Young Enterprise

What Young Enterprise does

Young Enterprise Trust is a New Zealand-registered non-profit charity, founded in 1981 and headquartered in Wellington, that delivers entrepreneurial and financial literacy education programmes to secondary school students. Its flagship offering is The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), a four-term experiential programme in which Year 12-13 students set up and run a real business, complete four structured challenges (Validation, The Pitch, Promotion & Sales, Annual Review), and compete in regional and national competitions with prize pools exceeding NZ$20,000. The programme is NCEA-accredited, earning students achievement standard credits and a YES micro-credential, and reaches 85% of New Zealand secondary schools, producing over 1,000 student companies and engaging 4,687 students in 2022 alone.

The organisation's product surface extends beyond YES to include Young Navigators (a 36-hour entrepreneurship programme for Māori and Pasifika rangatahi backed by Coca-Cola NZ, One NZ, and Pacific Business Trust), Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) weekend events, Spark Tank regional pitch competitions, and the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame (an annual induction ceremony established in 1994). Technology delivery is supported by a Teacher Dashboard for student enrollment and progress tracking, a Student Portal for programme access, and YES Market, an online marketplace where student companies sell their products. Kaiārahi Ako (Teaching Mentors) deliver free classroom resources and financial capability units to schools nationwide.

Revenue is generated through four streams: NZ$55 per-student programme fees paid by schools, tiered corporate sponsorships (Platinum, Gold, Silver, National), government funding (Ministry of Youth Development, Ministry of Education), and individual donations and bequests channelled via a Givealittle page. The sponsorship ecosystem includes over 20 named partners spanning consumer goods (Coca-Cola, HSBC), professional services (Deloitte, EY, CAANZ), technology (Xero, Fujitsu, Accenture), and energy (Top Energy), with The Lion Foundation serving as Platinum sponsor and programme namesake. The organisation describes itself as a lean charity operating through a network of regional coordinators, school engagement managers, business mentors, and volunteers.

Name

Young Enterprise

Legal name

Young Enterprise Trust

Website

https://youngenterprise.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Financial Literacy, Budgeting & Personal Finance (EDAMAHAE)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Youth business programmes
• Enterprise learning
• Financial literacy
• Secondary school programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Student Fees: Schools pay $55 per student participating in the YES programme. Membership is free for New Zealand-based teachers and students.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and National tiered corporate sponsorships. Sponsors include The Lion Foundation, Ministry of Youth Development, Ministry of Education, Coca-Cola NZ, Xero, HSBC, and many others. Funding supports programme delivery and national prize pools.
3. Donations: Individual donations accepted via Givealittle page. Charity relies on sponsors, supporters and donors to reach students across NZ schools.
4. Bequests: Legacy giving programme for long-term supporter engagement

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Young Enterprise Trust delivers The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), an experiential entrepreneurship education programme in which Years 12-13 students set up and run a real business across four challenges (Validation, The Pitch, Promotion & Sales, Annual Review), earning NCEA credits and a micro-credential. Complementary programmes include Young Navigators for Māori and Pasifika students, Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) weekend events, YES Spark Tank regional pitches, Classroom Resources delivered by Kaiārahi Ako teaching mentors, and the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. The organisation is supported by Teacher Dashboard, Student Portal, and YES Market digital platforms.

Product overview

Young Enterprise is a New Zealand charity that provides entrepreneurial education programmes for secondary school students. The core product is The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), an experiential learning programme where students set up and run real businesses. The YES programme is delivered over 4 terms to Years 12-13 students and includes four challenges (Validation, The Pitch, Promotion & Sales, Annual Review) leading to national competitions with over $20,000 in prizes. Supporting programmes include Young Navigators (for Māori and Pasifika students), Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) weekend events, YES Spark Tank regional pitches, and the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame. The organisation also provides a Teacher Dashboard for programme management, a Student Portal for participant access, YES Market for student companies to sell products, and free classroom resources including games and units of work delivered by Kaiārahi Ako (Teaching Mentors).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YES: The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme - an experiential programme where students set up and run a real business
• Young Navigators
• Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA)
• New Zealand Business Hall of Fame

Products and services

• The Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) An experiential learning programme in which Years 12-13 secondary school students set up and run a real business, creating and selling their own product or service. The programme delivers NCEA Levels 1-3 Business Studies credits and a YES micro-credential, structured around four challenges: Validation, The Pitch, Promotion & Sales, and Annual Review, culminating in regional and national competitions with a prize pool exceeding $20,000. Schools pay $55 per student to participate.
• Young Navigators An entrepreneurial education programme designed for Māori and Pasifika secondary school students, delivered through 36-hour business challenges that build entrepreneurial capability, leadership, and cultural identity. Supported by Coca-Cola NZ, One NZ, and Pacific Business Trust.
• Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) An annual high-energy business challenge weekend in which engaged YES students compete in two back-to-back business challenges over 48 hours, with overseas business experiences to Latin America and Southeast Asia tied to top performers.
• New Zealand Business Hall of Fame

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of NZ secondary schools reached
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Duke of Edinburgh Cup New ZealandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 January 2026Young Enterprise announced as official charity partner for inaugural tournament. Partnership strengthens entrepreneurial education opportunities for rangatahi. Winners qualify for World Finals at Windsor Castle.
• XerocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 August 2025New partnership announced to bring Know Your Numbers programme to YES network, designed to strengthen financial literacy among small business owners and non-profits across Aotearoa.
• Victoria University Latin America Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence (LatAm CAPE)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2024Partners on Latin America focus for YES students, enabling overseas business experiences to Latin American markets.
• Massey UniversitysupportingOthersUniversity partner providing $5,000 scholarships to YES Company of the Year winners for each company member.
• Victoria University of WellingtonsupportingOthersListed as supporter; partners on Latin America initiatives through LatAm CAPE.
• The IcehousesupportingOthersEntrepreneurship development organisation listed as supporter, connecting YES alumni to wider startup ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youngentnz
• Instagraminstagram.com/youngenterprise_nz
• Facebookfacebook.com/YoungEnterpriseNZ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-enterprise-trust

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Young Enterprise