Debate. Decide. Lead.
How it works: Participants are split into committees, with every committee becoming an early-stage startup. Everyone in the room is a co-founder, responsible for building and defending the business.
The rounds: Pitch your startup, manage a limited budget, build your brand, respond to crises, rethink your strategy, and finally decide how you will scale. Every round tests a different part of the founder's journey.
Who should participate: Creative, curious, and leadership-driven students from Classes 9-12. No prior experience is required, just the willingness to make the call.
You've got the idea. Now survive the boardroom.
Startup Senate is E-Merge's flagship school event.
You won't sit through lectures about entrepreneurship. You'll live it, pitching an idea, managing a budget, shaping a brand, navigating unexpected crises, and making decisions under pressure with incomplete information.
And just when you think you've figured it out, the Chair can introduce surprise challenges: ethical dilemmas, team conflicts, investment offers, or sudden market threats. Think on your feet or get left behind.
Build real founder instincts by debating the calls that make or break companies, MVP vs. full launch, bootstrap vs. VC, and when to pivot.
Combine your sharpest strategies into one final startup blueprint, ready to pitch, launch, and scale.
Teamwork, strategy, decision-making, and the confidence to communicate with conviction when the room is watching.
The Senate is in session. Are you ready to lead?
Moments From The Senate
