Rolling applications · only 20 places per cohort

Summer 2026 programmes

Three programmes. One philosophy.

Every Gridless programme starts in the real world and ends in front of a real audience. Pick the one that fits, then explore the full week.

Pick a programme

The Industry Programme

Where a transcript becomes a track record, and a network.

Five intensive days for sixth-formers. Build a venture, test it in central London, pitch in an LSE lecture theatre, and spend three evenings inside the rooms where founders, university students and senior industry figures actually take meetings. The relationships made here are designed to outlast the week, opening doors to internships, mentorship and references won on a student's own merit.

Ages
Ages 16–18
Dates
11 – 15 Aug
Sessions
5 days · 25 hrs + 3 hrs networking across 3 evenings
Time
13:00 to 18:00 · evenings 20:00–21:00
Duration
5 hrs / day + 1 hr networking on 3 evenings
Year groups
Years 11–13
Venues
UCL · King's College London · LSE
Apply by
Sat 8 Aug 2026

Parents and guests invited Day 5 (Sat 15 Aug) · industry networking evenings Day 1, Day 3 and Day 5 (20:00–21:00)

Apply for IndustryCapped at 20 students

The week, day by day

What students actually do, each day.

A snapshot of every day, the venue, and what students walk away with. For the full 15-minute-by-15-minute curriculum design, including learning objectives, tutor briefs and materials, get in touch and we will send it over.

  1. Day 1UCL

    Find the idea worth backing

    Problem generation, team formation, market sizing and a direct primer on how to actually work a room, ready for the first networking evening that night.

  2. ★ University Evening · NetworkingTue 11 Aug · 20:00–21:00

    Meet current LSE, KCL, UCL and Imperial students

    A hosted evening with current students from the top London universities. Frank conversations about admissions, industry routes, internships and what actually worked for them. Built to seed relationships that outlast the week.

  3. Day 2King's College London

    Test it in the real world

    Design and run primary research in central London. Interview real customers, pivot or persist on the evidence, then write a validated one-page concept ready to defend.

  4. Day 3Out · central London

    Interrogate a working founder

    Sit across from a real business owner and put them under structured questioning across customer, numbers, team and risk.

  5. ★ Founders Evening · NetworkingThu 13 Aug · 20:00–21:00

    Founders, operators and senior industry figures

    The room where internships and references are actually won on merit, not contacts. Hosted introductions, structured conversations, and the chance to follow up directly. Bring questions, leave with names.

  6. Day 4Venue TBC

    Build the numbers and the pitch

    Where idea meets economics. Build a defensible model, stress-test the assumptions, then turn it into a pitch that holds up under hard questions from people who actually invest.

  7. Day 5LSE · parents and guests invited

    Pitch at LSE

    Pitch live in an LSE lecture theatre to industry figures, academics, university students and parents. The case for the venture, made in the room it deserves.

  8. ★ Closing Reception · NetworkingSat 15 Aug · 20:00–21:00

    Closing reception with industry and parents

    The week's work converted into ongoing conversations. Industry guests, mentors, university students and parents in one room. The moment to lock in mentorship and direct contacts that travel far beyond Gridless.

What they leave with

A real network beyond Gridless
Contact with founders and operators
Mentorship from current LSE, KCL, UCL and Imperial students
A venture you can point to on a personal statement or CV
Pitching in an LSE lecture theatre
Working a professional room
Primary market research in central London
Financial modelling that holds up under questioning

Fee

£1,550

10% founding cohort reduction · per student · full programme

Apply for Industry · deadline Sat 8 Aug 2026

What's included

  • 5 days · 25 hours of structured programme + 3 hours of networking across 3 evenings
  • Three hosted industry networking evenings (Day 1, Day 3, Day 5)
  • Direct introductions to founders, operators and university students
  • Mentors and tutors from LSE, KCL, UCL, Imperial and Bayes
  • Live pitch in an LSE lecture theatre
  • University venue access, UCL, KCL, LSE
  • Direct feedback from founders and operators on your venture

More questions?

Leave your details and we'll be in touch.

Or email hello@gridless.org.uk.