Beyond the backpack: Tetr launches global gap year built around travel, startups and real-world business challenges

Across 40 weeks, students move through global markets, learn from companies including Google, Alibaba, Tesla, Toyota, Safaricom and LVMH, and launch ventures with targets for revenue, backers, subscribers and impact.

For decades, the gap year has promised adventure with a side order of chaos: cheap flights, hostel bunks, missed buses, lost chargers, questionable directions and the kind of mishaps that only feel character-building once everyone’s safely home.

Tetr College of Business – the world’s first learn-by-doing business school – is launching a different kind of year out: one where students travel the world, learn from major companies and build ventures of their own along the way.

Its new Global Gap Year Programme is a 40-week international experience across nine countries, including Singapore, China, Japan, Argentina, Kenya, India and Europe,  combining travel, entrepreneurship, cultural immersion, venture-building challenges and a startup internship. Open to students aged 18 and above from any country, the programme is for young people who want a gap year that takes them into real businesses, live markets and startup challenges around the world.

The programme is built country by country, with students learning from multinational brands, exploring the culture around them and then applying it to a live brief. In Singapore, students learn from Antler, Vertex Ventures, Google and Grab, then create a media brand targeting 30 interviews and 50,000 content views. In China, they study Alibaba, Tesla, factory sourcing and D2C operators before launching a consumer brand aiming for US$5,000 revenue. In Japan, they explore Toyota, SoftBank, Mercari and Tokyo’s startup scene, alongside teamLab, Kyoto and the Shinkansen, then build a tech startup targeting 1,000 early backers.

The later terms move from sustainability to impact, product and creativity. In Argentina, students use insights from Los Grobo and YPF Luz to create a green initiative. In Kenya, they learn from Safaricom, M-KOPA, iHub, Twiga Foods, Acumen and KCIC before building a social impact venture. In India, FITT, founder sessions, retail and a 72-hour D2C challenge feed into a Kickstarter hardware product. In Europe, students explore La Nave, LVMH, creator sprints, the Louvre and the Prado, then build a YouTube channel targeting 20,000 subscribers and two brand deals.

The year culminates in a growth-stage startup internship, where students take on a real cross-functional role and turn the programme into a practical portfolio of work, including a weekly output log, a deep-dive document, a 10-slide portfolio presentation, a reference letter and an evaluation rubric.

Commenting on the launch, Tarun Gangwar, Co-Founder of Tetr College of Business, said:

“Students are rethinking what they want from education, work and the years before they make big decisions.

“Our Gap Year programme turns those questions into action. Students travel across global markets, learn from founders and operators, and build ventures of their own. They finish with a portfolio of real businesses, products and projects, backed by hands-on entrepreneurial experience, a global network and proof of their business achievements.”

Scholarships and financial support are available, with no fixed cap on the number awarded. Support will be considered on merit and may recognise academic achievement, entrepreneurial potential, leadership, exceptional talent beyond the classroom and students who have overcome financial barriers.

Applications are now open with the inaugural cohort scheduled to begin in September 2026. Students apply through Tetr’s website by sharing their background, goals and what they hope to build. Shortlisted applicants then take part in a conversation with an industry leader, where they are assessed on drive, curiosity and fit rather than through a traditional test. Successful candidates receive an offer letter and can confirm their place by completing the programme fee payment.