The Young Entrepreneurs Academy

What The Young Entrepreneurs Academy does

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a privately held, non-profit corporation founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester with founding support from the Kauffman Foundation. YEA! operates a year-long, experiential entrepreneurship education program for middle and high school students (grades 6-12), guiding participants from idea generation through market research, business plan development, investor pitches, and the launch of real registered businesses or non-profits. The program's curriculum is delivered through a franchise-style licensing model in which YEA! National licenses its turnkey curriculum, lesson plans, event playbooks, marketing templates, and impact measurement tools to local operators — primarily chambers of commerce, school districts, universities, and community organizations — that run local chapters across 15+ US markets including Rochester, Philadelphia, Frisco, Manhattan Beach, Chicago, and Clearwater.

YEA! generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) student tuition paid to local chapters (sample budget: $1,800 per student), (2) annual license/curriculum fees paid to YEA! National (~$8,600 per chapter per year), and (3) local and national sponsorships, donations, and grants (sample budget: $75,500 per class per year). A single chapter class of 30 students is budgeted to generate $129,500 in gross program revenue against $20,000-$30,000 in operating costs, yielding ~$99,500-$109,500 in net income for the licensee operator. The national organization supplements this with strategic partnerships — notably the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at RIT for the Saunders Scholars National Competition (up to $50,000 in scholarships/prizes), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (national sponsor since 2011), and the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship (post-secondary scholarship pathway since November 2023).

The organization reports that over 7,700 students have launched more than 5,100 real businesses and non-profits through YEA! chapters since inception. Notable alumni outcomes include Rachel Zietz's Gladiator Lacrosse ($1M+ in revenue, Shark Tank feature), the Wolf'em Stick (200+ retail locations, 88 Wegmans stores), and Kayla Cares 4 Kids (nearly 11,000 items donated to children's hospitals). YEA! is led by founder and CEO Gayle Jagel and is headquartered in Rochester, NY, with an 11-50 employee footprint.

Name

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy

Legal name

Young Entrepreneurs Academy, Inc.

Website

https://yeausa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a non-profit that licenses a year-long experiential entrepreneurship curriculum to local operators (chambers, schools, universities), enabling middle and high school students (grades 6-12) to launch real businesses and non-profits across 15+ US chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Career Exploration & Industry Exposure (Guest Speakers, Company Visits) (EDAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship education
• Experiential business curriculum
• Student business incubator
• Entrepreneurship program licensing
• Youth startup accelerator

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Student Tuition: Licensees charge tuition to students (grades 6-12) participating in the YEA! program. The sample budget indicates $1,800 per student per class. For one class of 30 students, tuition revenue is $54,000.
2. YEA! License/Program Fees (Licensee to National): YEA! National charges licensees an annual franchise/license fee. The sample budget shows franchise/license fees of $8,600 per year. National program/curriculum fees are included in the license package.
3. Sponsorships, Donations & Grants: Local chapters generate revenue through sponsorships, donations, and grants from local businesses, chambers of commerce, and community organizations. The sample budget assumes $75,500 in sponsorships, donations, and grants per class per year, supplementing tuition.
4. Golisano Scholarship Partnerships: The Golisano Institute partnership generates revenue through scholarship contributions to YEA! graduate students — $2,500 scholarship toward Golisano Institute admission for all YEA! graduates, and full tuition scholarships for national winners of the Saunders Scholars Competition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) runs a year-long experiential entrepreneurship education program for middle and high school students (grades 6-12) that walks participants through idea generation, market research, business-plan writing, brand creation, legal business registration, elevator pitches, and pitching to a real investor panel for startup capital, culminating in launching a real, registered business or social movement. YEA! licenses its turnkey curriculum, marketing assets, event playbooks, and impact-measurement tools to local operators (chambers, schools, universities, community organizations) who run local chapters, and operates the annual Saunders Scholars National Competition offering college scholarships and business prize packages.

Product overview

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) operates as a unified program offering experiential entrepreneurship education for middle and high school students (grades 6-12). The core offering is the YEA! Program itself—a year-long curriculum that takes students from idea generation through business launch. This is supported by complementary components: a comprehensive curriculum package with lesson plans and materials, student recruitment and admissions tools, signature milestone events (Orientation, Investor Panel, Trade Show, Graduation), and impact measurement surveys. The program feeds into the Saunders Scholars National Competition, YEA!'s premier annual scholarship competition. Additionally, the Golisano Partnership provides scholarship pathways and mentorship support. Chapters operate independently across the United States, each delivering the standardized YEA! program framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Golisano: YEA's philanthropic arm that supports young entrepreneurs who want to compete in the global business environment. Provides seed funding and mentorship to young entrepreneurs.

Products and services

• Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Program A year-long experiential entrepreneurship education program for middle and high school students (grades 6-12) that guides participants through idea generation, market research, business-plan writing, brand creation, legal business registration, elevator-pitch development, and pitching to investor panels, culminating in launching a real, registered business or social movement. Delivered by licensed local chapters and intended for students aged approximately 11–18.
• YEA! Saunders Scholars National Competition An annual national competition in which top student businesses from YEA! chapters across the country compete for up to $50,000 in college scholarships and business startup prize packages. Hosted with the E. Philip Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology.
• Golisano YEA! Scholarship Partnership A philanthropic partnership with the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship that provides a $2,500 scholarship toward Golisano Institute admission to all YEA! graduates and full-tuition scholarships to all national winners of the YEA! Saunders Scholars Competition, plus seed funding and mentorship through Golisano as YEA's philanthropic arm.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 7,700 students have launched more than 5,100 real businesses and non-profits.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Golisano Institute for Business & EntrepreneurshipflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023YEA! partnered with Golisano Institute to host the YEA! Rochester class at the Institute beginning in November 2023. Golisano Institute offers all YEA! graduate students a $2,500 scholarship toward admission, and full tuition scholarships to all national winners of the YEA! Saunders Scholars Competition. Golisano is YEA's philanthropic arm supporting young entrepreneurs who want to compete in the global business environment — providing seed funding and mentorship.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Campaign for Free EnterpriseflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011In 2011, the United States Chamber of Commerce and Campaign for Free Enterprise became a national sponsor and partner of the Academy to help celebrate the spirit of enterprise among today's youth and tomorrow's future leaders. The Chamber provides national visibility, credibility, and outreach support.
• E. Philip Saunders College of Business at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe E. Philip Saunders College of Business at RIT is the partner and sponsor for the annual YEA! Saunders Scholars National Competition. RIT hosts the Saunders Scholars National Competition. Mr. Philip Saunders, RIT, and YEA! align students' passions, interests, and skills with higher education, offering significant college scholarship awards to top student entrepreneurs.
• University of RochestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYEA! was founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester. The university served as the founding host institution for the program.
• Chambers of Commerce (Local Chapters)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYEA! operates chapters through local chambers of commerce across 15+ locations including Baton Rouge, Blair County, Boca Raton, Loudoun County, Manhattan Beach, Philadelphia, Somerset Pulaski, and Staten Island. Chambers serve as local program hosts and licensee operators.
• School Districts and Educational InstitutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYEA! partners with school districts and educational institutions to deliver the program. Examples include Webster Central School District, Tulane Innovation Institute (New Orleans), and Frisco Chamber of Commerce-hosted chapters run in local schools.
• National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) — Greater PhiladelphiaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNAWBO of Greater Philadelphia hosts a YEA! chapter and ran the local Saunders Scholars Competition, awarding $800 to Shreyas Parab to launch NovelTie. NAWBO selects local winners to advance to national competition.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement USA: JA is the largest U.S. youth business and work-readiness education provider, reaching millions of K-12 students annually. It overlaps with YEA! in entrepreneurship content but serves a much broader scope including financial literacy and workforce preparation.
• DECA: DECA is a national student organization preparing high school and college students for careers in business, marketing, finance, and hospitality — overlapping with YEA! on student-segment and business-skill focus, but broader in scope and competition-driven.
• EVERFI: EVERFI delivers digital K-12 curricula across financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship to schools at scale — a broader incumbent increasingly competing for the same school-district budget allocations YEA! chapter licensees rely on.
• FBLA-PBL (Future Business Leaders of America): FBLA-PBL is a career and technical student organization for high school and college students focused on business leadership and competitive events — a broader incumbent with comparable student demographic and business-education mission.

Emerging players

• LaunchX: LaunchX runs summer entrepreneurship programs for high school students, including real venture creation — a partial overlap with YEA!'s experiential model, focused on an intensive summer format and tuition-funded participation.

Direct peers

• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE operates youth entrepreneurship curricula and programs for middle and high school students, with a focus on low-income communities — the closest direct competitor to YEA!'s mission and student segment.
• Enactus: Enactus is a global student organization that mobilizes university and high school teams to launch entrepreneurial projects addressing social needs — comparable to YEA!'s experiential entrepreneurship model, though primarily university-based.
• BizWorld Foundation: BizWorld provides project-based entrepreneurship curricula and student business competitions for elementary and middle school students — a direct comparable in the youth entrepreneurship education niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/YEAusa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/YoungEntrepreneursAcademy
• Facebookfacebook.com/yeausa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-entrepreneurs-academy
• Instagraminstagram.com/yeausa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Young Entrepreneurs Academy