BuildUp Mirai

Turn yourpassioninto a project colleges can't ignore.

A 6-week lab where you'll ideate, design, and execute a real project using the same frameworks I learned at Duke and used to build my own ventures — the ones that got me on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. You'll leave with a working prototype, a portfolio, and a story worth telling in your applications.

Apply Now — Closes Aug 8See the curriculum

Duration

6 weeks

Aug 16 to Sept 20

Cadence

2 sessions/week

Mostly weekends

Cohort

50 students

No waitlist backfill

Investment

$690

Mentor included

Forbes

30 Under 30 Asia

Frameworks from a Forbes-recognized founder who built with them first.

Frameworks rooted in

  • Duke Fuqua
  • Stanford
  • NYU
  • UCL
  • LSE

Why this exists

Built for students who want to matter, not check a box.

Most students wait until junior or senior year to build something for their college application — and by then it's rushed, generic, or built to check a box rather than to matter.

I went through Duke's venture-building programs, used the frameworks I learned there to start my own companies, and that work eventually led to a Forbes 30 Under 30 spot.

This lab takes those same frameworks and compresses them into 6 weeks — built for a student, not a founder with years of runway. You don't need an idea yet. You need six weeks and the willingness to build something real.

Students collaborating on a passion project
Arya Diwase

Arya Diwase

Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia · Class of 2026

Meet your instructor

Arya Diwase

Instructor · Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Class of 2026

Named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, Class of 2026

MPP/MBA, Duke University (Fuqua School of Business), Class of 2024 — Poets&Quants Best & Brightest MBA

Co-Founder & CEO of BuildUp Internships (Mirai), an industry and internship platform built for high schoolers

Prior experience at AIF, Dream a Dream, Sanford Heisler Sharp, CNN, NYU Production Lab, and Newsweek

I didn't just learn these frameworks in a classroom. I used them to build BuildUp from scratch, and I'm teaching the same process here — compressed into 6 weeks for you.

The results behind the framework

Same frameworks. Proven outcomes.

These numbers come from BuildUp/Mirai — built on the same frameworks you'll use in this lab.

0+

Students explored real careers through the platform

0%

Discovered a new career interest through hands-on projects

0+

Global internships facilitated with 75+ partner companies

What families and mentors say

“What I liked was how in depth the industry projects are and the quality of the cases. It helped students see that careers are interdisciplinary.”

Sapna Goel

Sapna Goel

Career Counselor, Mayo College

See the frameworks in action

Student voices from the same BuildUp ecosystem.

These frameworks power BuildUp Mirai programs worldwide. Watch how students and campuses experience the depth of hands-on project work — the same foundation behind the Personal Project Lab.

Manasi SharmaStudent voice

How structured, hands-on project work changes what students see as possible.

1/6

Our student community

Schools across six continents.

BuildUp students come from schools across six continents. Join the lab and you're building alongside an ambitious, competitive group of peers.

  • Akshara International

  • Thomas Jefferson high School

  • Riverside Academy - Qatar

  • Oakridge International

  • International Academy

  • Future Kids School Hyderabad

  • Billabong High International

  • Vidya Valley School

  • Shri Ram School

  • Pestalozzi Education Center

  • Mahindra International School

  • Heritage International School

  • CNS Pune

  • Woodstock School

  • The Doon School

  • Prudence School

  • MIT Vishwashanti Gurukul

  • Indus Pune

  • Enko International Schools

  • BD Somani

  • TISB

  • San Mateo High School

  • Pathways World School

  • Kodaikanal International School

  • Gems Modern Academy - Abu Dhabi

  • Bishops School Pune

  • Vidyagyan School

  • Stonehill International School

  • Pine View School

  • Mahindra United World College

  • Indus Bangalore

  • Cygnus World School

Outcomes

BuildUp student admits.

Students from the BuildUp ecosystem progress to globally respected universities on the strength of real projects, rigorous mentorship, and unique profiles.

  • Brown University

  • NYU

  • Carnegie Mellon University

  • UC Berkeley

  • Duke University

  • UCLA

  • Harvard University

  • University College London

  • King’s College London

  • University of Oxford

  • London Business School

  • University of Warwick

  • LSE

  • USC

  • NUS

What you'll walk away with

Six weeks. Real proof of initiative.

Everything you need to keep building after the lab — and to tell a credible story in your applications.

A completed passion project
Primary outcome

Passion
project

A completed passion project

A venture, nonprofit, research project, app, or creative work — whatever fits your interests.

  • 02

    A working prototype or MVP

    Not just a plan. You'll leave with something real you can show, test, and continue building.

  • 03

    A documented process

    Photos, metrics, and a portfolio site showing what you built and why it matters.

  • 04

    A college application narrative

    Built around real initiative — not a repackaged extracurricular.

  • 05

    Competitions & grants shortlist

    Opportunities your project is eligible for, with a pitch ready to submit.

06

Mentor + peer network

A mentor relationship and a cohort of 50 ambitious students building alongside you.

What kind of projects count

Anything real — the frameworks apply across all of them.

You don't need an idea yet. Week 1 helps you find the intersection of your interests, skills, and problems worth solving.

01

Venture

A startup idea turned into a real prototype with users, metrics, and a pitch.

02

Nonprofit / initiative

A community or social-impact project with a clear mission and early evidence.

03

Research project

A rigorous inquiry with a documented process and findings you can stand behind.

04

App or product

A no-code or designed MVP — mockups, flows, and a working first version.

05

Creative body of work

A portfolio-worthy creative project with a narrative colleges can follow.

06

Community program

Workshops, clubs, or programs you design, run, and document for impact.

Why start now

Timing is the whole strategy.

If you start in August, the lab wraps by September 20 — right at the start of the school year. Your project idea, prototype, and direction are locked in before the semester gets busy.

You then have the entire fall semester and winter break to execute: refine the prototype, gather real users or results, and build the evidence that makes a project credible.

By summer, you're not starting from zero. You're scaling something with traction — exactly the kind of story admissions officers and judges respond to. Students who wait until spring of junior year are still ideating when this cohort is already scaling.

Aug–Sept

01 · Lab

Idea, prototype, and direction locked before the semester gets busy.

Fall + winter

02 · Execute

Refine the prototype, gather users or results, build credible evidence.

By summer

03 · Scale

You're not starting from zero — you're scaling something with traction.

Start now. Execute over winter. Scale by summer.

The 6-week curriculum

From idea to Demo Day.

Two live sessions a week — mostly weekends. Between them: mentor check-ins, homework, and real build time.

Sessions

12

Cadence

2× / week

Build hours

3–5 / wk

Week 1 · Aug 15–16

Foundations & Ideation

Two sessions this week. Open a session card for what you'll actually do — and what you leave with.

01Session

The Passion Audit

Map the intersection of your interests, skills, and problems worth solving — the same Interest × Skill × Problem framework used to identify venture opportunities at Duke. Leave with 8 to 10 possible project directions.

02Session

Idea Generation & Validation

Brainstorm to expand your options, then filter to your top 3. Quick validation: talk to 5 people about the problem before you commit to a solution.

Lab resources and build toolkit

Tools & resources included

A $1,200+ toolkit — free with your seat.

Eight resources normally sold at $150 each. Every participant gets all of them included in the $690 program.

Your seat includes

$1,200+ value

$690

Included

Mentor + all 8 resources + alumni community. No add-ons.

The Venture Framework Workbook

The Duke frameworks, distilled

$150Included

Passion Project Ideation Toolkit

Worksheets & prompts

$150Included

College Narrative Builder Guide

Story structure for applications

$150Included

No-Code Prototyping Mini-Course

Ship without writing code

$150Included

Competition & Grant Database

150+ opportunities

$150Included

Pitch Deck Template Library

Ready-to-adapt decks

$150Included

Documentation & Portfolio Template Kit

Process journal + site kit

$150Included

Private Alumni Community Access

Ongoing peer network

$150Included

How this compares

Similar programs run $3,000–$10,000.

This lab combines venture frameworks, college alignment, and mentor + peer structure — priced so a full cohort of 50 can access it.

Typical range

$3,000–$5,000

Cohort accelerators & fellowships

Usually 8–10 weeks, group-based venture building — with little support connecting the work to college applications.

Typical range

$5,000–$8,000

Private 1:1 project coaching

Individual attention and a personalized plan, but no peer cohort, shared mentor network, or resource library at this scale.

Typical range

$8,000–$10,000

Elite college consulting + projects

Strong on admissions narrative, but light on actual building, execution, and tools.

This lab combines all three — for $690.

Venture-building frameworks, college alignment work, and the mentor and peer structure — priced to be accessible to a full cohort of 50 students, not a handful who can afford a five-figure program.

Pricing & cohort

One price. Everything included.

Only 50 seats. Teams and individuals both count toward the 50. Once seats are filled, applications close — no waitlist backfill.

Cohort 1 · Limited

Full program seat

$690

Optional: 2 payments of $345

  • Full 6-week program
  • Individual mentor assignment
  • All resources ($1,200+ value)
  • Private alumni community after the cohort
Apply Now — Closes Aug 8

How it works

Designed for how students actually build.

Clear placement, mentorship matched to your project, and live sessions that fit a school calendar.

Students in a mentorship and build session

Solo or team. Mentor matched to your project. Live sessions, mostly weekends.

01

Step 01

01

Solo or team, your choice

Work independently or opt into a team. Teams are matched on shared interests or overlapping skills — not assigned at random.

02

Step 02

02

Mentors assigned by project

Once you're placed, you're matched with a mentor for the cohort. Mentors check in between sessions to keep you moving.

03

Step 03

03

Live sessions, mostly weekends

Two sessions a week for 6 weeks. Exact times confirmed after enrollment based on cohort scheduling.

Swipe to see all steps →

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Everything you need to know before you apply to the lab.

Students ready to start the Personal Project Lab

Applications open

Ready to build?

Applications close Aug 8, 2026. 50 seats. Cohort runs Aug 16 – Sept 20, 2026. Applying earlier improves your odds — reviewed on a rolling basis.

Closes

Aug 8

Seats

50

Runs

Aug 16–Sept 20

Apply Now