Help us choose our next market
Question
Which customer group should we focus on next?
Summer Studio · for high school studentsReal company
Real company
projects for
high school
students.
A six-week project program for rising 9th to 12th graders. Build something a real company can use, then walk away with a piece of work you can actually show.
- 6 weeks
- ·
- small sessions
- ·
- investor-guided startup projects
A project built around the student.
Every project is scoped, guided, and reviewed directly by me, Joseph Alalou, co-founder of Daring Ventures.
How it works
First, we find the right problem to work on.
Every student starts with a real conversation with me, not a placement form. I learn what they are curious about, what kind of work they want to try, and what they want to be able to say they did this summer.
Then I build from the other side: a real question, market, customer, or strategy need from the fund or one of its companies.
- 01Student side
What they want to try
Strategy, markets, customers, product, storytelling, research. We start with the kind of work the student wants their first real reps in.
- 02Company side
What a company actually needs
A founder question. A market to understand. Customers to interview. A launch to shape. A decision the company is already thinking through.
- 03Custom brief
The brief I build
I turn those two sides into a custom brief: the deliverable, the learning plan, the first sources to read, the tools to use, and the milestones to hit.
- 04Named artifact
The thing they can show
Over six weeks, we turn the brief into a named artifact: a map, memo, strategy doc, research brief, launch plan, or customer analysis.
Not a menu of assignments. A custom project built from the student and a real company need.
The program
Then they build it with Joseph for six weeks.
Every project is different. The rhythm is the same: get context, form a point of view, build the artifact, sharpen it with Joseph, and put it in front of the person it was made for.
- 1A clear artifact target
- 2Research base
- 3Working point of view
- 4First useful draft
- 5Founder-ready version
- 6Delivered artifact
Name the outcome
By the end: a clear artifact target.
Set the artifact, the audience, what good looks like, and what the student needs to learn to build it.
Get smart fast
By the end: research base.
Read the market. Study examples. Understand the company context. Talk to founders or customers where useful.
Take a position
By the end: working point of view.
Turn research into a working point of view: the thesis, map, recommendation, customer insight, or strategic frame behind the artifact.
Build the first useful version
By the end: first useful draft.
Draft the memo, map, brief, plan, or analysis. Joseph pushes on structure, logic, gaps, and usefulness.
Make it founder-ready
By the end: founder-ready version.
Cut what is soft. Add depth where it is thin. Tighten the story, evidence, and format so it can stand in front of the intended audience.
Send it back
By the end: delivered artifact.
Deliver the finished work to the fund, founder, or portfolio company audience. Debrief with Joseph on what was learned and how to talk about the work.
What students leave withNamed artifacts.
Named artifacts.
Not certificates.
The six weeks end with something specific enough to name, show, and talk about: an industry map, strategy doc, research brief, launch plan, memo, or customer analysis. Something the student can point to when someone asks, "What did you actually do this summer?"
What it costs
One price. No tiers.
- Deposit, due to hold the spot$500
- Balance, due at project kickoff$2,000
Total$2,500
ReferralYou and the family you refer each get $100 off.
The boundaries
What we do. What we don't do.
What we do
- Match your student with a real project from the fund's current work
- Scope the project around their interests and ability level
- Meet weekly for 1-on-1 check-ins with the operator
- Give async feedback between calls
- Help them finish a concrete deliverable they fully own
- Provide a written project summary at the end of the program
What we don't do
- College counseling or admissions strategy
- Default letters of recommendation
- Guaranteed scholarly publication
- Group social programming
- Residential or on-campus programming
2026 cycle
The five sessions.
Three remain. Two are full. Each caps at 4 to 6 students. When a session fills, the waitlist rolls into the next one.
- Session1May 5, 2026June 13, 2026
Closed. Six students. Projects shipped.
FULL - Session2June 2, 2026July 10, 2026
Closed. Six students. In progress.
FULL - Session3June 30, 2026August 7, 2026
Almost full. Two spots remain.
2 SPOTS LEFT - Session4July 27, 2026September 4, 2026
Open. Four spots remain.
4 SPOTS LEFT - Session5August 24, 2026October 2, 2026
Open. Six spots remain. Runs into early fall on the same 6-week arc.
6 SPOTS LEFT
Who runs itOne operator.
One operator.
Not a platform.
I run every check-in personally. Every project brief, every piece of feedback, every weekly call. Not a TA, not a mentor marketplace, not a platform.
Before this: GP at Daring Ventures. Investment banker at Lazard. Student at Columbia. Community college dropout, more than once. That's why this program exists.
Joseph AlalouRead the full story
Field reports
What they said after.
People Joseph worked with at the high school and college level who have gone on to become analysts, bankers, investors, and product operators.
“I genuinely could not have done any of this without Joseph. There were points where I didn't believe in myself and he just refused to let me quit on it. I don't know how to put it other than this: he cared more about my success than I did sometimes, and that changed everything.”
H.S.Asset management “Joseph helped me through one of the most stressful stretches of my life. He didn't have to. I was just some kid who showed up in his inbox. But he gave me real time, checked in on me for months, and when things finally worked out, he was genuinely more excited than I was. I mean it when I say he's my favorite person I've met in this industry.”
T.U.Investment banker “I still have the notes from our first conversation. Joseph went so far above and beyond what anyone would expect that I honestly didn't know how to thank him. When I had good news to share months later, he was the first person I told, and he wrote back in ten minutes.”
W.C.Investment banker “I reached out to Joseph feeling completely lost. He didn't just give me generic advice. He actually sat with my situation, was honest about what he saw, and helped me build a real plan. One conversation gave me more clarity than years of trying to figure it out on my own. I owe him a lot.”
A.K.Private equity “I had a big opportunity I wasn't ready for and I knew it. Joseph broke everything down for me, told me exactly how to prepare, and then followed up a month later to ask how it went. The program was over. He wasn't getting anything out of it. He just wanted to know.”
A.H.Hedge fund analyst “I'm from a nontraditional background and most people in this world quietly write you off for it. Joseph went through something similar himself, and you can tell. He gave me his personal number the same day we connected and scheduled a call that week. No one at his level has ever made me feel like I was worth the time. He did immediately.”
B.B.Investment banker “I kept second-guessing myself and it was holding me back from everything. Joseph saw it right away and just said, ‘the only thing stopping you is deciding you're not ready.’ He pushed me, gave me honest feedback when my work wasn't there yet, and celebrated with me when it was. Two weeks later everything clicked.”
P.T.Tech product manager “Joseph really masters the art of providing actionable insights, constructive critique, and hyping you up so much you feel like you can do anything. I can't recommend working with him more highly.”
J.N.Tech product manager
Common questions
Before you apply.
Who can apply?
Rising 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders. No specific interest area is required. Past students have been interested in pursuing finance, medicine, computer science, marketing, communications, and plenty of things they were still figuring out.
Is this an internship?
No. This is a paid program. Students pay tuition and leave with a named deliverable that a real fund or portfolio company uses.
How long is each session?
Six weeks. Weekly 1-on-1s with Joseph and async feedback throughout the project.
What does it cost?
$2,500 total. $500 deposit holds the seat. $2,000 balance is due at project kickoff. See the receipt above for the breakdown.
How are projects assigned?
After the intake call. Joseph matches the student's goals and background to one of the open briefs from the fund's pipeline or its portfolio companies. Students do not pick the brief in advance.
Is it remote?
Yes. 1-on-1s happen over video. Async feedback happens in shared docs. No relocation, no commute.
Can I get academic credit?
Some schools accept it through independent study channels. We provide a completion description and confirmation if your school needs paperwork.
When are the 2026 sessions?
Five sessions across the year. Two are already full. Scroll up to the Sessions section for the three that are still open.
2026 CYCLE
3 sessions left.
Two of the five 2026 sessions are already full. Each session caps at 4 to 6 students.