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Leadership & Innovation Lab

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • Home
  • Entrepreneurship Programs
    • Programs Overview
    • LIL Intensive
    • LIL Extended
    • LEE Program
    • LIL Ongoing
    • LIL Expert Add-On
    • NextGen UNLeader Bootcamp
  • LIL Ecosystem
    • Ecosystem Overview
    • Student Org Marketplace
    • LIL Venture Fund
    • IdeAction Competition
    • Virtual Student Club Fair
    • Student Showcase
    • Youth Got Healthcare
    • BioChem BioTech Symposium
    • Scholarly Review
    • Legacy Gazette
    • International Youth Forum
    • LIL Digital Lab
    • Golden Quill
    • Speaker Series
  • LIL Alumni
    • Results & Testimonies
    • Featured Projects
  • Blog & Media
  • About Us
    • Our Team
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Bring your idea to life.

LIL Venture Fund

A source of capital exclusively dedicated to funding high school students' signature projects, startups, and other ventures. 

Proud sponsor of the ideaction global pitch competition

To further our mission of supporting high school entrepreneurs, we've created the LIL Venture Fund, a funding source exclusively dedicated to funding high school students' businesses, organizations, or other ventures.


IdeAction winners are awarded their LVF funds at the annual Student Research and Innovation Showcase.

register for ideaction

congratulations to the 2025 lvf recipients

Learn about the 12 exemplary student projects that came out on top at the latest IdeAction Global Pitch Competition and won LVF funding.

Apr-Nov'25 Cycle LVF Press Release (pdf)Download

how the lil venture fund works

For more information, contact mingming.gobert@leadershipinnovationlab.org.

We offer more than $10,000 of funding annually.


To encourage student entrepreneurship and innovation, the LIL Venture Fund sponsors and organizes the IdeAction Global Pitch Competition twice yearly. The competition corresponds with the LVF's biannual funding cycles in May and November.


Once the IdeAction winners are announced at the Spring and Fall Student Research and Innovation Showcases, they're awarded funding directly from the LIL Venture Fund. Winner selection is merit-based and considers the following: 

  • The project, organization, or venture's current scale (e.g., number of people involved, amount of funds raised, number of events organized, etc.)
  • The projected direction and growth potential of the project, organization, or venture.


This selection criterion represents the broad guidelines of how student projects are vetted. However, since each venture is unique, it is impossible to evaluate all entries using universal metrics. Therefore, student projects are analyzed and judged holistically and individually. Some students can be awarded multiple times within the same funding cycle if it is merited.


In addition to the ongoing support and project monitoring we provide LVF recipients, we also offer a complimentary videography service that students can leverage to produce marketing materials like promotional clips, social media posts, and more. 


We work closely with our expert partners to ensure a broader range of perspectives are incorporated into the IdeAction Global Pitch Competition's judging process. We also strive to provide all LVF awardees with professional feedback on the future expansion possibilities and potential pitfalls of their ventures.  


This professional advice from industry experts, within a venture capital context, is particularly valuable to high school students who wouldn't typically have that level of exposure. 


Unlike Expert Partners, who are adult professionals and leaders in their industries, LVF Limited Partners are high school students who've chosen to participate in the management of the LIL Venture Fund. Under the direct supervision of the Leadership and Innovation Lab Director and LVF General Partner Maya Gobert, LVF Limited Partners serve 6-month tenures and their duties typically include:

  • Assisting in sourcing, reviewing, and selecting student projects to award 
  • Publicizing the availability of LVF funding via their personal networks
  • Assisting in ongoing project monitoring after students receive funding (e.g., LPs ensure that monthly reports are submitted punctually, act as points of contact between awardees and LVF, and assist student projects with open recruitment to help grow their ventures) 
  • Assisting in legacy planning to ensure the sustainability of student projects


LVF Limited Partners shouldn't need to commit more than 1 to 2 hours per week to their roles, but the time commitment is more intensive at the end of a funding cycle than it is at the beginning.


This is an excellent extracurricular opportunity for students interested in finance, economics, business, or related fields. Learn more about how becoming an LVF Limited Partner could benefit you.


LVF expert Partners

Galactic Ventures

Galactic Ventures

Galactic Ventures

A venture capital syndicate partner for the next generation, Galactic VC leverages their team of experienced technologists, entrepreneurs, and operators to support ambitious founders seeking to launch legendary companies.

Cory Silva

Galactic Ventures

Galactic Ventures

A founder, investor, and startup coach who thrives on building real solutions that solve problems founders face every day. From venture capital to SaaS, Silva has dedicated his career to empowering entrepreneurs and emerging startups to realize their full potential.

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Execute. Elevate. Expand.

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Execute. Elevate. Expand.

Execute. Elevate. Expand.

Execute. Elevate. Expand.

Execute. Elevate. Expand.

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