What Young Entrepreneurs Program does

Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP KC) is a 501(c)-style nonprofit founded in 2016 and launched operationally in Kansas City in 2017, with a second chapter in Columbus, Ohio established in 2019. The organization runs a selective, paid summer internship program for high-achieving high school juniors and seniors in the Kansas City metro, placing accepted students at 15+ curated high-growth local startups across fintech, logistics, engineering, payments, venture capital, and other sectors for two summer sessions of 30-hour work weeks. Students are paid $12–14 per hour and receive a $2,500 scholarship ($1,250 per session) upon completing both sessions; the program is free to participants and funded entirely through donations and charitable contributions. Beyond direct internships, YEP runs weekly Friday company visits exposing the cohort to multiple industries, maintains a lifelong alumni network, and publishes alumni outcome stories on its website to drive future applicant flow.

YEP was co-founded by Sandy Kemper (also founder and CEO of C2FO), Christine Kemper, and Jeremy Colwell; its senior leadership team draws heavily from C2FO, which serves as the primary internship host across multiple functions including market operations, product, marketing, and supplier relationship management. Executive Director Erin Jenkins, who joined in late 2022 from the Kauffman Foundation, leads day-to-day operations. Since inception, YEP has served over 150 scholars drawn from 26+ Kansas City-area high schools, with alumni progressing to top-tier universities including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, University of Kansas, University of Missouri, George Washington University, Tulane, and Villanova. The business model is nonprofit donation-funded; YEP charges participants nothing and operates with a core team of 16 employees. Its GTM motion is event-driven (annual February application deadline with up to three interview rounds) and community-led (alumni referrals, teacher nomination letters, school newsletter partnerships).

Name

Young Entrepreneurs Program

Legal name

Young Entrepreneurs Program

Website

https://yepkc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Young Entrepreneurs Program is a Kansas City-based nonprofit that runs a selective paid summer internship program placing high school juniors and seniors at 15+ local high-growth startups, with a second chapter in Columbus, Ohio.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Internships, Externships & Work-Based Learning Placement (EDAMAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF), Experiential Learning & Internships/Co-ops (EDALABAG)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship programs
• High school internships
• Nonprofit education
• Startup mentorship
• Scholarship programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: YEP operates as a nonprofit internship and scholarship program. Funding comes from donations and the program provides students with hourly compensation ($12-14/hour) and a scholarship ($2,500 total; $1,250 per session) upon completion. Revenue is not generated from students; instead the organization funds itself through charitable contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

YEP runs a paid summer internship program that places high school juniors and seniors at high-growth Kansas City startups for two summer sessions. Students work 30-hour weeks, receive $12-14/hour compensation, and earn a $2,500 completion scholarship. The program supplements internships with weekly Friday company visits across the KC startup ecosystem and maintains a lifelong alumni network. Founded in 2017 and expanded to Columbus, Ohio in 2019.

Product overview

Young Entrepreneurs Program (YEP KC) is a single, unified summer internship program for high school juniors and seniors. The program operates through four interconnected components: the core YEP KC Summer Internship Program (which matches students with host companies), the KC Partners Network (a curated network of 15+ high-growth Kansas City startups that serve as internship hosts), Friday Company Visits (weekly cohort field trips to learn about diverse industries and entrepreneurship), and the YEP Alumni Network (ongoing post-program connection and mentorship). Students complete 30-hour work weeks during two summer sessions (June and July) at their assigned host company, receive $12-14/hour plus a $2,500 scholarship upon completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YEP KC Summer Internship Program A premier entrepreneurial-experience-focused internship program for high school students (juniors and seniors) that partners with 15+ high-growth Kansas City startups. Students work 30-hour weeks during summer sessions and receive hourly compensation plus scholarship upon completion.
• YEP Columbus Internship Program A sister chapter of YEP providing the same paid summer internship experience for high school students in the Columbus, Ohio market, featuring partner companies in the local startup ecosystem.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150 scholars served since 2017 across 26+ Kansas City metro high schools, with alumni attending top universities including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, University of Kansas, and others.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Super DispatchminorOthersSuper Dispatch is an auto transport platform for carriers, shippers, and brokers. It is one of the partner companies that hosts YEP KC interns, providing students with exposure to the automotive and logistics technology sector.
• BungiiminorOthersBungii is a tech-enabled, on-demand large item last-mile delivery company. Serves as a YEP KC internship host partner, exposing students to the logistics and transportation technology industry.
• C2FOcoreOthersC2FO matches Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable to help suppliers get paid sooner. It is the most prominent internship host partner — founded by Sandy Kemper (YEP co-founder), hosting the majority of YEP interns across multiple departments (market operations, supplier relationship management, marketing, product).
• DauplerminorOthersDaupler provides technology to help public works, utilities, and service providers improve response capabilities and customer confidence. Hosts YEP KC interns.
• AltCapminorOthersAltCap is an alternative financing organization founded in 2005 to stimulate economic activity in economically-distressed communities. Serves as a YEP KC internship host partner.
• FSC Inc.minorOthersFSC Inc. is a multi-disciplinary consulting engineering firm providing fire protection, MEP engineering, code life safety, commissioning, and LEED services. Hosts YEP KC interns for engineering exposure.
• TreviPayminorOthersTreviPay developed a B2B commerce payment method with real-time authorizations across all sales channels and customer sizes. Hosts YEP KC interns.
• PipelineminorOthersPipeline is a network of high-performing Midwest entrepreneurs with access to a national expert network. Partners with YEP KC to support entrepreneurial education.
• StartlandminorOthersStartland is a community-building nonprofit that creates a better-connected entrepreneurial and innovation community in Kansas City through journalism, events, and education. Co-hosts Entrepreneurial Bootcamp days with YEP.
• Fenaroli & AssociatesminorOthersFenaroli & Associates specializes in C-Suite, VP roles, and board placements, led by Karen Fenaroli (Managing Partner and CEO). Hosts YEP KC interns.
• KCSourceLinkminorOthersKCSourceLink helps aspiring startups and established businesses find the right resources to start, scale, and accelerate. A partner of YEP KC.
• Flyover CapitalminorOthersFlyover Capital supports people and companies underestimated in the Flyover region. YEP interns have visited Flyover Capital to learn about startup financing.
• TracticsminorOthersTractics provides office management tools offering real-time visibility into project components for field and fleet management. Hosts YEP KC interns.
• KC G.I.F.T.minorOthersKC G.I.F.T. is a small-business accelerator providing Black business owners in Kansas City's historically redlined neighborhoods with equitable access to financial support through grants, marketing services, and free business resources.
• NoonanminorOthersNoonan is a Kansas City-based technology company providing AI-powered real-time strategy and shot recommendations for golfers. Hosts YEP KC interns.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• LaunchCode: LaunchCode is a nonprofit that places aspiring technologists into paid apprenticeships at tech companies, mirroring YEP's model of nonprofit-facilitated paid work-based learning placements at partner startups (originally St. Louis-based, similar to YEP's KC focus).
• DECA: DECA is a student-led organization preparing high school and college students for careers in business, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship through competitions and work-based learning, closely mirroring YEP's career-preparation focus.
• BUILD: BUILD provides high school students from underserved communities with entrepreneurship education, mentoring, and real-world business experience — a directly comparable youth entrepreneurship nonprofit model.
• Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement is a national nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, work-readiness, and financial literacy programs to K-12 students, directly comparable to YEP's youth entrepreneurship-education mission at national scale.
• Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE): NFTE is a nonprofit that activates the entrepreneurial mindset in young people from under-resourced communities through classroom and experiential programs, the closest direct mission-comparable peer to YEP.

Broad incumbents

• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Kauffman Foundation is a major Kansas City philanthropy focused on entrepreneurship education and research; YEP's Executive Director Erin Jenkins previously led Kauffman entrepreneurship grantmaking, making it a directly adjacent funder/incumbent in the same ecosystem.
• Venture For America: Venture For America places recent college graduates into startup apprenticeships in emerging U.S. cities; same "paid work-based learning at growth startups" thesis as YEP but targets post-college talent instead of high schoolers.

Regional players

• Pipeline Entrepreneurs: Pipeline is a network of high-performing Midwest entrepreneurs with national expert access; it partners with YEP on entrepreneurial education and shares the same regional KC/Midwest entrepreneur-development thesis.
• INJAZ Al-Arab / Junior Achievement International: INJAZ is a regional nonprofit federation delivering youth work-readiness and entrepreneurship programs modeled after Junior Achievement; comparable in mission but operating in MENA rather than the U.S. Midwest.
• Startland: Startland is a Kansas City nonprofit building the local entrepreneurship and innovation community through journalism, events, and education — a direct YEP community partner and regional counterpart in the KC ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yep-kc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Young Entrepreneurs Program