Startopia
    A young founder reviewing her survey results on a laptop

    For parents of founders aged 7 and up

    Your child has an idea.
    Here is what to ask next.

    Ten questions an investor would ask, translated for a kitchen table. You never have to answer them. You only have to ask.

    School or organisation? Book a free masterclass
    In partnership withFamily First, our scholarship route with GEMS schools

    Delivered across the UAE, GCC and Egypt

    Free PDF + micro-video course

    The Founder Questions

    01What did you see today that annoyed somebody?

    Unlock all ten questions and the videos, free

    Send it to me - free
    9.3Average likelihood to recommend, out of 10
    4.6Average experience rating, out of 5
    100%Felt the programme was child-led
    92%More confident explaining an idea

    Survey of 25 engaged families

    Find your programme

    Start with one question

    How old is your child?

    Youth entrepreneurship · programmes for ages 7 and up

    Not school projects.
    Ventures, led by children.

    Every idea here began with a child noticing a real problem. They interviewed real people, built something that works and pitched it. Their parents asked the questions. The children did the work.

    26youth-led ventures in build from zero
    200Family First applicants
    5funded Unity Showcase finalists
    See every venture in Startopia Ventures
    The full cohort of 21 young founders at the Startopia Bootcamp, American University in Cairo, holding Startopia signs
    A child designing their company logo at home as part of the GEMS Family First founder challenge
    Young founders working together on laptops at the Startopia AUC Bootcamp build day
    A family reviewing their pitch deck together as part of the GEMS Family Innovation Challenge
    Startopia Bootcamp  ·  GEMS Family First  ·  Real founders, real work

    The programme ladder

    Start where your child is.
    Keep building.

    Each step stands on its own. Together they take a family from one good question at the kitchen table to a live pitch in front of an investor panel.

    Where is your child now?

    The Founder Questions

    Start here
    Parents · any age

    Ten questions to ask tonight, translated for a kitchen table. One free guide.

    Kitchen Table CEOs

    Recommended
    Families · Ages 7-14

    Your child is CEO. You are the advisor. Build a first business idea together and submit a real pitch.

    Unsure? Join for free

    Startopia Skills

    Recommended
    Ages 7+

    Six founder skills: noticing, questioning, ideas, persistence, explaining and working with others.

    Startopia Juniors

    Accepting cohort applications
    Ages 10-13

    Take the idea further. Interview real people, test assumptions and improve the solution and the pitch.

    Unity Showcase

    Accepting cohort applications
    Ages 7+

    Build a real tech product, validate it in the market and pitch to customers and an investor panel at a live showcase.

    After the ladder: ProofScaling residencies for adult foundersThe same method, used with founders de-risking a real idea and preparing an investor case.See the residencies

    Send your family pitch for a chance to build your idea with Louis!

    ProofScaling · the engine under everything

    One method, from the kitchen table to the investor panel.

    ProofScaling is the method Louis built to de-risk ideas with evidence. The same five steps run under every Startopia programme, at every age, and every programme runs on the Startopia Challengers platform.

    01NoticeSpot a real problem other people walk past.
    02DefineName the people who have it and the moment it goes wrong.
    03ValidateAsk them. Replace guesses with evidence.
    04BuildMake the smallest version that proves the idea.
    05PitchSay what it is, who it is for and why it matters.
    Every idea is tested onFour dimensions of proof
    DesirabilityDoes anyone actually have this problem, and do they care enough to change?
    FeasibilityCan it be built, delivered and supported with what is realistically available?
    ViabilityDo the numbers work, and does the model hold once it grows?
    UsabilityCan a real person use it, understand it and come back to it?

    Startopia Challengers · the platform

    Not a course library. Idea to working product to judged pitch, in one place.

    Most entrepreneurship education stops at the lesson. On Challengers, founders research the problem, gather evidence, rehearse with simulated customers and investors, build a working product with AI and face a live panel. Every piece of evidence is stored.

    Startopia Challengers founder dashboard: ProofScore 50, Global Rank #7, 340 XP, active challenge with Day 1 at 100% complete
    Entrepreneurship simulationsPractise with AI customers and investors before the real conversation.
    The queue. By the time I get to the front there is not much time left to eat.
    When did that last happen to you?
    Illustrative customer simulation
    1. 01Ideate
    2. 02Problem discovery
    3. 03Validate
    4. 04Simulate
    5. 05Build the pitch
    6. 06Build the product
    7. 07Face the panel
    For schools: partners see what each student produced and how their venture scored, not attendance figures.

    Startopia Skills · ages 7+

    Six founder skills.
    Built at home, one at a time.

    Short video lessons and worksheets your child works through with you. Start any time. The parent holds the account.

    1I Notice ThingsObservation
    2I Ask WhyCuriosity
    3I Have IdeasCreativity
    4I Keep GoingResilience
    5I Explain MyselfCommunication
    6I Work with OthersCollaboration
    A child working through a Startopia Skills module at home

    Self-paced

    AED 649

    All six modules: video lessons and worksheets.

    Enrol - self-paced

    With Louis

    AED 1,250

    Everything in Tier 1, plus six weekly 15-minute 1:1 sessions with Louis, one per module.

    Enrol - with Louis

    One-time payment · no subscription

    For schools and organisations

    A structured venture-building pathway for your students.

    Evidence-based entrepreneurship education with measurable learning outcomes. Students test a real idea against real evidence and pitch it to a panel.

    Free for schools · UAE, GCC and Egypt
    Free for schools

    Book a free masterclass

    A live session for your students, run by Louis, that shows the ProofScaling method in action before you commit to anything.

    9.3/10 would recommend the method

    4-day intensive

    Startopia Bootcamp

    A structured venture-building sprint. Students research a real problem, gather evidence and pitch a working product to a panel.

    9.5/10 rating · 100% attendance · 21 students, AUC Cairo

    Ongoing partnership

    Partnership programme

    A structured venture-building pathway delivered across a term or a year, with measurable learning outcomes for every student.

    Delivered with GEMS Education and AUC

    Startopia Ventures · Unity Showcase 2026

    26 youth-led ventures in build from zero.

    Meet the five finalists who took their idea all the way to a live pitch in front of an investor panel.

    ThankYou Delivery, built by Janan for the Unity Showcase
    ThankYou DeliveryJananWatch the pitch
    Find A Friend, built by Ayra for the Unity Showcase
    Find A FriendAyraWatch the pitch
    MoveUp, built by Matvei for the Unity Showcase
    MoveUpMatveiWatch the pitch
    Never Forget Again, built by Diara for the Unity Showcase
    Never Forget AgainDiaraWatch the pitch
    BeyondGrades, built by Saadhya for the Unity Showcase
    BeyondGradesSaadhyaWatch the pitch

    In partnership with GEMS Education

    Family First 2026, the route into Unity Showcase

    200applicants
    21shortlisted ideas
    5funded finalists

    In their words

    What families and young founders tell us.

    Parent

    “Because of Family First, Ayra has discovered that her ideas matter. Watching her step into the role of CEO, confidently share her vision for Find A Friend, and lead our family on this journey has been incredibly inspiring.”

    Parent of Ayra

    Young founder

    “I learned that even kids can turn their ideas into something real. I was happy when families played my game and enjoyed it, and it made me more confident.”

    Diya, young founder

    Parent

    “Because of the Family First program, my child became more confident in sharing ideas, thinking about real-world problems, and creating solutions. He learned how to turn an idea into a business concept and present it clearly.”

    Parent of Matvei

    Startopia Bootcamp · AUC Cairo · July 2026

    21students
    5ventures built
    100%attendance
    9.5/10rating

    From the room

    Real sessions. Real founders.

    Follow @startopiaedu
    The full cohort of 21 young founders at the Startopia Bootcamp, American University in Cairo, holding Startopia signs
    21 young founders · AUC Cairo · July 2026
    Startopia Bootcamp participants mapping problems with sticky notes in a large group ideation session
    Day one - mapping real problems
    A child working through Gate 1 of the GEMS Family Innovation Challenge at home, filling in the organisation chart
    Gate 1 - building the org chart at home

    Where the ladder leads · adult founders

    The same method, used by adult founders building real companies.

    ProofScaling does not stop at 18. Adult founders use it in structured residencies to de-risk a real idea, strengthen their evidence and prepare a credible investor case.

    Second Chance

    Founders re-entering after a pause or a pivot.

    Find out more

    Validation Residency

    Proving the problem is real before building.

    Find out more

    GTM Residency

    Finding the channels that bring real customers.

    Find out more

    “The feedback was direct and honest, but exactly what I needed. It gave me clarity on our gaps and a structured understanding of what must be strengthened to move forward effectively.”

    Founder in residence, Nas Financials

    “The speakers made me realise the vitality of earning revenue before pitching, and encouraged me to show that viability and demand for my project exists, and that it solves an urgent problem.”

    Alexander Wambugu, Founder, Vernaculearn

    Start with one question tonight.

    Get the ten Founder Questions free, or start Kitchen Table CEOs and build a first business idea together.

    Follow @startopiaedu