We are the world's next generation of innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs who want to solve the world's biggest problems.
TKS Global Virtual Program is now full.
Sign up to get notified when applications for the 2023/2024 program open.
TKS is a 10-month global innovation program with weekly sessions. Students ages 13-17 apply and interview before joining.
The Basics
TKS Innovate is designed for high school students ages 13-17 years old. We run in-person programs for students in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver and the surrounding areas, and there is also a Global Virtual program open to students worldwide. We make exceptions for students taking gap years, to allow 18 year olds to join.
The fee for the in-person program is $589 CAD /month (+ $1000 deposit). If paid in full, a $500 discount will be applied, making the total $6390 CAD for the program.
The fee for the virtual program is $489 USD / month (+ $1000 deposit). If paid in full, a $500 discount will be applied, making the total $5390 USD for the program.
We offer financial aid (up to full-ride) for those who need it and merit-based scholarships for exceptional students who are accepted into the program. Students may apply for financial aid after they apply and are accepted into the program. There is no obligation to joining TKS if you submit an application and are accepted.
To join TKS, you must be accepted. There is a written application and group interview process. We look for students that want to make an impact, are curious to learn about emerging technologies, and want to solve big problems. No prior experience or knowledge is required.
Students are placed in a cohort of 30-40 people. Each cohort meets every weekend for 10 months (September – June). You will choose your specific date and time after you’re accepted into the program.
Ottawa Program Times
Saturday 3 PM - 6 PM EST
Toronto Program Times
Thursday 6 PM - 9 PM EST
Saturday 10 AM - 1 PM EST[Cohort Full]
Saturday 2 PM - 5 PM EST
Vancouver Program Times
Saturday 12-3 PM PST
Sunday 4-7 PM EST
Virtual Program Times
Thursday 6:30 - 9:30 PM EST
Friday 9 AM - 12 PM EST or 3 PM - 6 PM EST or 5 PM - 8 PM EST
Saturday 9 AM -12 PM EST or 10 AM to 1 PM EST to 4 PM EST or 2 PM - 5 PM EST
Sunday 5 PM to 8 PM EST
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“We do so many different things in sessions, ranging from global sessions, hackathons, challenges with real companies, science and technology and life discussions.”
Naila
Here's what you'll be doing during the program
You will develop the knowledge, skills, and mindset to make an impact in the world over 100 hours of live sessions, workshops, and activities.
🗓 November: Human Longevity
Understanding how to increase our lifespan. Debate the implications of extending human life. Skills: How to have good conversations. Mindset: Appreciation.
Brain-Computer Interfaces
Explore the philosophical and ethical implications of BCIs. Skills: How to learn quickly. Mindset: Boss Mentality
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TKS Hackaton
Solve a big problem using knowledge from the explore topics. Skills: Ideation + Brainstorming. Mindset: Done > Perfect All-cohort session. Extended time.
Introduction to the Focus Process
Introduction to focus framework and goal alignment. Clarity on what focuses are and feel motivated to build. Skill: Writing Mindset: Figure it out.
🗓 December: Global Session
Network with the TKS Global community, launch mentorship, team building. Skill: Building meaningful relationships. Mindset: Authenticity.
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Gene Editing Part 1
Predict the implications of genetically modifying life. Understand the companies leading the industry. Skill: How to get mentors. Mindset: Celebrate Others.
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Gene Editing Part 2
The ethical implications of genetically modifying life. Thoughtful discussions around ethical scenarios. Skill: How to read technical articles. Mindset: Seek Understanding.
No session over winter break
Highschool students ♥️ TKS
TKS Innovators from around the world join us from a variety of high schools and student organizations.
Read real student reviews from TKS students in the Global Virtual Program below.
Unmol Sharma
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Shiza Charania
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Dev Shah
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TKS was indeed the best decision I have ever made.
TKS was truly such an unforgettable experience that exposed to me a variety of technologies, prominent problems, mindsets, and skills that will be transferrable to every industry I work within.
TKS has been an amazing experience so far.
I am such a different person because of TKS, and I know it sounds cliché but it has genuinely changed my life.
Applying for TKS was probably the best decision I've made my entire life.
TKS has had a huge positive impact on my life.
TKS changed the way I think, act, and spend my free time.
TKS has helped me unlock my true potential.
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I discovered a passion for biotech and medicine, especially regenerative medicine! I am currently focusing in Regenerative Medicine
TKS was honestly lifechanging. I was exposed to emerging tech that I didn't even know existed.
TKS provided me with a chance to develop an interesting set of mindsets and work on the things that I’m truly interested in.
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I am getting trained on how to learn about complex topics in a short amount of time, and then deliver a TED-style presentation on what I learned.
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I got to work alongside 501cThree, a non-profit created by Jaden Smith to address the scarcity of clean water.
I am part of the first-ever TKS iGEM team, competing in a global synthetic biology competition.
In TKS, not only have I gained a ton of technical knowledge, I’ve also had the opportunity to develop my skills, mindsets and work with a global community of like minded people
TKS worked for me and changed the direction where I was going.
TKS was one of the absolute best experiences of my life.
TKS was a game-changer for me.
TKS really accelerated my growth as a person.
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Be Part Of A Global Community
Students join a global community of like-minded young people where they can meet their best friends and future co-founders among 1200 students and alumni from 20 countries.
Want to join TKS?
Secure your spot on our waitlist for the 2023/2024 Program.
Meet the Virtual Program Directors
Meet our incredible directors. They are here to support our students in discovering their interests and build meaningful projects. TKS Directors give kids the motivation and know-how to make things happen.
A serial entrepreneur from the age of 17 Harrison has built, grown and acquired multiple service based and technology businesses over the course of his career. Harrison has scaled businesses to manage hundreds of employees, has personally consulted with fortune 100 brands, and has taken on opportunities ranging from advertising and marketing to neuroscience and chronic stress.
Acorn non-invasively collects, transports, and cryopreserves young cells directly from consumers to help superpower future longevity therapeutics like 3D bioprinting. During his time at the University of Waterloo, Steven used CRISPR to design an anti-viral immunity system for Arabidopsis plants. Steven co-led the work to bring that design to life in the lab and his team received a gold medal in synthetic biology from MIT (iGEM). He’s also a published scientific author who implemented a mathematical model of antibiotic resistance into a bacterial system by engineering plasmid incompatibility.
Jennah’s most recent venture was in the start-up world being an intrapreneur, building multiple departments such as the e-commerce arm of the business, developing technical apps, and product development, for an event company which has scaled in hiring 900+ employees and has hosted over 2 million guests. She regularly advises in brand positioning and strategy with past experience coaching executive leaders, articulating political arguments, writing speeches, and creating communications plans for the Parliament of Canada and a Supreme Court Case. She serves on the Board of Directors of a global micro-finance non-profit, Opportunity International, which serves 19.5 million clients.
Students are guided by world-class mentors
TKS students get access to a network of senior leaders from the largest startups and the world's biggest
corporation to help with their technical projects
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Tonya Bogolan
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Scott Penberthy
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Ted Graham
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Stea Nanushi
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Ryan Gariepy
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Piotr Mierzejewski
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Nicolas Schiefer
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Nazneen Rajani
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Michelle McBane
Kai Hudek
Julie Hansen
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Elizabeth Caley
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Dr. Bill Cheniak
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Bhavya Shah
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Anna Baird
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Andy Anthony
Adam Molnar
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Ali Amin
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Alana Podrx
Rey Mestrapa
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Marga Heras
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Casandra Mangroo
“I met some TKS students at the Collision conference, and it was ridiculous how smart they were. I had a conversation on particle physics with a 13-year-old, it didn’t seem unusual at the time – those kids are amazing.”
Tobi Lutke
Founder and CEO of Shopify
You Will Work With Leading
Companies and Startups
Each year, in Spring and Fall, students get to solve real challenges using advanced problem-solving frameworks, and the McKinsey and Co consulting method.
This year, our Innovate students are working with the United Nations where students are working in teams to research and develop solutions to empower women and girls in developing countries to thrive in the digital economy.
TKS Activators (second-year students) helped XPRIZE figure out how to get 1000 teams to submit proposals to Elon Musk’s carbon capture prize. TKS innovators had to figure out not only how to improve the quantity of submissions, but also the quality of submissions.
Instacart tasked TKS Toronto students with the following problem: how do we improve the shopping experience for Instacart customers?
LEGO needs to consistently and effectively engage with teens – a key demographic for achieving their mission to inspire the builders of tomorrow. Traditionally outside of their target market, LEGO must think outside of the box in order to get teens to interact with their brand. TKS innovators were the perfect people to solve this challenge.
Past challenge partners
Jamshed Kazi
UN Women, Representative-Indonesia
Earn access to unique opportunities.
Develop your personal TKS portfolio earn access to internships, conferences and guest speakers.
Internships
Guest Speakers and Conferences
What happens after TKS?
We're so glad you asked...
Join TKS Activate
Activate is TKS' optional second year program that goes deeper into the foundational skillsets, mindsets and knowledge developed in TKS' Innovate program. Students put the technologies they learned in the Innovate program to use to tackle the world's biggest problems, including medical errors, poverty, climate change and more. They also work to understand how the world works, through PIE challenge, root cause analysis, so they can build projects to implement and start making impact.
This program is offered to TKS Students who have completed one year of the program and is by invitation only.
Enroll in University
TKS alumni often choose to attend University upon graduating from high school. 90% of our students choose to enroll in STEM degrees following the program.
TKS Students have been accepted into prestigious programs such as Harvard University's Computer Science Program, University of Toronto's biomedical program, and alternative programs such as Shopify's Dev degree.Globally, our students have also been accepted, and in many cases received full or partial scholarships to University of Pennsylvannia, Stanford University, John Hopkins and more.
TKS also is a nominating partner for the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship, a four-year undergraduate merit scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chape Hill. The scholarship fully covers tuitoin, books, room and board, as well as four summers of travel and experiential learning.
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Start or join a company
TKS alumni have launched companies into entrepreneurship, often based on projects they created in TKS. Many alumni have raised significant amounts of funding in health tech, 5G tech, blockchain and Web3.
Other TKS Alumni have elected to take a gap year and begin working. Innovators have been hired directly to companies like Zapata, Fusion Electronics, CIBC, Microsoft, Xanadu, Rapyuta Rotics in Tokyo to name a few.
How to join TKS
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Your journey starts here 📝
The first step to joining TKS is to submit a written application. There are five questions, designed to help us see how you think. We do not look at grades and there are no prerequisites to joining.
Applications are reviewed weekly and students are invited to interview on a rolling basis.We highly encourage you to apply early as there is limited Financial Aid and spaces in each program.
🗓. Regular Application Deadline: May 31
Apply Now
Hey, what's up, hello 👋
If you're invited to this next step, congratulations! Less than 40% of our applicants are invited to an interview. This is your chance to meet your Future Director and leave an impression.
This will be a group interview on Zoom with up to four other prospective TKS students. We'll send you some tips to prepare so you can crush it.
If you've made it this far, you'll definitely want to talk to your parents about the program if you haven't already.
Show us what you've got 😤
Many students will be accepted or rejected at this stage.
But, we may want to see a little bit more from you before we make a deicsion. If you are asked to participated in a challenge, to write about a topic of your choice. We'll give you guidelines and a playbook on how to write a high quality article.
You CAN sit with us!
This is big news! If you crushed your application, your interview (and maybe the challenge), you may be offered a space in TKS.At this stage, you'll participate in an information session about TKS with your parents so you can have a forum to get all your questions answered. Joining TKS is a big decision, and we want you and your family to be fully informed.If you'd like to apply for Financial Aid, now is the time to do so.
Welcome to the party 🥳
At this stage, you will select your cohort, pay your deposit to secure your spot.
Before the program starts, you'll be invited to Slack, our internal channel, and we will send you some resources to help you get up to speed over the summer. We can't WAIT to help you grow, learn about technologies, and access all the resources you need to make an impact on the world!
Cost and Financial Aid
TKS offers flexible payment options as well as merit- based and needs-based financial support.
Our application process is needs-blind. Requesting Financial Aid will not affect your admittance into TKS.
We will work with you individually if you're accepted into the program to ensure the program is accessible and affordable for your family.
Cost
Have questions? You're in the right place.
If you can’t find the answer to your question, please contact us. Our contact information is located at the bottom of this page.
Tuition and Fees
We believe that personal finances should not stop ambitious students from joining TKS. Accepted students can apply for needs-based financial aidonce they’re accepted into the program. We also provide merit-based scholarships for exceptional students who are identified during the application process.
The fee for the in-person program is $589 CAD /month (+ $1000 deposit). If paid in full, a $500 discount will be applied, making the total $6390 CAD for the program.
The fee for the virtual program is $489 USD / month (+ $1000 deposit). If paid in full, a $500 discount will be applied, making the total $5390 USD for the program.
We offer financial aid (up to full-ride) for those who need it and merit-based scholarships for exceptional students who are accepted into the program. Students may apply for financial aid after they apply and are accepted into the program. There is no obligation to joining TKS if you submit an application and are accepted.
TKS tuition helps fund a world class team and program experience, and unlocking exciting opportunities, like internships, employment opportunities and University scholarships, for Innovators in the program.
TKS offers merit-based scholarships and needs based financial aid to ensure the program is accessible.
Program
We understand the risks of COVID-19. As an organization, we have taken the precautions that governments and authorities are advising to reduce the spread of the virus.
We are planning to have in-person city programs operating in September 2021. We will also offer the ability to attend any session virtually for students registered in a city program. This option is for those who might be uncomfortable attending in-person programs for a period of time.
In the event of regional lockdowns, we will host sessions online. We’ve worked hard this year to optimize our online delivery of sessions using our innovative platforms as well as new learning techniques to minimize screen time and maximize team building.
If more than 70% of the in-person sessions are held virtually, we will reduce the in-person tuition price to match our virtual tuition price. The refund of the difference between the in-person and virtual tuition will be provided in June 2022.
We’re committed to being the gold-standard of education (there’s a reason why the World Economic Forum recognized us as a “School of the Future”). From the beginning, we’ve made large investments in our digital platforms and online infrastructure. This means that we’re 100% prepared for any situation to happen, and if physical distancing continues, we believe that we’ll still be able to deliver an incredible experience. Here are some of the things we have in place:
- We’ve developed our own online portal (think of it like LinkedIn meets Google Classroom). Students from all TKS cities can connect with each other here, while also learning about emerging technologies.
- We use a communication tool called Slack, which allows students to interact throughout the week.
- We are using Zoom, a video conferencing platform that enables us to create monitored breakout rooms, as well as interactive features like whiteboards and polls.
- We’re hosting special guest speakers from companies like Tesla and NASA, digitally.
We are fully confident that we will deliver a life-changing experience that will impact the trajectory of our student’s lives.
Our full COVID-19 policies and procedures are available here.
No, you do not require any prior knowledge about technologies or coding. Many of our students get exposed to these areas for the first time in TKS.
Students work on tech or science projects outside of sessions. We have online tools and resources to help anyone learn — no matter the level.
TKS is a 10-month program (Sept-June).
Students can re-apply for the program each year. Many students stay in the program for several years.
There are 3-hour sessions every week. Usually, these sessions are on the weekend.
The students who grow the most in our program invest the most time outside of the sessions into the projects they create while in TKS. Typically, this is usually 6-10 hours each week.
There’s no homework in TKS. But, we’ve built our own learning platform for students to dive into emerging technologies/sciences and build their own projects. Students participate in project-based learning at their own pace.
TKS isn’t just about STEM; our goal is to train the world’s next thought leaders, CEOs and innovators to impact billions. This isn’t a tech boot camp. We’re a human accelerator.
We believe leveraging exponential technologies is the best way to scale impact. TKS trains students on developing both hard skills and soft skills.
We provide students with guidelines, resources and mentors to build expertise in fields of emerging technologies and sciences.
Our secret-sauce is the emphasis on soft-skills. We model our curriculum after top innovation institutions like MIT, Google and Stanford. Students learn about:
- Networking
- Presenting
- Building confidence
- Philosophy
- Having thoughtful discussions
- Consulting frameworks
- Design
- Negotiation
- Mindsets
- Mental models
- Branding
- Leveraging curiosity to explore various areas of STEM
- Building friendships
TKS has 40+ internal learning modules where students can learn about a variety of emerging sciences and technologies.
Each student can “explore” these learning modules. They include a few hours of hand-picked learning articles and videos.
After some exploration, students choose a “focus” area. We provide them with guidance on how to complete a “focus.”
Within each focus, students develop depth of knowledge in the topic through our project-based learning approach. This includes creating articles and videos around technical research, building algorithms/computer projects yourself, or interviewing researchers in the field. By joining TKS, students have access to our learning frameworks, guidelines and approaches.
Students typically complete two focuses in one year of the program. Some examples of topics we offer:
- Alternative Energy
- Material Science
- Artificial Intelligence
- Brain-computer Interfaces
- Viruses
- Cellular Agriculture
- Blockchain
- Space Exploration
- Cancer treatments
- Virtual Reality
- Metabolomics
- … The list goes on.
Students can study whatever interests them. If the topic they’re passionate about isn’t available, they’re still able to complete a “focus” in it.
TKS is an extracurricular program. Students attend school during the week and attend a TKS session on the weekend. However, we do have optional opportunities that may pop up during the week. Again, these are optional.
After TKS
Our priority is to prepare students for the real world. During the program, students work on unique projects and create a personal portfolio that can be used when applying to university.
Some TKS students have gone on to attend world-class universities, and many have gotten incredible scholarships. We do not have a university feeder program, but TKS focuses on building skills to prepare students for life.
Examples of schools our students attend:
- Harvard University
- University of North Carolina, Morehead Cain Scholars Program
- Stanford University
- UC Berkeley
- Johns Hopkins University
- University of Pennsylvania
- UC San Diego
- University of Waterloo
- University of Toronto
- Queens University
- Minerva Schools at KGI
TKS has partnerships with companies that may provide internship opportunities to select students. During TKS, we work with students to secure internships with leading companies like Microsoft, Deloitte, and KPMG, while also training them on how to be successful in these positions. This enables students to add tremendous value to the organizations they work with, while also maximizing their learning experience. Internships must be earned by their portfolios and the work they put into the program by the students and are not guaranteed.
However, throughout the program, we teach students value skills like networking and building their own projects.cold-emailing got a slight negative impression from a parent.
Our students are re-defining what teenagers can do. Some examples are:
- Building quantum-machine learning algorithms
- Building Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) robots
- Working on cutting-edge cancer therapies and conducting clinical trials
- Becoming thought-leaders and paid consultants in areas like alternative protein and healthcare.
- Working for companies like Microsoft, KPMG and XPrize
- Building and selling their own companies
- Speaking on stages like SXSW, CES and Web Summit.
To learn more, check out our student spotlight page.
TKS doesn’t stop after the 10-month program. We want to support our alumni during their journey towards impacting billions.
We have an online platform and global community for our past and current students. They have access to our TKS resources, learning modules and mentors.
We are also building an investment fund for startups founded by TKS Alumni, while also creating relationships with top-tier organizations to help them recruit talent to solve hard problems.
Sessions
If a student is unable to attend a session due to conflict in schedule, they’ll have to let their program directors know at least 48 hours in advanced so that Directors can place them in another session time in that week, either in-person in their city, or join a virtual cohort.
There are 4 types of sessions:
- Tech/science sessions
- Challenge sessions (students work with real companies on a “challenge”)
- Hackathons
- Philosophy and personal growth
Sessions are ~3 hours. We typically do them in-person, but are able to deliver the same quality online.
We’ve designed these sessions to be interactive. These sessions involve:
- Group discussions
- Hands-on activites
- Research activites
- Presentations
For more information, please check out our program pages.
Sessions are held at various times throughout the week and weekend and accomodate for students living in different time zones. Once you are accepted into the program, you will choose which cohort time works best for you.
Check out each program page to view the exact sessions time for the 2022-2023 program.
Application
There are 2 steps before being accepted into TKS. First, you’ll need to submit a written application. Then, based on your application, we may request additional material like a video or article before moving to the group interview step. The group interview is over video chat. If we think you are the right fit for TKS after your interview, we will extend an invitation for you to join the program.
Any high school (or gap year) student that is ambitious, driven, curious, and wants to make an impact on the world.
If you aren’t a great presenter or you don’t have technical programming skills, don’t worry. Those are skills we train.
But you DO need to be open to learning new skills by pushing yourself and committed to putting in the effort! (Seriously, this isn’t going to be a random extracurricular you go to once a week).
We don’t have a “quota” for the number of students we select. We only select students who we think can grow exponentially in our program and have a high degree of drive and curiosity. As a result, acceptance rates vary based on the number of applications and the city. Historically, the average acceptance rate has varied from 10-20%.
Students can join TKS while they’re in high school and on a gap year.
We get this question a lot, but unfortunately, students who will be in University during the program are not eligible.
Other
We have a Global Virtual Program that is fully online! Students from around the world are able to join our Virtual program and learn together.