Young Enterprising Society

What Young Enterprising Society does

Young Enterprising Society (YES) is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit community organization founded in 2011 that operates a portfolio of youth-focused education and entrepreneurship programs. Its flagship offering, YES Blueprint, is a startup accelerator that deploys $100,000 in seed capital per cohort to urban entrepreneurs alongside entrepreneurial and technology training, with at least 10 cohorts completed and a Green Bay extension. The organization complements the accelerator with STEAM programming (interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math exposure), the EEE Program (HBCU college tours and application support for the Class of 2026), GearUp (project-based entrepreneurship and financial literacy for young innovators), YES Tech+, VCMKE (a Milwaukee venture-capital initiative), and the annual Summerfest Tech Pitch competition (held 2022–2024). Programs are delivered through in-person small-group cohorts and tours, applications are accepted via the YES website and the F6S platform, and outreach runs across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and community events.

YES operates as a grant- and donor-funded nonprofit; programs are provided at no apparent direct cost to participants and revenue is not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are diversified across four personas — urban startup founders, HBCU-bound students, K-12 STEAM learners, and young innovators — with named alumni including Chad Johnson (Tip a ScRxipt, healthcare FinTech) and Shayvon McCullum (Secure Bridges, anti-trafficking technology). No core proprietary technology is disclosed, no AI/ML capabilities are referenced, and the team is small (1–10 employees) operating from Milwaukee, Wisconsin with regional service across the U.S. Midwest. YES Blueprint has been reclassified under 'Past Programs' on the company website, which is the most notable structural signal in the data set.

The business model is community-impact rather than commercial: YES mobilizes people, information, resources, and capital from donors and grant providers and redistributes them through cohorts, tours, and educational programming. There is no disclosed pricing, no app or API surface, and no documented corporate partnerships, M&A activity, or institutional investors. Marketing and distribution are grassroots — direct website applications, social media, an F6S integration, and event-based recruiting at Summerfest. The organization's expansion footprint remains regional (Wisconsin-centered), with the Green Bay cohort as the clearest forward signal.

Name

Young Enterprising Society

Legal name

Young Enterprising Society

Website

https://followtheyes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Young Enterprising Society is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit that runs youth entrepreneurship and education programs, including the $100,000-per-cohort YES Blueprint startup accelerator, STEAM curriculum, HBCU college tours, and the annual Summerfest Tech Pitch competition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship, Startup Incubation & Pitch Programs (EDAMAKAK), Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship programs
• Startup accelerator services
• STEAM education programs
• College access programs
• Nonprofit community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Services: Revenue model not explicitly disclosed. YES appears to operate as a non-profit educational organization funded through grants and donations, providing programs at no apparent cost to participants. The organization mobilizes resources and capital for members and society at large.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Young Enterprising Society runs a portfolio of youth-focused educational and entrepreneurial development programs, most notably YES Blueprint, a startup accelerator that provides $100,000 in seed capital per cohort plus entrepreneurial and technology training to promising urban startups. Other programs include STEAM interdisciplinary education, EEE (HBCU college tours and application support), GearUp (project-based entrepreneurship for young innovators), YES Tech+, VCMKE, and the annual Summerfest Tech Pitches competition.

Product overview

Young Enterprising Society operates as a unified platform offering multiple interconnected programs focused on youth entrepreneurship education and development. The core portfolio includes YES Blueprint (a startup accelerator providing $100,000 seed capital plus training for urban startups), STEAM (interdisciplinary science/technology/engineering/art/math education), EEE (HBCU college tours and application support), GearUp (entrepreneurship and leadership training through project-based learning), YES Tech+ (technology initiatives), VCMKE (Milwaukee-area tech entrepreneurship), and Summerfest Tech Pitches (annual pitch competition). These programs work together to mobilize people, information, resources and capital for the greater good of members and society at large.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YES Blueprint: Provides $100,000 in seed capital, entrepreneurial and technology training for promising, urban startups.
• EEE Program
• STEAM
• GearUp
• YES Tech+
• VCMKE
• Summerfest Tech Pitch

Products and services

• YES Blueprint Startup accelerator program providing $100,000 in seed capital along with entrepreneurial and technology training for promising urban startups. Targets early-stage startup founders seeking funding and ecosystem entry support.
• STEAM Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math programming presented to students in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach, showing children working examples of people who generate income from these fields. Targets K-12 students.
• EEE Program Program taking students on HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) college tours, helping them apply and get into college, while also connecting students and families with caring staff. Targets students and families aspiring to attend HBCUs.
• GearUp Program helping young innovators explore entrepreneurship, leadership and personal development through engaging activities and project-based learning. Students gain exposure to business fundamentals, financial literacy and creative problem-solving. Targets young people interested in entrepreneurship.
• YES Tech+ Technology-focused program as part of Young Enterprising Society's portfolio of initiatives for young people.
• VCMKE Program offered by Young Enterprising Society focusing on technology and entrepreneurship in the Milwaukee area (Venture Capital MKE).
• Summerfest Tech Pitches Annual tech pitch competition held as part of Summerfest, with iterations in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Targets young entrepreneurs and startup founders showcasing tech talent.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• gener8tor: Milwaukee-headquartered startup accelerator and venture fund running multiple cohort-based programs that provide seed capital and mentorship to early-stage founders, directly comparable to YES Blueprint's model and geography.
• BUILD: Youth entrepreneurship nonprofit that teaches high school students from under-resourced communities how to launch real businesses, comparable in target audience (underserved youth) and program structure (project-based learning) to GearUp.
• EforAll (Entrepreneurship for All): Nonprofit running cohort-based accelerator programs and pitch competitions for local entrepreneurs in underserved communities, closely mirroring YES Blueprint and Summerfest Tech Pitches in structure and impact mission.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): National nonprofit focused on youth entrepreneurship education through school-based and experiential programs, overlapping with YES's STEAM and GearUp offerings targeting K-12 and young innovators.
• Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!): Program that transforms K-12 students into real entrepreneurs through mentorship and pitch competitions, directly comparable to YES's STEAM, GearUp, and Summerfest Tech Pitch programs serving youth founders.

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator: Premier global startup accelerator providing seed funding in exchange for equity. Represents the upper-bound competitor whose standardized deal terms and brand pull can divert top urban founders away from regional accelerators like YES.
• Techstars: Global accelerator network offering seed capital and mentorship to early-stage startups across multiple verticals; a scaled incumbent comparator that competes for similar urban founder cohorts at a national level.
• Halcyon: D.C.-based nonprofit accelerator supporting impact-driven startups with fellowships and seed investment, comparable in mission and accelerator program structure to YES Blueprint's urban-founder focus.

Emerging players

• BLCK VC: Organization increasing representation of Black investors in venture capital and supporting Black-led startups, thematically aligned with YES's mission to back urban founders and an adjacent ecosystem participant.
• All Star Code: Nonprofit providing young men of color with training in computer science, entrepreneurship, and career readiness, overlapping with YES's target demographic and STEAM/YES Tech+ programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/youngesociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youngesociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/youngesociety

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Young Enterprising Society