JOVENS EMPREENDEDORES - Construir o Futuro

What JOVENS EMPREENDEDORES - Construir o Futuro does

Jovens Empreendedores – Construir o Futuro (legal name: Jovens Empreendedores – Construir o Futuro 5.0) is a non-profit youth entrepreneurship education project founded in 2012 and promoted by Associação Empresarial de Amarante (AEA), a non-profit business association founded in 1943 and headquartered in Amarante, Portugal. The program targets secondary-school students, teachers, and schools in the Tâmega region of Portugal, delivering non-formal education through a structured annual curriculum that includes workshops, two-day Design Thinking Bootcamps, a Lemonade Stand Challenge, a Business Idea Competition, a Mentor and Inspiration Network, Entrepreneurship Clubs, a CEO for a Day experiential program, and volunteering initiatives aimed at building entrepreneurial, behavioral, and technological competencies among school-age youth. The core methodology is a non-formal education approach centered on Design Thinking and Society 5.0 principles rather than a software-based platform.

The project operates without charging fees to schools or students; its funding is co-financed by the European Social Fund through the POISE Programa Operacional Inclusão Social e Emprego – Parcerias para o Impacto (Parcerias para o Impacto / Partnerships for Impact), and supplemented by a coalition of private social investors including Fundação Manuel António da Mota, Associação de Municípios do Baixo Tâmega, and several SMEs. Distribution is school-based, with 12 schools and training centers across 6 municipalities (Amarante, Baião, Celorico de Basto, Marco de Canaveses, Mondim de Basto, and Resende) currently participating. As of 2022-2023, the program is in its 10th edition, having first expanded beyond Amarante in 2019 and reaching its current six-municipality footprint in 2021-2022. The operating team is small, with a named coordinator (Ana Luísa Oliveira) and educational agent (Liliana Pereira) and approximately 6 total personnel, consistent with a grant-funded community program rather than a commercial venture.

Name

JOVENS EMPREENDEDORES - Construir o Futuro

Legal name

Jovens Empreendedores – Construir o Futuro 5.0

Website

https://jeamarante.pt

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jovens Empreendedores – Construir o Futuro is a non-profit youth entrepreneurship education program in Portugal's Tâmega region, promoting non-formal education through Design Thinking workshops, bootcamps, and mentorship for secondary-school students across 12 schools and 6 municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

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), Innovation & Design Thinking Programs (EDAMAHAD), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Career Exploration & Industry Exposure (Guest Speakers, Company Visits) (EDAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship education
• Non-formal education programs
• Design thinking bootcamps
• School-based mentoring programs
• Business idea competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Amarante

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. European Social Funding: Co-financed by the European Social Fund through the POISE Program - Parcerias para o Impacto (Partnerships for Impact), representing second-time co-financing
2. Social Investors: Funding from private social investors including companies and foundations who support youth entrepreneurship education

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JOVENS EMPREENDEDORES - Construir o Futuro delivers a free, non-formal youth entrepreneurship education program in schools across the Tâmega region of Portugal. The offering consists of an annual cycle of workshops, intensive Design Thinking bootcamps, mentorship through a dedicated mentor network, experiential activities such as a lemonade stand challenge and CEO-for-a-day, a juried Business Idea Competition, and supporting teacher training — all aimed at building entrepreneurial, behavioral, and technological competencies among secondary school students.

Product overview

Jovens Empreendedores - Construir o Futuro is a youth entrepreneurship education program that serves schools in the Tâmega region of Portugal. The program offers a portfolio of educational products including Workshops (skills, self-knowledge, and technology training), Bootcamps (intensive 2-day Design Thinking business idea development), and a Business Idea Competition. Supporting programs include a Mentor Network, Entrepreneurship Clubs, Experiential Learning Activities (CEO for a Day, Lemonade Stand Challenge), and Volunteering initiatives. The program also organizes formal Events (Opening Seminar, Closing Seminar, Young Entrepreneurs Meeting) and provides Teacher Training. The program follows a non-formal education methodology centered on co-creation, collaboration, creativity, and responsibility, targeting students, teachers, and the wider community to develop entrepreneurial competencies for a society 5.0.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workshops Classroom-based theoretical and simulated practical training for youth covering skills, self-knowledge, and technology topics to promote good entrepreneurial practices.
• Bootcamps Intensive two-day program (12 hours in teams) where young people develop a business idea through all construction phases using Design Thinking methodology.
• Business Idea Competition (Concurso de ideias de negócio) Juried competition where candidates from participating schools submit and present their most innovative business ideas for evaluation by a jury.
• Lemonade Stand Challenge (Desafio limonada) Experiential activity that introduces youth entrepreneurship through a real experience of starting a lemonade stand business, teaching goal-setting, planning, and execution skills.
• CEO for a Day (Empresário por um dia) Activity in which students accompany local businesspeople for a day in their work environment, participating in daily activities and learning about culture, work ethics, and career options.
• Volunteering Program (Voluntariado) Inter-school volunteering initiative to develop civic responsibility and community belonging among youth through participation in socially useful projects.
• Mentor and Inspiration Network (Rede de Mentores e Inspiradores) Network of individuals and companies that mentor school-age youth on implementing their projects and finding solutions for complex problems.
• Entrepreneurship Clubs (Clubes de empreendedorismo) Extra-curricular activities at participating schools that supplement classroom learning, with free participation for young people to enhance project execution competencies.
• Training for Educational Agents (Formação para Agentes Educativos) Capacity-building training for teachers responsible for entrepreneurship clubs, enabling them to support students in developing their projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Operates in 6 municipalities reaching students across Amarante, Baião, Celorico de Basto, Marco de Canaveses, Mondim de Basto, and Resende
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IRIS - Incubadora Regional de Inovação SocialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional social innovation incubator providing support and resources to the project
• Associação Empresarial de Amarante (AEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit business association founded in 1943, promoter of the Jovens Empreendedores project. Provides organizational support, governance, and strategic direction
• IET - Instituto Empresarial do TâmegaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness development institute supporting regional entrepreneurship initiatives
• Escola Superior de Tecnologias e Gestão (ESTG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education institution supporting entrepreneurship education
• Casa da Juventude de AmaranteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth center providing community support for youth initiatives
• InvestAmaranteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestment promotion entity for Amarante municipality
• Associação Empresarial de BaiãominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness association in Baião supporting regional entrepreneurship
• Associação Empresarial de Vila MeãminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness association in Vila Meã supporting the program

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement Portugal (JA Portugal): Junior Achievement Portugal is the local affiliate of JA Worldwide, delivering youth entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work-readiness programs in Portuguese schools — directly comparable mission and target audience to Jovens Empreendedores.
• Enactus Portugal: Enactus operates student-led entrepreneurship and social-innovation programs in higher-education and secondary-school settings globally and in Portugal, offering a comparable non-formal entrepreneurship education model with competitions and mentorship.
• NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship): NFTE provides youth entrepreneurship curricula, teacher training, and business plan competitions for secondary-school students in underserved communities — a direct functional parallel to Jovens Empreendedores' Design Thinking bootcamps and Business Idea Competition.
• Ashoka Portugal: Ashoka operates social-entrepreneurship and changemaker education programs, including school-based networks and youth fellowships, overlapping with Jovens Empreendedores' mission of cultivating entrepreneurial and civic competencies in school-age youth.

Broad incumbents

• Junior Achievement Europe: JA Europe is the regional coordinating entity for Junior Achievement's European affiliates, influencing policy and funding flows for youth entrepreneurship education across the EU — comparable to the ecosystem in which Jovens Empreendedores' ESF co-financing operates.
• Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP): IEFP is the Portuguese public employment and vocational training institute offering entrepreneurship modules within its training catalog; it is a broader incumbent whose curriculum choices shape the competitive environment for school-based entrepreneurship programs.
• Fundação AIP / Lisbon Projects: Fundação AIP is a large Portuguese institution running a portfolio of entrepreneurship, vocational training, and education initiatives through programs such as Lisbon Projects; it competes for similar EU and corporate funding pools targeting youth and entrepreneurship education.

Emerging players

• IES – Social Business School: IES is a European social-business and entrepreneurship training provider with programs for youth and educators, representing an emerging player targeting overlapping audiences via shorter, more scalable formats.

Regional players

• ANJE – Associação Nacional de Jovens Empresários: ANJE is the Portuguese national association of young entrepreneurs that runs training programs, incubators, and competitions for aspiring entrepreneurs, serving an adjacent Portuguese audience to Jovens Empreendedores but focused on adults rather than secondary-school students.

Others

• IRIS – Incubadora Regional de Inovação Social: IRIS is a regional social innovation incubator in northern Portugal and a listed strategic partner of Jovens Empreendedores; it represents the local ecosystem of social-innovation intermediaries that share similar funder networks and target beneficiaries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/jovensempreendedores.amarante
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jovens-empreendedores-construir-o-futuro
• Instagraminstagram.com/jovens_empreendedores_amarante

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about JOVENS EMPREENDEDORES - Construir o Futuro