BUILDa world classanabusiness apppodcast documentarybusinessthat GEts you into yourdream school
Prequel is a 12-month virtual program with built-in college advising designed for highly ambitious teens. Each week, you’ll take real action—building an exceptional project that sets you apart in college admissions.
Your journey starts with Prequel's Foundations on September 20.
Tuition is $5,500 for the year-long program.
Please check your email and watch for SMS messages with Prequel application details.
80% of our alumni attend
t20 schools
in the U.S. and Top 10 schools in Canada and the UK.
Founder Note
Prequel was born after I saw my 15-year-old sister struggling to answer that annoying question we all get as a kid: “What do you want to do when you grow up?”
She loved art but saw the only path forward as a struggling artist. The lack of exposure to the real world and its limited possibilities left her uninspired and anxious about her future.
Prequel exists to help teens realize agency in doing hard, scary, ambitious things - like daring to find purpose and pursue their passion.
The Prequel Journey
Prequel’s 12-month program is structured for ambitious students ready to create something exceptional.
Want to go further? Continue your journey to turn your project into a world-class venture—one that catches the attention of Ivy League admissions officers.
foundations
From September to December, you’ll identify your unique spike, launch a real-world project with traction, and secure your first 1,000 in revenue, users, or audience. You’ll also craft a college admissions strategy and plan that makes you stand out.
scale
From December to August, you’ll expand your impact by growing your project, revenue, and credibility. Your work will evolve into a standout achievement for college applications as you scale your Masterpiece Project to 10,000 in revenue, users, or audience.
Beyond
For students ready to push further, Prequel Beyond provides the tools to transform your project into a world-class venture. You’ll secure bigger opportunities, forge key partnerships, and continue scaling to 1,000,000 in revenue, users, or audience.
why you need a masterpiece
Top colleges are looking for students with a bold ambitious project..
A Masterpiece project that becomes the centrepiece of their application and radically increases their odds of getting into top colleges.
A masterpiece project is a student-built, real-world project that becomes the centerpiece of their college application.
Masterpieces are the antidote to generic applications.They show colleges what your student can actually do.
real students. real stories. real success
.webp)
you can be World Class
At Prequel, we don’t aim for average—we set the bar at world-class. This is how we help students achieve extraordinary results.
Raise your standards so that your results shock everyone, even you
Writing a book or starting a nonprofit isn’t enough—thousands of students do that. At Prequel, you’ll set ambitious goals, be held accountable, and receive brutally honest feedback every week to ensure you’re always leveling up. Here, FAIL means First Attempt In Learning.
You won't do this alone
With live interactive workshops, mastermind sessions, and 1:1 coaching, you’ll always have expert guidance. Our advisors aren’t just teachers—they’re entrepreneurs, startup founders, and industry leaders who have built real businesses. Plus, our student portal is packed with step-by-step playbooks and a trained AI assistant, available 24/7 to help you move faster.
a network of the most ambitious students in the world
Surround yourself with the most ambitious students in the world. At Prequel, you won’t have to shrink yourself to fit in. You’ll be part of a high-caliber peer group that pushes you to shine as bright as possible.
your progress will be rewarded
Every quarter, students compete in Demo Days for a chance to win $1,000 in funding to accelerate their Masterpiece.Each month, our leaderboard tracks student progress, awarding up to $400 based on MVP updates, milestone achievements, and measurable growth.
prequel helps you Get into your dream college
Top colleges want builders and innovators, not just high achievers. That’s why we create a custom College Roadmap that aligns your Masterpiece Project, academics, and extracurriculars into a standout application.
Our in-house college advisor help position your work as the centerpiece of your application, proving you’re a leader, not just another applicant. With expert Q&As, regular check-ins, and strategic adjustments, you’ll stay on track—so when it’s time to apply, admissions officers can’t ignore you.
Kate got into Stanford
Kate built a top-ranked newsletter that changes how millions of moms think about their child's education. She published over 100 issues over 2 years.
- Grew to 11,000 subscribers and earns $30,000 per year in revenue
- Grew an audience of 43k+ on Twitter and hosted Spaces with education experts and 5k+ attendees
- Used her audience to connect with industry titans like Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI/Chat GPT)
Peyton got into Vanderbilt
Peyton reintroduced moral values to America's youngest generation, using popular entertainment and AI.
- Built a following of 15k followers on TikTok
- Launched an AI Chatbot that breaks down the moral lessons in popular TV shows for kids & parents
Madi got into Stanford
"I GOT INTO STANFORD! Thank you so much for all of your help! Prequel has been so instrumental in my personal growth and opening up the opportunities to make this possible. I am grateful beyond imagine and am so excited for this next stage of my journey."
KYNE got into WHARTON
Kyne joined Prequel in his senior year of high school where he was exposed to entrepreneurship for the first time. He is now a sophomore at the Wharton School interested in early-to-growth stage life science ventures that advance the frontiers of healthcare in the United States.
"Prequel helped me develop the mindset that set me up for success in the real world."
SHREEYA got into columbia
"Prequel emphasized problem-oriented outlooks and made sure that we had the skill set to succeed in the future. The best part was working on our idea and seeing the traction for our business. It was a unique way to learn about entrepreneurship."
A WEEK AT PREQUEL
One mandatory session. Unlimited potential.
Every Saturday, you’ll join a high-impact workshop focused on core skills: business and entrepreneurship, audience buildling, and AI. These aren’t lectures—they’re working sessions to push your project forward.
Show up. Build. Repeat.
YOUR FUTURE BEGINS THIS FALL
In the first 90 days, they define bold ideas, build real projects, and start gaining serious traction. This isn’t theory—it’s real-world progress with real-world outcomes.In just one semester, Prequel students achieve what most take years to accomplish. From launching startups to landing high-profile deals, their projects don’t just look good on applications—they create real impact.
Here’s what past students have built after Prequel’s Foundations Program:
Got into UC Berkeley
Fathima joined Prequel in 2021. From the skills she learned, she landed her first internship with The Community Builders. She leveraged her experiences to get into UC Berkeley.
Started a social media marketing agency
Julia joined Prequel in 2022. After the program, she started her own social media marketing agency, and has worked with over 30 brands.
Went on to raise $350K for his mountain bike park
Rhett raised $350K to build the best mountain bike park in Austin, Texas. He is now building a second mountain bike park for SpaceX.
Secured Dollar Store & Kumon as clients
Keva designed a groundbreaking web app that caught the attention of retail giant, the Dollar Store, and education powerhouse, Kumon, both of which became her clients.
master what actually matters
At Prequel, you won’t just passively learn—you’ll build, innovate, and scale something real. These skills will help you stand out college admissions and set you up for success in the real world.
Build something real. Solve real problems. Create real value.
Turn your work into influence. Make people notice. Attract opportunities.
Leverage AI to work smarter, move faster, and outperform yourpeers.
3 real-world skills, 12 Months:A life-changing Experience
LAUNCHING A TEEn-SAFE DATING COACH
Realized her obsession with teen dating could be a real problem worth solving—and chose it as her focus. Built a basic chatbot to consolidate her research in the space.
Began posting on Twitter to share her research and insights. Embedded her chatbot on a landing page and got her first users—her friends.
With Prequel's guidance, she switched from Twitter to TikTok and started gaining traction. Improved her chatbot and reached a few hundred users. Secured her first advisor.
The move to TikTok paid off—she grew to 6,000 followers in one month.
Blew up on TikTok, jumping from 6K to 100K followers and receiving over 10,000 messages through her chatbot.
With strong traction and demand, she began building a full iOS version of her chatbot.
Continued building the app and taught herself to code in the process.
Kept building the app. Grew to 175K followers on TikTok and launched her Instagram, reaching 15K.
Launched AskL on the App Store Released the first version of her app. Started working with a dev team and hit 190K TikTok followers.
AskL reached 1,000 downloads. Continued growing her TikTok audience to 195K.
Released a polished new version with a “Call Elle” feature, making the app more professional and personal.
Continued growing her user base and refining the app.
Maintained momentum with steady content and app improvements.
Continued building the app and growing her audience across platforms.
Kept enhancing her app while consistently engaging her growing digital audience.
Shifted energy toward school, preparing for AP exams while continuing light app and audience work.
Continued prepping for AP exams while keeping her audience warm.
Began work on a new version of the app. Prioritized networking and gathering feedback from users.
Worked on V3 and connected with mentors and experts in teen mental health and relationships. Met the Founder who provided sound feedback.
Continued app development and networking. Positioned herself for expert visibility.
Started getting recognition as a teen relationship expert, appearing on niche podcasts.
Launched AskElle’s next major version with polished features and UX upgrades.
Massive growth milestone. App reached 20,000 users and strong engagement metrics.
User base surged to 40,000 through content, referrals, and press momentum.
Shifted focus to monetization experiments, media coverage, and content that showcased her expertise. Featured on NBC and Boston Globe.
Launched a formal study to measure impact of her app—aimed at boosting credibility and long-term scale.
PRODUCING a VIRAL DOCUMENTARY
Chose to tackle cancer prevention in Gen Z and realized her superpower: sharing complex science online.
Began sharing research on Twitter. Conducted at-home experiments and networked with professionals.
Hit 2K followers and connected with Calley Means, who became a key supporter. Shifted focus to media content
Offered an internship with Calley Means through her growing online presence.
Hit 3K followers and got noticed by Andrew Huberman.
Wrapped up a summer working alongside top voices in health and wellness.
Shared her mission and science work on a podcast for the first time.
Inspired by her internship, she committed to a documentary on food and cancer in Gen Z.
Reconnected with experts from Twitter and began filming and editing.
Kept growing her platform while pushing forward with the documentary.
Filming and editing ramped up as momentum built.
Kept growing her following while making major strides in production.
Worked on editing and preparing the release.
Strategized a full-scale campaign for the documentary release.
Film exploded on X. Featured by Megyn Kelly, Fox, and dozens of other outlets.
Traveled, spoke, and built on the massive success of the film.
Wrapped high school while continuing her media tour.
Pushed her message further with more interviews and coverage.
Continued to appear on platforms nationwide.
Began her next chapter while staying focused on advocacy.
Spoke to lawmakers about the food crisis in America.
Balanced college life with national advocacy.
Built her platform from campus while staying active in public health conversations.
Spoke on a bill related to nutrition and public health.
Attended the presidential inauguration and helped drive a national movement forward.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.webp)
YOUR network STARTS HERE
From our Guest Speakers to our Demo Day judges, you'll learn from founders, investors, creators and leaders who have been there before. Here are some examples of speakers our students have heard from in the past.
Co-Founder of Dundas Life and Wellow. Martin has built several 7-figure eCommerce businesses.
Co-Founder & CTO of SnapCommerce. SnapCommerce will surpass $1 Billion in sales in 2021.
Founder and Managing Director of Stipple Ventures. Khaled's previous startup was acquired by Airbnb.
Machine Learning Research Engineer at Microsoft.
.jpeg)
VP of Engineering at Odeko and previous CTO at Squarespace. Alumni Interviewer at Harvard.
Chief of Staff to the CTO at Roblox. Jessie was previously an Engineering Manager at Quora
Co-founder of Copy.ai, an AI powered tool that has raised $2.3M USD. Chris has invested in 100+ startups
Co-founder & CEO of Stadium Live and previously Head of Product at Drop.
Bachelor of Science from MIT, his MBA from Wharton and MPP from Harvard.
Is Prequel right for you?
You don't want to make a BIG impact.
Prequel is for ambitious students ready to take on world-class projects that impact millions. If that level of ambition doesn’t excite you, this isn’t the program for you. You don’t need to know your project yet—Prequel Foundations will help you define it—but you do need to be ready to think big.
You're looking for results without effort.
There are no shortcuts here.
Building something meaningful takes time, energy, and dedication. We’ll give you the strategies, frameworks, and mentorship, but the work is yours. Expect to put in at least 10+ hours per week to bring your Masterpiece to life.
You want to keep your success under wraps.
Prequel follows a "Build in Public" approach because visibility creates opportunities.
Students who share their work attract investors, mentors, and game-changing connections—including top CEOs and industry leaders. You don’t need to be extroverted or use personal accounts, but you must be willing to share your progress and build the network that will accelerate your success.
you are looking to put in the effort to outcompete the average teen’s decade in under 1 year
This is the program for you.
INvest in
your success
your success
FALL cohort kickoff: SEPTEMBER 20
- Support building a world-class project to boost your college application
- Weekly 90-minute workshops and guest speakers
- Personalized Roadmap and support from our College Advisor
- High caliber community of peers and expert coaches
- Receive personalized coaching, mentorship, and feedback from people who care and believe in them
FALL COHORT Kickoff: SEPTEMBER 20
- Support building a world-class project to boost your college application
- Weekly 90-minute workshops and guest speakers
- Personalized Roadmap and support from our College Advisor
- High caliber community of peers and expert coaches
- Receive personalized coaching, mentorship, and feedback from people who care and believe in them
.png)