Leadership & Innovation Lab

What Leadership & Innovation Lab does

Leadership & Innovation Lab (LIL) is a privately held, founder-led educational startup incubator based in New Haven, USA, that runs selective, cohort-based entrepreneurship programs for high school and middle school students worldwide. The core offering is the 10-week LIL Intensive/Extended program, which combines foundations, AI integration, growth/tech/legal scaling, and a final 1:1 mentorship phase with industry-aligned Subject Matter Experts. This is paired with the Leadership & Entrepreneurship Exploration (LEE) Program, a 9-week introductory cohort for 7th and 8th graders, plus add-on modules including LIL Ongoing (1-on-1 continued mentorship) and the Expert Add-On (access to professors and industry experts from institutions such as Google, Harvard, and Oxford). LIL has also launched two specialized verticals: the Pre-Med Discovery & Clinical Design Lab, a 16-session virtual program, and the Clinical Practice & Hospital Residency, a 5-day onsite immersive program at a private hospital in Shanghai.

The product surface extends well beyond the core cohorts into an ecosystem of 15+ sub-products, including the LIL Venture Fund (a venture capital fund offering more than $10,000 annually through the IdeAction Global Pitch Competition, syndicated with Galactic VC), the Student Research and Innovation Showcase (biannual virtual conference with 120-country reach via student-built platforms), the Scholarly Review Journal (ISSN 2996-8380), the Legacy Gazette magazine, the Golden Quill Literary Prize, the Speaker Series, the Virtual Student Club Fair, the UN Global Leader Accelerator, and the Physician Pipeline Project partnership. Technology is operational rather than proprietary: the organization uses standard web infrastructure, delivers programs virtually to enable global reach, and incorporates off-the-shelf AI tools into its curriculum.

LIL operates a direct-to-consumer model with quote-based, not publicly disclosed program fees, monetizing through cohort tuition and add-on modules. Programs are marketed through content (blog, podcast appearances), virtual events (Speaker Series, Student Showcase, Virtual Student Club Fair), and a referral partnership with InGenius Prep. The 2025/2026 cohort comprised 81 students with reported outcomes of 12% Ivy League admission (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell), 25% Ivy-adjacent (Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Oxford), and individual scholarship packages of $100,000 to $140,000. The organization is bootstrapped with 6 employees and no disclosed external funding or institutional investors.

Name

Leadership & Innovation Lab

Legal name

Leadership & Innovation Lab

Website

https://leadershipinnovationlab.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Leadership & Innovation Lab (LIL) is a selective, founder-led educational startup incubator in New Haven running 10-week and 9-week cohort-based entrepreneurship programs for high school and middle school students globally, combining AI integration, 1:1 expert mentorship, and a venture capital fund, with documented Ivy League admission outcomes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship programs
• Student startup incubator
• College admissions coaching
• Pre-med mentorship programs
• High school leadership training

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Entrepreneurship Program Fees: Revenue generated from paid entrepreneurship programs for high school students including LIL Intensive/Extended (10-week), LIL Ongoing (1-on-1), LEE Program (9-week for middle schoolers), and Expert Add-On options.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Leadership & Innovation Lab (LIL) is a highly selective, hands-on startup incubator for high school and middle school students interested in developing leadership skills through entrepreneurship. The core offering consists of paid 9- to 10-week virtual cohort programs (LIL Intensive/Extended and LEE Program) where students execute, elevate, and expand ventures under 1-on-1 mentorship from industry experts, supplemented by add-ons (LIL Ongoing, Expert Add-On) and a broader ecosystem of competitions, publications, and showcase events. Revenue is generated from program fees paid by students and families.

Product overview

Leadership & Innovation Lab (LIL) is a highly selective, hands-on startup incubator for high school and middle school students focused on developing leadership skills through entrepreneurship. The offering is structured as a platform-plus-modules architecture anchored by two core cohort programs: LIL Intensive/Extended (a 10-week incubator with AI integration and 1:1 Subject Matter Expert mentorship) and the Leadership & Entrepreneurship Exploration (LEE) Program (a 9-week introduction for 7th/8th graders). These are supplemented by add-on modules including LIL Ongoing (1-on-1 continued mentorship) and the Expert Add-On Option (access to professors and industry experts from institutions including Google, Harvard, and Oxford). The product suite extends into specialized verticals: the Pre-Med Discovery & Clinical Design Lab (virtual 16-session medical innovation program) and the Clinical Practice & Hospital Residency (5-day Shanghai hospital immersion). Supporting the core programs is an ecosystem of sub-products including the LIL Venture Fund (venture capital fund offering $10,000+ annually), the IdeAction Global Pitch Competition, LIL Digital Lab (free tech/design services), the Virtual Student Club Fair, the Student Research and Innovation Showcase, the International Youth Forum, the Scholarly Review Journal (ISSN 2996-8380), the Legacy Gazette (student magazine), the Golden Quill Literary Prize (creative writing competition), the Speaker Series (expert webinars), the Physician Pipeline Partnership (medical strategy consulting), the Editorial Assistant Program, the Student Org Marketplace, and the UN Global Leader Accelerator. Together these products support students from venture ideation through execution, elevation, and expansion, with documented outcomes including Ivy League admissions and scholarship awards totaling $100,000 to $140,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIL Venture Fund: A venture capital fund exclusively dedicated to funding high school students' signature projects, startups, and other ventures.
• IdeAction Global Pitch Competition
• Student Research & Innovation Showcase
• International Youth Forum
• Legacy Gazette
• Golden Quill Literary Prize
• Scholarly Review Journal
• LIL Digital Lab

Products and services

• LIL Intensive / Extended A 10-week elite startup incubator for high school students featuring three phases: Foundations & AI Insights, Growth/Tech/Legal Scaling, and a professional integration phase with 1:1 mentorship from industry-specific Subject Matter Experts. Enhanced with AI integration including live AI tool demonstrations and hands-on AI workshops.
• Leadership & Entrepreneurship Exploration (LEE) Program A 9-week cohort program for 7th and 8th graders introducing up to 19 academic and professional domains including leadership, entrepreneurship, law, international relations, sciences, humanities, finance, economics, and computer science. Students personalize their program and design a signature project culminating in a Final Presentation.
• LIL Ongoing A 1-on-1 continued mentorship program for students who have completed LIL Intensive or Extended, or for any student seeking individualized mentorship to maintain momentum with their signature projects, ventures, or businesses.
• LIL Expert Add-On Option An add-on option for LIL Intensive, Extended, or Ongoing programs providing 1-on-1 expert guidance from professors, scholars, researchers, and industry experts (e.g., Google programmers, Oxford University professors) across domains including AI, law, history, chemistry, biology, computer science, medicine, and more.
• Pre-Med Discovery & Clinical Design Lab A 16-session virtual program (offered in Tue/Thu or Sat/Sun schedules) for high school students interested in medicine or healthcare. Blends medical theory with a professional-grade innovation project using Design Thinking methodology, featuring a Medical Mentor review and final presentation.
• Clinical Practice & Hospital Residency (Onsite Medicine Residency) A 5-day immersive residency at a private hospital in Shanghai providing high school students with clinical rotations, department rounding, hands-on medical workshops (suturing, endoscopy, TCM), AI-medicine workshops, and networking with physicians and hospital founders.
• UN Global Leader Accelerator A high-impact 7-session virtual bootcamp training the next generation of global leaders using real UN challenges, featuring two tracks (Geopolitics & Sustainable Futures; Digital Transformation & Impact Finance), a capstone project, and mentorship from UN experts.
• LIL Venture Fund A venture capital fund exclusively dedicated to funding high school students' signature projects, startups, and ventures. Offers more than $10,000 in annual funding distributed through the IdeAction Global Pitch Competition.
• IdeAction Global Pitch Competition A biannual pitch competition sponsored by the LIL Venture Fund inviting high school students worldwide to compete for venture capital funding. Students submit a 10-minute recorded video pitch; winners are announced at the Student Research and Innovation Showcase and awarded $1,000 in project funding across 5 categories.
• Speaker Series A free, recurring public webinar series exploring sophisticated topics related to entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership, featuring expert speakers including FAANG engineers and Harvard-trained scholars.
• Student Research and Innovation Showcase A biannual virtual conference where student researchers and entrepreneurs present boundary-pushing research and signature projects to an international audience.
• International Youth Forum A global platform uniting youth worldwide to discuss critical social issues, exchange ideas, and raise voices through presentations, animation, video skits, poetry, music, and speeches.
• Scholarly Review Journal An open-access academic journal (ISSN 2996-8380) managed and published by LIL, dedicated to publishing academic research by high school students in natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
• Legacy Gazette A student-run bi-monthly magazine written, designed, and published by a student editorial board, with themes alternating between arts, humanities, natural sciences, and STEM.
• Golden Quill Literary Prize A creative writing competition for InGenius Prep students in grades 7–12, offering Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards across fiction and non-fiction categories.
• Virtual Student Club Fair An annual global conference and networking event (24/7 over 48 hours) featuring student-run clubs, organizations, and businesses, including keynote speakers, advanced research presentations, the IdeAction Global Pitch Competition launch, and up to $2,500 in cash prizes.
• LIL Digital Lab A free digital services resource for current LIL students providing logo design, website creation, and social media content curation to support high school entrepreneurs' online presence.
• Editorial Assistant Program An opportunity for high school researchers and writers to vet manuscripts for plagiarism, review bibliographies, and support editorial excellence at top-tier academic publications including The Concord Review and The Scholarly Review Journal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12% of cohort admitted to Ivy League (Harvard, Yale, Columbia, UPenn, Cornell)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Concord ReviewcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Concord Review (TCR) is the only quarterly journal in the world that recognizes and publishes exemplary history essays by high school students. They have published more than 1,500 research papers from authors worldwide. LIL students serve as Editorial Assistants for TCR and The Scholarly Review Journal.
• Catalyst NextminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAn initiative of the UN's Catalytic Advisory dedicated to educating young people about global leadership and social impact to prepare them for a globalized world. They offer mentorship and insider knowledge for students to gain a competitive edge.
• Technology and Innovation Entrepreneurs (TiE) PittsburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTiE Pittsburgh has fostered entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking, education, and funding for more than 24 years with a charitable focus. They connect budding entrepreneurs with seasoned leaders and innovators.
• BC Children and Youth Connection Society (BC-Youth)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBC-Youth provides free programs, volunteer opportunities, and global initiatives for children and youth. They create an affordable, inclusive, and equitable learning environment that empowers children to build confidence.
• LeangapminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA startup incubator for teenagers that mentors students on how to generate real customers and engage with genuine investors outside a traditional classroom setting to encourage true leadership.
• NexTrack ConsultingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducation consulting firm offering undergraduate admissions counseling, student-athlete college counseling, psychometric testing, college prep, boarding school admissions, and sports academy admissions services.
• Big Red EducationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerA firm based in India providing high school students with workshops, conferences, and global Ivy-league mentors to help build foundational skills for personal and academic growth.
• Physician Pipeline ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive strategic partnership with Physician Pipeline Project, a specialized nonprofit consultancy. Founder Ariel Hus serves as LIL's In-House Medicine Consultant providing project-based strategy, specialized research integration, and priority consultation for health-related student initiatives.
• International Science and Engineering FairminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlex Huang, LIL Student Instructor, was a finalist in ISEF, demonstrating the program's ability to produce award-winning student innovators.
• InGenius PrepcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorConnected ecosystem with InGenius Prep education consulting firm. LIL Founder Maya Gobert is linked to InGenius Prep. The Golden Quill Literary Prize is for InGenius Prep students only. Podcast appearances by InGenius Prep leadership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• InGenius Prep: InGenius Prep is a college admissions consulting firm that also runs enrichment programming (e.g., the Golden Quill prize) for the same high-achieving teen segment, and is both a partner and an adjacent competitor.
• Leangap: Leangap is a teen startup accelerator that mentors students on launching real ventures, overlapping directly with LIL's incubator thesis and already listed as one of LIL's partnerships.
• Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!): YEA! is a yearlong startup incubator program for middle and high school students that culminates in investor pitch competitions, directly comparable to LIL's cohort-plus-pitch structure.
• LaunchX: LaunchX runs summer startup programs for high school students, the closest direct competitor to LIL Intensive/Extended in terms of target audience, age range, and entrepreneurship-incubator model.
• Wharton Global Youth Program: Wharton's pre-college offerings provide business and entrepreneurship education for high school students, competing for the same admissions-focused, premium-paying family segment LIL targets.

Broad incumbents

• DECA: DECA prepares high school students for careers in business, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship; a broader but established incumbent competing for student time and parent wallet share.
• Babson College Youth Programs: Babson's entrepreneurial ecosystem extends to teen-facing programs (e.g., Babson Summer Study), competing in youth entrepreneurship education with a stronger institutional brand.
• Junior Achievement: JA delivers entrepreneurship and financial literacy programs to K-12 students globally, the largest broad incumbent in youth entrepreneurship education and a potential scale benchmark.

Emerging players

• Inspire Global Outreach: Smaller emerging provider of leadership and entrepreneurship experiences for high schoolers, with a comparable niche focus but smaller scale than LIL.
• MIT Launch / MIT Educational Studies Program: MIT-affiliated student-led programs (HSSP, Splash) reach the same high-achieving teen audience with enrichment offerings; they are adjacent in mission and audience overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leadership-innovation-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Leadership & Innovation Lab