runs.
Past competitions, current cohorts in progress, and upcoming dates to join. Schools interested in a specific cohort should reach out at least 60 days before the start date.
Next cohort
2026 Fall Cohort starts soon.
Week 1: September 8, 2026 · Pitch competition: December 4, 2026
Upcoming
Open cohorts.
These cohorts are accepting partner schools now. Reach out early — onboarding takes ~60 days.
2026 Fall Cohort
OpenFall 2026 cohort. Open to Michigan and Midwest partner schools. Applications open now — cohort kicks off after Labor Day with a $15,000 total prize pool.
- Cohort begins
- September 8, 2026
- Pitch competition
- December 4, 2026
- Venue
- Birmingham, Michigan
2027 Spring Cohort
OpenSpring 2027 cohort. Ideal for schools that align entrepreneurship with a spring semester elective.
- Cohort begins
- February 1, 2027
- Pitch competition
- May 13, 2027
- Venue
- Birmingham, Michigan
Past competitions
The record so far.
Each completed cohort culminated in a live pitch competition. We're just getting started — and we publicly share the results here as we run more events.
2026 Spring Cohort
CompletedSecond full SparkLab cohort. Expanded to more schools across metro Detroit with a $15,000 total prize pool.
- Cohort
- February 2, 2026 → May 14, 2026
- Venue
- Birmingham, Michigan
2025 Spring Cohort
CompletedOur inaugural SparkLab cohort. Three winning teams across our partner Michigan high schools, judged by a panel of working entrepreneurs and investors.
- Cohort
- February 3, 2025 → May 15, 2025
- Venue
- Birmingham, Michigan
1st Place$7,5002nd Place$5,0003rd Place$2,500
Want your school in the next cohort?
We work with public, private, and charter high schools across Michigan and the Midwest. Reach out 60+ days before a cohort start for the smoothest onboarding.