Hudson Lab Ventures was created to give high school students something they rarely experience…
Real Responsibility
Why Hudson Lab Ventures Exists
Hudson Lab Ventures was created to give high school students something they rarely experience: real responsibility.
Many students spend years being evaluated without ever being trusted. They learn to follow instructions, optimize for grades, and perform well on cue. What they don’t often get is the chance to own decisions, wrestle with uncertainty, and explain their thinking in real-world situations.
Hudson Lab Ventures exists to change that.
What Makes Hudson Lab Ventures Different
Hudson Lab Ventures is not a simulation nor is it a classroom exercise.
Students work on challenges with real organizations. There is no single right answer. Students are expected to ask good questions, make tradeoffs, defend their reasoning, and revise their thinking based on feedback.
The goal is not polish.
The goal is judgment.
This distinction shapes every part of the experience, from the challenges students work on to how adults engage with their ideas. Through responsibility and structure, students learn how to think clearly, work with others, and contribute meaningfully.
How We Think About Learning
Learning happens in the space between struggle and success.
At Hudson Lab Ventures, students are given challenges that feel difficult at first. With guidance, time, and accountability, they learn how to work through ambiguity and build confidence that comes from experience, not praise.
We believe students grow most when:
Expectations are real
Work matters beyond the classroom
Adults listen and push back thoughtfully
Responsibility increases over time
This approach prepares students not just for college, but for life beyond it.
Who We Are
Hudson Lab Ventures is led by educators and entrepreneurs who have spent their careers building schools, companies, and real-world learning environments. The program was founded by Cate Han and Stacey Seltzer, educators and entrepreneurs with experience building a school and startups. They founded Hudson Lab School, a K–8 project-based learning school designed around the belief that students learn best through real work, reflection, and responsibility.
Together, they designed Hudson Lab Ventures to extend the principles of project-based learning and layer in applied entrepreneurship to equip high school students to successfully tackle real-world work. A partner at Co-Created, a venture studio that works with Fortune 500 companies to design and launch new ventures, Stacey adapted Co-Created’s best startup and corporate innovation practices to teach students how to identify good problems to solve and collaboratively design viable solutions.
Who This is For
Hudson Lab Ventures is for students interested in doing real work with global companies in exciting cities.
It is for families who value growth, judgment, and real-world learning over scripted activities or résumé padding. Students do not need to arrive confident or polished. They need to be willing to engage, listen, and try.
Hudson Lab Ventures may not be the right fit for students looking for guaranteed outcomes or highly structured instruction. It is designed for those ready to stretch.
Each year, the work changes.
The expectations do not.
