YEFA

What YEFA does

YEFA (Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Association) is a US-registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 87-1222058) headquartered in New York that delivers financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and ESG education to middle and high school students worldwide. Its core offerings are organized as a portfolio of branded programs: YSIC (Youth Sustainable Investment Challenge), a global competition where teams manage $1,000,000 virtual portfolios on the StockTrak platform; YSAC (Youth SDG Art Competition), an environmental art contest aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals; YSVC (Youth Social Venture Capital), an experiential impact-investing program that has deployed up to $10,000 into early-stage companies; and the International Social Impact Conference (ISIC). Supporting programs include PVSA volunteer recognition (via Alliance for Impact), the paid UN Youth Leadership Program with UNITAR ($600 tuition), TFGI (Teach Finance for Global Impact), Gen Z Career seminars, and a school chapter network spanning 50+ schools across North America and China.

The underlying technology stack is assembled from third-party SaaS rather than proprietary builds: StockTrak for portfolio simulation, Jotform for registration and volunteer-hour reporting, Discord as the primary participant communication channel, and Stripe, PayPal, and WeChat Pay (the latter routed through sister nonprofit Viswise Academy) for payments. YEFA has no proprietary software product, no API, and no mobile app. Since founding, more than 30,000 students have participated, and the YSIC 2025 cohort alone drew 181 teams from 12 countries.

The business model is a nonprofit donations-plus-fees hybrid. Most programs are free, generating no direct revenue; the sole paid offering is the UN Youth Leadership Program at a $600 discounted member rate. Additional funding flows from tax-deductible donations (PayPal channel) and event sponsorship from partners such as TCFA and Global Alliance. Operations are volunteer-driven, led by a student executive team (e.g., President of Operations, President of Programs, country Presidents for Canada and China) with guidance from a senior advisory board that includes a former UN Assistant Secretary-General and former senior executives from Two-Sigma, Morgan Stanley, and Credit Suisse. There is no venture capital, private equity ownership, or public-market presence.

Name

YEFA

Legal name

Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Association INC

Website

https://yefa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YEFA is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs finance, entrepreneurship, and ESG education programs—including investment, art, and impact-investing competitions—for middle and high school students worldwide, reaching 30,000+ participants across 12 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Financial Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

After-School, Tutoring & Academic Enrichment Nonprofits (BPAGADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

Keywords

• Youth financial literacy
• Investment education programs
• ESG investing competitions
• Student entrepreneurship programs
• Nonprofit youth education

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, YEFA accepts tax-deductible donations. EIN: 87-1222058.
2. Program Tuition Fees: UN Youth Leadership Program charges $600 tuition (discounted member rate). Other programs are free to participate.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

YEFA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free and paid educational programs for middle and high school students centered on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and ESG/sustainable investing. Core offerings include the YSIC investment portfolio competition (using StockTrak for $1,000,000 virtual portfolios), YSAC SDG art competition, YSVC impact investing experiential learning, the International Social Impact Conference, TFGI teaching program, UN Youth Leadership Program in partnership with UNITAR, and school chapter memberships.

Product overview

YEFA (Youth Entrepreneurship and Finance Association) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of youth education and engagement programs focused on entrepreneurship, finance, and social impact. The core product suite includes YSIC (Youth Sustainable Investment Challenge) for investment portfolio competition, YSAC (Youth SDG Art Competition) for environmental art, YSVC (Youth Social Venture Capital) for impact investing education, and the International Social Impact Conference. Supporting programs include PVSA volunteer recognition, Gen Z Career seminars, TFGI financial education teaching program, YEFA School Chapters for school-based clubs, UN Youth Leadership Program, and SDG Youth Ambassador initiatives. These programs are designed to be modular and can be accessed through school chapters, individual registration, or conference participation, with various free and paid components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YSIC: Youth Sustainable Investment Challenge - A global youth investment competition focused on real-world investment decision-making, ESG awareness, financial literacy, and strategic execution using the StockTrak simulated trading platform.
• YSAC
• YSVC
• PVSA
• UN Youth Leadership Program
• TFGI
• Gen Z Career
• ISIC

Products and services

• YSIC (Youth Sustainable Investment Challenge)
• YSAC (Youth SDG Art Competition)
• YSVC (Youth Social Venture Capital)
• PVSA (President's Volunteer Service Award)
• Gen Z Career Exploration Seminars
• TFGI (Teach Finance for Global Impact)
• YEFA Local School Chapters

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ students have participated in YEFA programs since inception
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• StockTrakcoreTechnology or IntegrationStockTrak is the official simulated trading platform partner for YSIC competitions. Students use StockTrak's professional trading simulation to build and manage $1,000,000 virtual portfolios during the competition.
• Alliance for ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance for Impact is a certifying nonprofit organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award. They partner with YEFA for PVSA processing and youth impact programs including YSVC.
• Global AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal Alliance sponsors YSIC competitions and shares the mission of promoting ESG awareness and sustainable development among youth.
• TCFA (The Consumer Finance Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTCFA issues cash awards and winner certificates for YSIC competition winners.
• Viswise AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerViswise Academy is a non-profit sister institution that accepts WeChat payment on behalf of YEFA programs. They co-develop TFGI (Teach Finance for Global Impact) curriculum and provide investment education programs.
• SIISC (Social Impact Investment & Sustainability Conference)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIISC partners with YEFA for the UN Youth Leadership Program and SDG & Carbon Neutrality Youth Ambassador activities. Provides UN-related certification and training.
• Scholars of Finance (SOF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOF provides ESG and impact investing fundamentals training for YEFA conference participants.
• Digital Economy Collaboration Innovation Lab (DECIL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDECIL leads digital art hackathon events and metaverse dialogues for youth participants, with winning artwork minted as NFTs.
• StudentPortminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudentPort is a global GenZ community that partners with YEFA for intergenerational dialogue and ESG forums.
• AllianceGo.caminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian partner organization for YEFA programs and school club development.
• Haitou GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational education partner supporting YEFA's global programs.
• IvyCompassminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation consulting partner for YEFA programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• DECA: DECA is a major US-based student organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality, and management. YEFA's YSIC competition explicitly uses the same StockTrak platform as DECA, making it a direct comparable for youth business/finance competitions.
• SIFMA Foundation - Stock Market Game: The SIFMA Foundation's Stock Market Game is the leading stock market simulation competition for K-12 students, reaching 20+ million students since inception. YEFA's YSIC competes directly in the same simulated trading competition category.
• Invest in Girls: Invest in Girls is a nonprofit that provides financial education programs specifically for high school girls, including investment simulations and personal finance training. It targets a similar youth financial literacy audience with comparable competition formats.
• Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA): FBLA is the largest business career student organization in the US, with high school members competing in finance, entrepreneurship, and business events. YEFA's school club network and competitions directly compete for the same high school student demographic.
• Knowledge@Wharton High School (KWHS): KWHS is the Wharton School's outreach program for high school students focused on business, finance, and investment. Both organizations use the StockTrak platform and target high school students interested in finance, making KWHS a direct comparable for YEFA's YSIC.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE is a nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people from under-resourced communities through experiential learning. YEFA's YSVC impact investing program targets a similar youth entrepreneurship audience.

Others

• StockTrak: StockTrak is the simulated trading platform that powers YEFA's YSIC competition (and similarly powers Wharton, DECA, and FBLA competitions). It serves as a key infrastructure partner and ecosystem enabler for the youth investment competition space.
• Alliance for Impact: Alliance for Impact is a nonprofit organization that certifies the President's Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) and runs youth impact programs. It is a key strategic partner of YEFA, providing the PVSA certification framework for student volunteers.

Emerging players

• Generation On: Generation On is a youth service and volunteering organization that connects young people with volunteer opportunities and issue-based campaigns. YEFA's PVSA program and volunteer recognition framework serve a similar purpose in the youth civic engagement ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement (JA): JA is the largest nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people for success in the global economy, with programs in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and work readiness. YEFA competes in a similar mission space but with a more ESG/sustainable investing focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@yefagroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-entrepreneurship-and-finance-association
• Instagraminstagram.com/yefagroup

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

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 YEFA