​Build AI Agents - Solve Real Problems - Launch Your Venture.
A free youth AI innovation and entrepreneurship challenge for students in Grades 5–8.
AgentVenture is an innovation and entrepreneurship competition where middle school students design AI-powered solutions to real-world problems. Students build visual workflow prototypes, prepare a project pitch, and may advance to a hybrid Final Showcase.
Why Join AgentVenture?
AI is changing how people learn, work, create, and solve problems. AgentVenture gives middle school students a chance to explore that future now — not just by learning about AI, but by building with it.
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In this challenge, students will turn their own ideas into AI-powered solutions for real-world problems. They will learn how AI agents work, design a visual workflow prototype, and prepare a pitch just like young innovators and entrepreneurs.
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AgentVenture is designed to be accessible, creative, and exciting. No coding experience is required. Students bring curiosity, imagination, and a problem they care about — and the program helps them build from there.
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In AgentVenture, students will:
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Discover how AI agents can solve real problems
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Build a no-code prototype using n8n
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Practice creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving
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Learn how to explain and pitch an idea clearly
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Receive guidance from high school student leaders
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Compete for a chance to present live at the Final Showcase
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Whether students are interested in AI, entrepreneurship, design, technology, or helping their community, AgentVenture gives them a place to start building.
Free of Charge | Grades 5–8 | Teams of 1–3 | No Coding Required | Optional Friday Workshops | Final Showcase: Aug. 9
Our Leadership Team
Jeffery Cao, Project Manager
Jeffrey is a rising senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying Statistics. Jeffrey serves as the Project Manager for AgentVenture 2026, overseeing the competition core logistics, timeline, and operations. Bringing a strong foundation in data science, Jeffrey has hands-on experience designing and managing machine learning projects ranging from unsupervised clustering methods to supervised neural networks and ensemble models. This deep understanding of algorithmic logic and data pipelines allows him to effectively manage the technical infrastructure of the competition. Jeffrey is passionate about breaking down complex AI systems into intuitive concepts, helping middle school students confidently build and deploy their own autonomous workflows.
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Jenny Mei, Co-founder and President
Jenny is a rising senior at Brookfield East High School and serves as the President and Co-founder of AgentVenture. Last year, she co-founded and led AI Fish Tank with CFI Robotics, a similar business pitch summer camp that integrated AI workflows, python regressions, and chatbots. With AgentVenture, she hopes to continue increasing AI literacy for younger students and is excited to get to know each team! In her district, she is President of Youth STEM Scholars, an organization dedicated to creating monthly STEM activities for Burleigh Elementary School. As an impact presenter and mechanical member on FRC 2202 BEAST Robotics, she expands STEM opportunities to younger kids and students within their Best Buddies community. In her free time, Jenny loves to play piano and swim competitively on her high school team.
Luke He, Co-founder and Vice President
Luke He is a rising sophomore at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) and serves as the Co-founder and Vice President of the Youth AI Agent Venture Challenge.
He also founded the Ultimate Robot Championship (URC) RoboSumo Competition and designed the STEMRise Gladiator RoboSumo platform. In 2022, he competed at the World Robot Olympiad World Finals as a member of Team USA. He was the national champion of the USEL Sumobot Competition and won first place in the Southworks Robotics Olympics.
Luke has mentored multiple FIRST LEGO League teams, taught introductory Python classes, and has passed the USACO Bronze level, now working toward Silver.
In his free time, he enjoys martial arts, playing saxophone in band and jazz band, and video games.
Rishitha Errabelli, business lead for AgentVenture
Hello! My name is Rishitha Errabelli, and I serve as the business lead for AgentVenture. I’m a rising sophomore at Brookfield East High School in Wisconsin. I enjoy playing volleyball, baking, and participating in robotics and debate. I am excited to be a part of this competition because it is very inclusive and offers a fantastic opportunity for students to engage in STEM.​​​
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Pavani Gupta, Tech Lead
Hello! My name is Pavani Gupta, and I serve as tech lead for AgentVenture. I am a rising senior at Brookfield East High School in Wisconsin. I enjoy exploring machine learning and AI, designing automation workflows with n8n, and participating in robotics, debate, and computer science initiatives. I previously worked as a Student Consultant at Milliman, where I gained experience with predictive modeling and machine learning. I’m excited to be part of AgentVenture because it provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with other students, develop innovative solutions, and explore the future of AI and technology.
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Jack Lang, Tech Co-lead
​​Jack is a rising senior at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy (LASA) and serves as a Co–Tech Lead for AgentVenture. He is passionate about artificial intelligence and automation, and previously founded and led his school’s AI Club, where he worked with peers to explore real-world applications of AI. Outside of academics, Jack is a well-rounded student who enjoys piano, tennis, and badminton. In free time, he likes gaming and spending time with friends. Jack is excited to contribute to the AgentVenture team and looks forward to collaborating and building exciting projects.
Adi Sangowdar, Marketing Lead
Hi everyone, my name is Adithi Sangowdar. I am a rising junior at Brookfield East High School and serve as the Marketing Lead for AgentVenture. In my free time, I love to spend time outdoors, bake, and volunteer at my local senior care facility. As a public speaking enthusiast, I absolutely love connecting with new people and am a x2 national qualifier and state champion. I joined the AgentVenture team as I am incredibly eager to inspire and empower the future generation of AI innovators.
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Aniha Venkat, Workshop Lead
Aniha is a rising senior at Brookfield East High School and serves as Workshop Lead. She has experience with a wide variety of programming languages such as Javascript, SQL, HTML and more. Additionally, she has been teaching for over four years, from being a swim instructor to a math tutor. WIth AgentVenture, Aniha aims to spread her knowledge of programming and inspire future students to pursue careers in technology. She plans to make this experience meaningful as it is fun. In her free time, Aniha plays the violin and enjoys babysitting her little cousins.
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Thomas Liu, Business Team
My name is Thomas Liu, and I am a rising junior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA). I am passionate about artificial intelligence, mathematics, physics, and computer science, and I enjoy exploring how these fields can be used to solve real-world problems. Outside of academics, I enjoy playing tennis and violin. I am excited to be a member of the AgentVenture leadership team and look forward to helping students explore new ideas, develop technical skills, and learn from one another.
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​Derrick Xianto, Business Team
Hello, I'm Derrick Xianto, a rising junior in high school. I'm especially interested in physics and math. I also play the piano, violin, and have recently started soccer.
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Hridhaan Vohra, Workshop Team
Hi, my name is Hridhaan, and I am a rising junior at Metea Valley HS serving as a Tech Lead at AgentVenture. I enjoy learning about and applying my skills of computer science and robotics to connect to the real world and contribute to society. Currently, I teach Machine Learning as a leader in my school's computer science club and also have my own STEM teaching initiative called StemSPARK where I teach multiple topics including introductory to intermediate Python.
I have contributed to innovative projects for a major US airline and participated in multiple STEM competitions in which I ranked highly. I also have good experience using Python, achieving the Silver division in the USA Computing Olympiad (USACO). My background includes application of Artificial Intelligence to create various projects with prompt-engineering. Currently, I am working on projects incorporating AI analyzers and algorithms. I am excited to join AgentVenture to help accomplish its goal of guiding middle school students about the creation of AI-powered solutions.
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Our Judges
Mr. Larry Cao, CFA, is Senior AI Market Intelligence Analyst at American Banker, where he focuses on AI adoption across banking and financial services. He previously served in senior roles at CFA Institute, leading high-priority initiatives on AI in finance and investment strategy, including as editor of the Handbook of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Applications in Investments. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in investment research and financial services thought leadership, Cao brings a practical, business-focused perspective to evaluating emerging technologies. He is pleased to support this year’s competition as a judge.
Dr. Yang Bai is Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where his research focuses on theoretical particle physics, including dark matter, black holes, gravitational waves, and early-universe physics. His recent work also explores large language models, one important class of AI models, both as active tools for scientific research and through physics-inspired approaches to understanding their behavior. Drawing on his experience in fundamental physics, computation, and AI-assisted research, he is pleased to support AgentVenture: The Youth AI Agent Venture Challenge as a judge
Dr. Badar Al Lawati is the Director of the Business Analytics program and Assistant Professor of Practice at Marquette University, where he specializes in Information Systems, Business Analytics, and Applied Artificial Intelligence. Combining over 15 years of experience across higher education and industry, he has led digital transformation initiatives, product development, and AI-driven curriculum innovation while helping bridge the gap between emerging technologies and real-world business applications. His current interests include the organizational impact of AI and the responsible integration of generative AI into education. He is honored to serve as a judge for this year's student Agentic Al competition, and is excited to support and encourage the next generation of AI innovators.
Mr. Anand Ramasubbu
Associate Director at Deloitte
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details coming soon
Mr. James Molholm studied environmental science at Marietta College and Miami University, earning a Bachelors and Masters Degree respectively. He also earned an MBA from University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.
He has worked at Invenergy, the nation's largest private renewable energy developer, for over 15 years, currently in the position of Senior Director of Renewable Procurement. He leads a time purchasing high voltage equipment and gas turbines.
Hi! I’m Louis Liu from Tucson, Arizona and I’m an incoming freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In terms of AI, I’m particularly involved in computer vision with deep learning and reinforcement learning. Outside of school, I enjoy hiking, playing table tennis, and photography. Excited to introduce others to the frontier of agentic AI.
Mr. Andy Gu is an 18-year-old entrepreneur and software engineer with a focus on applied AI. He co-founded an AI automation agency that deployed custom systems for 20+ businesses across Colorado, saving clients over 1,000 hours of manual work. Andy has led AI education initiatives reaching thousands of students — including an AI in Finance course with 7,800+ users and an international AI workshop series through the Center for Future Innovators. He has conducted university-level research on Large Language Models at UVA's McIntyre Center for Business Analytics and chairs a community AI advancement program focused on expanding hands-on AI access for young learners. Currently building AI-powered products in the edtech space, Andy is an incoming student at Duke University and is excited to support the next generation of builders as a judge at this year's Agentic AI Competition