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Do you want to

create the future?

make a dent in the universe?

solve global problems?

impact billions?

Calgary's top accelerator program for teens.

TKS is a 10-month innovation program for ambitious high school students in Calgary ages 13-17.
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Our story

2,500+
Alumni

Get support from a network of alumni who have built startups and attended top-tier universities.

200+
Cities

Join a global community of impact-driven young people who want to make the world a better place.

Emerging Tech

Learn about emerging technologies in areas like artificial intelligence and gene editing that are changing the world.

Mentorship

Get personalized mentorship from your program directors, and earn access to our mentor network of 200+ experts.

Mindsets

Develop foundational mindsets to help you optimize yourself so you can make a significant impact on the world.

Global Community

Be in a community of like-minded people who care about making an impact on the world and solving problems.

4,000+
Students & Alumni

Get support from a network of alumni who have built startups and attended top-tier universities.

300+
Cities

Join a global community of impact-driven young people who want to make the world a better place.

Build real projects within a few months.

No prior knowledge needed. We expose students to emerging technologies and sciences, while training real-world skills. After a few months, these are some projects students have worked on:
Build real projects within a few months
Jonathan Kao
Age
15
|
Ottawa, Canada
Exoskeletons are no just longer found in nature. They can be found in humans, in innovation, and soon enough, they will change the world.
The future of bionics: how exoskeletons will change the world.
The future of bionics: how exoskeletons will change the world.
Rishay Gupta
Age
15
|
Red Bank, USA
I'll be taking you through my process of building a pneumatic robot. I'll also go over some of the mechanical and electrical setbacks I faced while building it.
Process of building a pneumatic robot with applications in search & rescue.
Process of building a pneumatic robot with applications in search & rescue.
Viola Seda
Age
13
|
San Francisco, USA
I focused on sodium-ion batteries in solar storage as a solution to the duck curve problem compared to lithium-ion, addressing electricity demand.
Improving sodium-ion batteries in solar storage to solve the duck curve problem.
Improving sodium-ion batteries in solar storage to solve the duck curve problem.
Vinaya Sharma
Age
16
|
Toronto, Canada
Why models from scratch will never be as good as Transfer Learning models at classifying brain tumours - a comparative analysis.
Using transfer learning models to classify brain tumours.
Using transfer learning models to classify brain tumours.
Minh Anh Đồng Nguyễn
Age
17
|
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Finding the ground state energies and bond lengths of Lithium Hydride and Hydrogen using Variational Quantum Eigensolver in Qiskit.
Simulating molecules using a quantum computing programming software.
Simulating molecules using a quantum computing programming software.
Pavi Dhiman
Age
17
|
Toronto, Canada
In this video, I explain how I built out an algorithm using the machine learning model DBSCAN (a density based clustering algorithm) and give a live demo.
Contact tracing for COVID-19 using the DBSCAN clustering algorithm.
Contact tracing for COVID-19 using the DBSCAN clustering algorithm.
Mia Aiyana Cardenas
Age
15
|
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Basically, bacteria can talk! Learn how the discovery of a glowing squid led to a revolutionary spin on virulence and antibiotics.
Understanding Quorum Sensing, a process of bacterial cell–cell communication.
Understanding Quorum Sensing, a process of bacterial cell–cell communication.
Jovana Urosevic
Age
15
|
Zurich, Switzerland
Through the use of BCI applied to lucid dreams, scientists have discovered incredible insights in the field of dreaming and sleep.
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) changing the future of dreams.
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) changing the future of dreams.

Make real impact within a few years.

What alumni are saying about TKS
SpaceX engineer and founder of Ember Bazaar.
"TKS has helped me realize that I'm meant to build and that I will continue to build and help others in spaces like climate tech and space tech! It helped me build an engineering portfolio and get amazing internships and opportunities."
Valkyrie Holmes
|
TKS 2019
Utopia Labs raises $23M led by Paradigm Capital.
"Through the mentors and friends I met during TKS, I learned mental models that deeply impacted me and shaped who I am today. TKS helped me be unafraid of tackling ambitious problems and pursue a more unconventional path.”
Alexander Wu
|
TKS 2017
Blockchain powered hedge fund at Numerai.
"TKS gave me a community of inspiring peers, helped me create projects that got me internships at AI research labs and startups while in high school, and made me feel ready to work full-time at a startup in Silicon Valley without university."
Liam Hinzman
|
TKS 2018
Full-ride Morehead-Cain scholarship to UNC pursuing biotech.
“TKS sparked my interest in building real-world change. I’ve worked with scientists in the cultured meat industry, built a maternal public health program in Nigeria, and created a women’s health product (Boob Blurb)."
Isabella Grandic
|
TKS 2018
Early cancer detection using genomics at Stanford.
"TKS propelled me into an environment of like-minded individuals where I built projects in cancer research, formed life-long connections, and built mindsets towards innovative success. The people I met in TKS remain my closest friends."
Kevin Zhu
|
TKS 2019
Managing Director at Nucleate, global biotech leader.
"I got my first exposure to CRISPR-Cas9 and the scientific method during TKS, and I find myself relying on those lessons to this day as I help develop and deploy the next generation of genetic engineering tools here at MIT."
Michael Trinh
|
TKS 2018
Founder, Axiome: biosensors for molecular diagnostics.
"Through TKS, I was strongly encouraged to pursue my curiosities in areas that normally require a deep technical background, and was exposed to frameworks that have been immensely valuable as I've been building my company."
Samarth Athreya
|
TKS 2017
Battery innovation with material science and machine learning.
"I met people at TKS who really get me and enable me to be my most authentic self while pushing for my growth. TKS helped me unlock opportunities, internships, and network connections that were life-changing."
Shagun Maheshwari
|
TKS 2017
Founding engineer at Thirdweb valued at $160M.
"TKS was the catalyst for me to rapidly progress toward my goals. It showed me that I didn't need to wait to start building valuable technical skills, start companies, and carve my own path. Without it, my life would look very different."
Adam Majmudar
|
TKS 2019
Co-founder of human longevity startup, Biotein.
"TKS gave me a new frame of reference for what I could accomplish. I trained tangible mental models like breaking down major issues into their root causes. I wouldn't have been able to cofound a biotech startup without this experience."
Anupra Chandran
|
TKS 2017
AI startup Tecton raises $100M from a16z and Sequoia.
"I started TKS in 2016 and it was the place where I learned about artificial intelligence and data. I met my mentor Mike during TKS, who later hired me to work at Tecton as an early product manager building advanced AI tools."
Jay Parthasarthy
|
TKS 2016
Brain-Computer Interfaces at Neuralink and Stanford.
"TKS pushed me to build, learn, and invent, alongside the most supportive group of friends I've ever met. During the program I built my first Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) project, and projects in artificial intelligence, blockchain, and gene editing. TKS changed my trajectory."
Ananya Chadha
|
TKS 2016
Jennah Dohms
Jennah previously ran marketing in the startup world and non-profit space. She’s interested in building companies and teams that are optimized for high growth. Her students have gone on to speak on world stages, create supercapacitors and engineer solar panels out of bacteria.
|
Skylor Lane
Skylor is an educator turned entrepreneur with extensive experience in crypto, fintech, artificial intelligence, and venture capital. He grew the #1 Bitcoin exchange in Canada before being acquired in 2016. His research led to investments in Starkware, NuBank, Discord, and Scale AI. He’s invested alongside world-class firms including YCombinator, Sequoia, and Andreessen Horowitz.
|
Aatik Chopra
Aatik is a management consultant turned educator who has worked with an incredible variety of learners over the years, in terms of age, culture, and learning styles. He ran a national entrepreneurial learning program for Canada’s startup ecosystem and has coached many product-focused young professionals in cultivating a meaningful, fulfilling career. Aatik also has experience with Synthesis - an education division at SpaceX.
|
Mikaela Ergas-Lenett
Mikaela is a creative turned data wizard, with experience in data science and strategy, and an MS in Data Visualization from Parsons School of Design. She helped build and scale Kode with Klossy’s pilot data science program, one of the largest all-female programs in North America and was employee number one at New York based consultancy, Data Culture, helping organizations translate critical business challenges into scalable data solutions. 
|
Andrés Velarde
Andrés has built a career designing and creating novel, tech hardware at the cutting edge of material science, neuroscience, nanotechnology, renewable energy and space. Andrés is passionate about advancing the future of education, especially for BIPOC learners everywhere. Most recently, he taught a course in Engineering Design at MIT and built a multi-million dollar analytical laboratory from scratch. His past collaborators include the National Institutes of Health, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and NASA.
|
Niloo Ravaei
Niloo is a filmmaker turned entrepreneur, with experience in fintech, blockchain, and scaling early-stage startups. She co-founded Hello Iris, which was backed by Techstars, was formerly the Head of Education at BlockGeeks, and worked closely with Michele Romanow from Dragon’s Den to turn her startup, Clearco, into a billion-dollar lending platform.
|
Steven Ritchie
Steven spent 10+ years helping founders build digital products. Joining as the fourth employee, he helped scale his last agency to 40+ team members and 9-figures in revenue before the company was acquired in 2021. Steven has led client projects worldwide, such as launching a digital insurance company in Barbados, a neo-bank in Dubai, and a cryptocurrency exchange in Canada.
|
Brandon Jennings
Brandon has worked at McKinsey, SpaceX, Raytheon, Li & Fung, and the US Army R&D center. He was an early employee at Bowery Farming, the world’s leading vertical farming company, where he helped to design food systems of the future. He earned his MBA from MIT Sloan, his MS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and his BSE in Mechanical Engineering from Penn.
|
Pranav Menon
Pranav is an Engineer turned startup enthusiast whose career began in product roles for medtech and manufacturing companies. He then worked in startup consulting, where he worked with over 100+ founders to solve critical world problems within wildfire prevention, water treatment for remote communities and mental health support.
|
Steven ten Holder
Steven founded Acorn Biolabs, a bioengineering startup accelerated by Y-Combinator, incubated by Johnson&Johnson’s JLABS, and funded by over $3.3M of venture investment. Acorn non-invasively collects, transports, and cryopreserves young cells directly from consumers to help superpower future longevity therapeutics like 3D bioprinting. His students have gone on to start companies that have raised $250K, and build biology projects that have been accepted into University labs.
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Alumni Stories

See more stories

Organizations we've worked with.

A core value we have is “make it real”. We work with companies to help our students learn how to solve real problems, find expert mentors, and earn internships.

Company Spotlights

Tobi Lutke
"It’s ridiculous how smart they are. I had a conversation on particle physics with a 13-year-old."
Mentorship
Kevin Peesker
Engaging with [TKS] students...it’s hard not to walk away and think, “WOW!”
Mentorship
Karina Fernandez
“...my jaw literally dropped listening to them articulate real-world problems they had broken down and solved."
Corporate Innovation
Adam Molnar
"It’s ridiculous how smart they are. I had a conversation on particle physics with a 13-year-old."
Workshops
Piotr Mierzejewski
“It only took a 30 minute conversation with a group of TKS students for me to feel inspired and find renewed faith in our future."
Internships
Sean Khan
“I was absolutely blown away by the recommendations that the students shared, and I’m excited to implement their ideas.”
Corporate Innovation
Lee Jeyes
"Our partnership with TKS allows us to collaborate with people [teens] whose minds are less constrained than an adult."
Internships
Liran Belenzon
Engaging with [TKS] students...it’s hard not to walk away and think, “WOW!”
Workshops

Where our students have worked.

Many of our students are the world’s youngest employees in their industries.

OpenAI
Deloitte
Avro Life Science
Microsoft
IBM
PwC
Zapata
CIBC
Interac
NASA
Chill Pill
Google
SpaceX
Amazon
DeepMind
Shopify
Primer
Emotiv
Deep Genomics
LatchBio
BioViva
General Fusion
Neuralink
Zappos
Xprize
Walmart
Xanadu
Dovetale

Where our students have gone to school.

TKS alumni attend and receive significant scholarship funding to top-rated Universities in the United States and around the world.

Develop meaningful friendships for life.

Our community is filled with curious, ambitious, and impact-driven people. Meet your future best friends and co-founders, while having fun and accelerating your personal growth.
Develop meaningful friendships for life