no target they have to hit, and no money comes to us. If you'd rather they didn't approach particular people, tell a mentor on Friday and we'll point them elsewhere.
They'll set up accounts as they go
Replit is on the checklist below, and they set up Co-founder Jr on Friday night. Selling sometimes pulls students towards other platforms, and some of those have age limits. Use an email address you can see rather than a personal one, and tell a mentor if there are platforms you'd rather your student stayed off.
They work on their own
Outside the times marked in blue on the schedule, we ask that students work without a parent alongside them. Most take bigger swings when nobody is watching.
The days are long
Saturday runs from 10:00 in the morning to 9:00 at night, and Friday and Sunday aren't much shorter. Students come home tired, particularly the younger ones. A proper night's sleep before Friday is worth more than any prep they could do.
Checklist before Friday
FAQs
What is Founders Weekend?
Three days where each student builds a real business and puts it in front of real customers, working alone or in a team of two or three. They go home with a product, feedback from people who either bought or didn't, and a plan to make their first $10,000 over the next 90 days.
They learn how to find an idea worth pursuing, price it, build it with AI tools, and sell it to someone they have never met. Mostly they learn to take a no and keep going.
How are students grouped?
Each student runs their own business, alone or in a team of two or three they form during the weekend. Everyone builds in the same room. We keep two loose age bands, eleven and under and twelve and up, so younger students get more support and a slower pace.
Most students are not from Alpha School, and Sunday's finalists are picked on the business alone.
Who is working with my student?
The Heads of Founders School, Alpha Guides, Alpha High student mentors, and mentors from our founder network. Every adult working with students has passed a federal background check, and we keep mentor to student ratios close all weekend.
Does my student need to know how to code?
No, and most arrive having never built anything. They describe what they want in plain English and the AI writes the code. Mentors are in the room throughout.
Will I be charged for anything?
No. The weekend is free for accepted families, and the Replit Pro plan your student builds on is covered too, including the credit they'll use over the three days. Students are given the code for it on Friday evening during onboarding, so there is nothing to buy beforehand and nothing to pay at any point.
When do I need to be there?
Everything marked in blue on the schedule is where parents are required. In practice that is all of Friday evening from 6:00 through to the 9:00 wrap, dinner on Saturday evening, and Sunday afternoon from 4:00 for the finals, awards and after-party. If you need to leave Sunday a little early for a flight, that's fine.
Are meals provided?
Yes, all weekend on site, starting with dinner on Friday. Vegetarian and gluten-free options are available.
What should they wear?
Casual. Jeans and a t-shirt are the norm, and they'll be at a desk most of the weekend.
Who do I contact during the weekend?
The Founders School team are in your city's family WhatsApp group across all three days. Post in the group for anything the other families would also want to know, and message one of the team directly for anything private.