Youth Business International

08/10/2026

Over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people in low- and middle-income countries will reach working age. Around 700 million of them will no longer be in school, against around 420 million projected jobs.

For many, formal employment will remain out of reach. Yet young people are already building working lives through trading, small shops, household enterprises, farming, delivery and repair. We call this the "livelihood economy," and it's where many young people will earn their living.

Our new research argues that the goal isn't to push these livelihoods towards formalisation or high-growth business. It's to make them more secure, productive and visible, while opening pathways to enterprise growth and wage employment where they exist.

Today, we're sharing the executive summary of From Necessity to Economic Opportunity: Turning the work young people already do into secure livelihoods, a forthcoming report commissioned by Generation Unlimited and Youth Business International (YBI) and written by Systemic Innovation.

It sets out how governments, financial institutions, large firms, enterprise support organisations and youth networks can each play a role in turning necessity into economic opportunity.

📄 Read the executive summary: https://www.generationunlimited.org/reports/necessity-economic-opportunity-livelihoods

The full report launches in November.

07/10/2026

Tomorrow, we’re excited to welcome Akinwande Akinsulire to the YBI Bootcamp for Perspectives from an Investor. 💡

With over 12 years of experience designing and delivering high-impact programmes for start-ups, governments and non-profits, Akinwande brings a wealth of experience as an innovation leader and strategist.

In this session, he'll share key lessons and insights for entrepreneurs navigating the investment landscape, from understanding the investor perspective to making your venture stand out. 💯

We're looking forward to an insightful session and a valuable opportunity for participants to learn from Akinwande's experience.

06/10/2026

Do you work with refugee entrepreneurs? Then we encourage you to participate in this global survey. 🌍

The Refugee Entrepreneurship Network (REN) is inviting organisations that support refugee entrepreneurs to participate in its annual global mapping survey that explores your organisation's activities, whom you support, the services you provide, and the trends you're seeing on the ground.

The field needs robust data to demonstrate its value to funders, policymakers, and partners, and to showcase the scale and impact of refugee entrepreneurship globally.

Last year's survey was completed by 33 organisations and produced the first comprehensive picture of the field, showing that participating organisations had collectively supported more than 200,000 people and helped launch over 13,000 businesses.

Your responses will also directly inform discussions at REN's upcoming Global Summit, where each panel will be grounded in data gathered through the survey.

Complete the survey here: https://forwardinc.typeform.com/to/zU8S0wBd?typeform-source=www.google.com

Deadline: October 7

Support the mapping of the global state of refugee entrepreneurship! Takes ~40 minutes, feeds this year's REN report and shapes the summit agenda.

05/10/2026

Exploring a YBI Bootcamp learning theme: INNOVATION. 💡

Innovation isn't just a buzzword; it's how you reimagine the way your business creates and captures value. This theme puts the tools of pioneering entrepreneurs and business strategists directly in your hands.

Across these modules, you'll learn to apply business model innovation with real intention, spotting untapped customers and markets, sharpening your differentiation, and carving out the space where your business truly stands out. By the end, you'll walk away with a clear, differentiated value proposition and a growth experiment ready to put into action.

This is where strategy meets creativity and where confident, sustainable growth really starts to take shape. 🚀

What does innovation look like in your business right now? Share in the comments!

02/10/2026

Don’t just take our word for it. 💬

Some young entrepreneurs from the YBI Bootcamp 2026 have just completed the digital phase — and they’re sharing what the experience has meant for them and their businesses.

From the practical, well-structured online learning to interactive live sessions, swipe through to hear what they had to say. 👉

Delivered through YBI’s EYE Academy, the eight-week digital phase helps entrepreneurs strengthen skills across strategic thinking, financial planning, partnerships and leadership. Along the way, they learn from experienced facilitators, exchange ideas with peers and put their learning into practice in their own businesses.

A huge congratulations to all our graduates so far! 🎉 We can’t wait to see where they take their businesses next. 🚀

30/09/2026

Odpowiedni kapitał. W odpowiednim czasie. 💼

Pozyskuj kapitał z głową dzięki Podręcznikowi FINESSE, którego głównym sponsorem jest Visa.

Jeśli jesteś młodym przedsiębiorcą, zdobądź wiedzę, która pozwoli Ci pewnie rozwijać biznes.Dowiedz się więcej i odbierz swój bezpłatny egzemplarz — link znajdziesz w komentarzu.

28/09/2026

Czas przestać opierać finanse na domysłach.
Pobierz Podręcznik FINESSE i zacznij budować swoją przyszłość już dziś.
Link w komentarzu.

28/09/2026

Generation Growth isn't just about growth; it's about building the kind of businesses the world actually needs. 🌍

The YBI Social & Green Entrepreneurship Award is one of the four awards we’re excited to present, celebrating young entrepreneurs whose businesses are built around tackling real social and environmental challenges.

This award celebrates founders who place positive impact at the heart of their business model, creating solutions that address pressing issues such as inequality, climate change, waste, access to housing, community wellbeing and environmental sustainability, while building viable and sustainable businesses.

Think inclusive healthcare and education, climate solutions, affordable housing, regenerative agriculture and ventures creating real opportunity in underserved communities. These are the businesses proving that purpose and profit can scale together, and we want to celebrate them.

All 21 in-person bootcamp finalists compete across 3 award categories (7 per category), including this one. You’ll have the opportunity to vote for your favourite business in each award category in January, so keep an eye out for updates.

If you're building something that's changing lives or protecting the planet, this is the recognition your work deserves. Find out more about the Awards at https://gengrowth.youthbusiness.org/bootcamp/awards. 🏆🌱

25/09/2026

What a brilliant first session. Yesterday, the YBI Bootcamp participants got a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build a business, straight from two people who've lived it.

We were joined by two alumni award winners: Adaeze Akpagbula, 2024 Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Climate Entrepreneurship Award winner, who's successfully running and growing FarmSpeak Technology, and Dareem Jeffrey, winner of the 2024 Sustainable Entrepreneurship Award and founder of EcoWash, now scaling internationally.

Rather than a presentation, this was a real conversation: open, honest and exactly what the bootcamp participants needed to hear. Adaeze and Dareem didn't hold back on the hard parts either, sharing what surprised them, what they'd do differently and the moments that truly tested them.

A huge thank you to Adaeze and Dareem for their honesty, generosity and inspiration, and to our participants for showing up with such great questions during the Q&A.

This is exactly what Generation Growth is about: learning directly from those who've walked the path before you. 🌱🚀

24/09/2026

Il est temps d’arrêter les estimations.

Téléchargez le Guide FINESSE et commencez à bâtir votre avenir dès aujourd'hui.