Young Founders Summit is an accelerator program for young aspiring founders and innovators.
Phase 1: 5-day Residential Bootcamp in Singapore
Phase 2: 5-month mentorship program (virtual/hybrid), culminating in a Demo Day where teams pitch the startup you’ve been working on to a panel of investors
Young Founders Summit is more than just an event or a program; it's a catalyst for transformative change in the lives of young people across Asia. It’s a community. It’s a mindset. It’s where enterprising youth find your like-minded people.
For youth ages 15 - 20 who are curious, who are challengers, who are daydreamers, who don’t fit in, who want to create an impact or change, Young Founders Summit gives you an edge from the very beginning. Ideate a startup, and build and launch your company faster with our global community of co-founders and access to talent, expert advisors, and networks. What YFS provides:
Training
Access to our online entrepreneurship course, masterclasses, and workshops. Learn startup concepts similar to what’s covered in Silicon Valley accelerators.
Mentorship
Get matched with mentors - entrepreneurs, business builders, and industry experts who have been there, done that - advisors who can guide you and advise you as you build on your idea.
Network
Ever felt like an outsider in school? Here, you will connect with other youth around the world who are excited about startups, tech, and entrepreneurship.
THE YFS EXPERIENCE
Our YFS alumni have been accepted into universities such as Stanford, UC Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology, John Hopkins, University of California San Diego, University of Edinburgh, and more. They have also received awards from The Princess Diana Award, Rise Global, and Masason Foundation.
Whatever they are building now, or whichever university they got accepted into, our young founders are going places.
“entrepreneurship is a goal not as daunting as it seems.”
“YFS has taught me that entrepreneurship is a goal not as daunting as it seems – only made possible with the incredible guidance of the YFS mentors, of course. Over the course of the programme, I learnt numerous business and thinking strategies, and visited eye-opening places I would not have had the chance to otherwise. More importantly, the five day camp helped me find a family within YFS; I will really miss the energy of a community of like-minded individuals just throwing funky, incredible ideas around in the room. Overall, if there's one thing I've learnt from YFS, it is that all you need is a cool idea and the willingness to show up and follow through.”
— Amelia Tay, Singapore, YFS ‘24
“There’s trust shown in us, even if we are 16 or 17 years old. At YFS, you’re able to express your ideas without completely being rejected or receiving backlash.”
“There is no other competition or program out there that puts in the effort that I see from YFS - From the trips to Google and Tiktok, letting us learn the lives of those in tech startups; to the professional locations that we pitched at and the amount of people who came to support; to the networks we teens gained with adults who believe we can make an impact in the world!
I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to pitch to actual investors and them providing critical feedback on how to improve our startup.”
— Warren Jodjana, Indonesia, YFS ‘18, YFS ‘19, YFS ‘22
“As an aspiring young impact entrepreneur, growing up in a country where entrepreneurship is not typically encouraged among teenagers, YFS became a life-changing opportunity for me.
It has not only altered the trajectory of my career but also ignited a profound drive within me, kickstarting my dreams and shaping my future plans.”
— Aldrich Heinz Alvarez, Philippines, YFS ‘21 & ‘22
“YFS is a vibrant community of like-minded youth who are passionate about entrepreneurship. Engaging with other participants from diverse countries was invaluable, allowing us to learn from one another and exchange ideas.”
“YFS has provided me with a profound understanding of the entire entrepreneurial journey, from ideation to business development and growth strategies. In particular, the guidance I received from my mentors, who had extensive experience in the Indonesia and Vietnam markets, proved invaluable.
YFS also opened doors to numerous networking and learning opportunities at startup/ tech events. The opportunities not only expanded my professional network but also provided real-world exposure to the industry’s challenges and opportunities.”
— Mabel Chang, Singapore, YFS ‘22
