It’s an audacious proposition.
At Founders School, a new high school centered on entrepreneurship that opened in Manhattan’s Financial District at the start of September, annual tuition is $150,000. The school promises to refund the full $600,000 cost of four years if a student fails to launch a business generating at least $1 million in profit by graduation.
“It’s bold, but I don’t think it’s crazy,” said 33-year-old co-head Nat Eliason, himself an entrepreneur. In 2025, he sold his content marketing agency, Growth Machine, to MBE Group for an undisclosed sum.
Founders School grew out of Alpha School’s New York City location. Alpha, a network of AI-powered schools and learning centers, launched in Austin in 2014 and has since expanded to locations across the country.
“I’ve given two TEDx Talks on the fact that schools are not training students to their full potential,” Divakar said. “My [public school] teachers used to tell me running a business wouldn’t get me anywhere.”
Eliason said the concept for Founders School emerged after Alpha head Joe Liemandt asked students how they could make high school “10 times better.”
“We already had students who were successfully starting businesses, but they felt they needed more support and resources to do that as effectively as possible,” Eliason said.
Founders School currently has 21 students, according to the school. Fifteen attend classes at its Manhattan campus, while the other six are based in Austin and will regularly travel to New York to meet with their East Coast classmates and mentors.
Several students arrived with businesses already in progress. Divakar, for example, has been developing a business-to-business software product since July that helps companies identify and eliminate friction between departments.
When he began at Founders School earlier this month, the product had already generated more than $10,000 in revenue. He now hopes the program will help him scale, targeting $100,000 in revenue over the next 100 days and $20 million by graduation.
“Within 10 years, [maybe] we’ll go public,” Divakar told The Post.
A typical day begins with two or three hours of condensed instruction in core subjects, including English, math, science and social studies. Students work on tablets equipped with AI bots. There is no homework and no traditional teaching staff; instead, human “guides” move through the classrooms and offer help when needed.
The rest of the day is devoted to developing business plans and building products or services, with guidance from experienced entrepreneurs and a proprietary AI platform designed for entrepreneurship.
The Financial District campus also includes a conventional Alpha School location. Opened in New York City in 2025, it now serves about 130 students. Like Founders students, they spend mornings using AI to study core subjects, while afternoons are reserved for “life skills workshops,” ranging from furniture assembly and rock climbing to solving Rubik’s Cubes.
Founders School arrives as the role of AI in education becomes increasingly controversial.
Earlier this month, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Department of Education announced a contentious set of rules prohibiting artificial intelligence in public elementary and middle schools. High school students will receive limited AI access through five pilot programs.
Those rules do not cover Founders School or Alpha School in New York because both are private institutions. Neither is formally recognized by the New York State Education Department; instead, they are classified as “learning centers.” Parents who enroll their children must submit paperwork to the state identifying them as homeschoolers.
Laurie Kopp Weingarten, co-founder of a New Jersey college counseling service for high-achieving students, questioned whether Founders School expects young people to take on too much too soon. She also expressed concern about online learning amid declines in reading and math scores following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It sounds very sexy, but what’s the big rush to be an entrepreneur?” Weingarten asked. “I don’t see why it has to come at the expense of traditional schooling.”
In a statement to the Post, Founders School said, “Nothing comes at the expense of academics. Founders students complete a full academic curriculum, but it’s delivered through a personal learning platform instead of a lecture-based classroom. Kids don’t move on until they truly understand a concept and don’t get to participate in entrepreneurial activities until they complete their work.”
The mother of one Founders School student isn’t concerned about the unique education model.
“I think we’re all very realistic about what’s going on here,” said the mom, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her child’s privacy. “They’re building the car as they’re driving it, and it’s full of our children … But we’re comfortable going along for that ride.”
