Youth Leaders Foundation

What Youth Leaders Foundation does

Youth Leaders Foundation (YLF) is an Egyptian non-profit organization founded in 2017 and headquartered in Cairo, operating a portfolio of eight youth development programs targeting university students, vocational school female students, secondary-school student unions, and student-led activities across 27 governorates. Its program portfolio includes the Leadership Program, Leaders League (a student-activity platform with 611 member activities), She Leads (vocational-school female entrepreneurship), She Leads Universities, Banan (female entrepreneur capacity building in partnership with Attijariwafa Bank Egypt), Climate Leaders (presented at COP27), Learning Expert (engineering students, with Concrete Plus), and SU Leaders (secondary-school student unions, funded by the EU and UNICEF). YLF operates under the patronage of four Egyptian government ministries — Higher Education and Scientific Research, Education and Technical Education, Social Solidarity, and the National Council for Women — and is aligned with Egypt's Vision 2030 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The organization runs a platform-plus-modules architecture where each program follows a common lifecycle: application, multi-stage filtration (competency-based interviews, assessments, panels), 4–5 month customized development/training phase, mentorship, and final competition with grants or incubator support. Delivery is conducted directly through 48 university partnerships, vocational schools, and training camps, with final events attended by ministers and governors. The business model is non-commercial: YLF does not charge participants and instead is funded by a mix of Egyptian government ministry patronage, international development grants (European Union, UNICEF), and corporate sponsorships (Attijariwafa Bank Egypt, Concrete Plus, and other national companies). In 2023, YLF was granted Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), providing formal access to UN policy platforms. Headcount stands at approximately 73 employees, and cumulative reach exceeds 250,000 students through 5,021+ training hours delivered.

Name

Youth Leaders Foundation

Legal name

Youth Leaders Foundation

Website

https://ylf-eg.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Youth Leaders Foundation is an Egyptian non-profit founded in 2017 that runs leadership, entrepreneurship, and climate programs for university students, vocational-school girls, and secondary-school student unions across 27 governorates, funded by government ministries, the EU, UNICEF, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Empowerment and Leadership Development

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Youth empowerment programs
• Leadership development training
• Entrepreneurship education
• Student activities platform
• Vocational school support

Headquarters

HQ city

Cairo

HQ country

Egypt

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation/Non-profit Operations: As a registered non-profit organization (registered number 809 for 2017), YLF operates through partnerships with government ministries, international organizations, and private sector sponsors. The organization does not generate commercial revenue but relies on funding and support from partners including EU, UNICEF, Attijariwafa Bank Egypt, Concrete Plus, and various Egyptian ministries.
2. Program-based Support: Programs receive funding and support through government partnerships (Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Solidarity, National Council for Women) and international partnerships (UNICEF, European Union).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Youth Leaders Foundation delivers a portfolio of free youth empowerment and leadership development programs for Egyptian university students, vocational school students, student activities, and entrepreneurs. Programs follow a structured pipeline of application, filtration phases, customized training, mentorship, and final competitions with grants, operated in partnership with government ministries, international organizations, and private sector sponsors.

Product overview

Youth Leaders Foundation operates a portfolio of youth empowerment programs organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include: the Leadership Program for university students; Leaders League for student activities; She Leads and Banan for female entrepreneurs from vocational schools; She Leads Universities for female university students; Climate Leaders for environmental innovation; Learning Expert for engineering students; and SU Leaders for school student unions. These programs share common elements including filtration phases, development/training phases, mentorship, and competition/grant opportunities, unified by YLF's mission to develop potential youth leaders aligned with Egypt's Vision 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership Program A development program designed to find, develop, and support young leadership potential in universities across Egypt. The program identifies promising talent through multiple filtration phases (application, competency-based interview, online assessment, practical assessment, panel interviews) and trains them through a 5-month customized development journey followed by implementation phases where teams create community-serving or business ideas.
• Leaders League The first and biggest platform for student activities across Egypt, designed to help student activities develop and sustain their community-serving projects and achieve Egypt's Vision 2030. The platform offers funding opportunities, mentorship, quality trainings, and networking opportunities. 611 student activities from 48 universities in 21 governorates have joined Leaders League.
• She Leads The first development program for girls in vocational schools in Egypt, created in partnership with the National Council for Women and Ministry of Education. It aims to transform female students into entrepreneurs with stable and successful projects through quality training focusing on personal development and business knowledge, mentorship phases, and final competitions with funding grants.
• Climate Leaders A program that brings together university students, student activities, and startups with innovative ideas for green initiatives and environmental solutions. Aligned with Egypt's Vision 2030 and SDGs, the program supports climate action through emissions reduction, scaled-up adaptation efforts, and enhanced finance flows. Teams compete in four categories: Startups, Ideas, Awareness, and Student Activities.
• Learning Expert (Engineering Leaders) A partnership between YLF and Concrete Plus designed specifically for Engineering University students to narrow the gap between engineering education and working life through case studies, competitions, internship opportunities, and funding opportunities. Winners receive internships in the partner company.
• Banan (بنان) A program launched in 2023 in collaboration with Attijariwafa Bank Egypt and under the auspices of the National Council for Women. It focuses on empowering female entrepreneurs with comprehensive capacity building including tailored training programs, equipped workshops (technology, art, tailoring), e-commerce website, and a permanent showroom in Zamalek. The program works through three main development phases and a final competition.
• She Leads Universities A transformative program designed to empower female university students in Egypt aged 18-25 in Cairo and Alexandria with the skills and knowledge needed to become successful entrepreneurs or freelancers. The program includes three phases: Awareness Phase (entrepreneurship, AI in business, freelancing), Development Phase (specialized training, mentorship, networking), and Implementation Phase (business idea implementation, funding access).
• SU Leaders (Students Union Leaders Program) A program under the Ministerial Group for Human Development, under the patronage of the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Ministry of Education, in collaboration with National Council for Women and National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, in partnership with UNICEF, and funded by the European Union. It focuses on empowering members of school student unions across Egypt through boot camps, training phases, and implementation of student initiatives.

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024International organization partnership for Student Union Leaders Program. UNICEF provides technical support and international best practices for youth development initiatives.
• Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Cooperation protocol signed for supporting students and developing their leadership skills. AASTMT provides institutional framework for program delivery across multiple branches.
• Attijariwafa Bank EgyptcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Banking partnership for Banan program supporting female entrepreneurs from vocational schools. Bank provides financial support and expertise for women entrepreneurship development.
• Concrete PluscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Corporate partnership for Learning Expert (Engineering Leaders) program. Concrete Plus provides case studies from the corporate side, mentorship, internship opportunities, and awards for engineering students.
• Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (Egypt)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Government partnership for alignment with Egypt's Vision 2030 and sustainable development goals. The ministry supports YLF programs targeting university students and academic institutions.
• Ministry of Education and Technical Education (Egypt)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership for programs targeting vocational school students and student union leaders in secondary schools. Ministry provides institutional support and alignment with national education strategy.
• Ministry of Social Solidarity (Egypt)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Government partnership for youth empowerment and social development programs. Ministry supports student union programs and community development initiatives.
• National Council for Women (Egypt)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership focused on women's empowerment and gender equality. NCW provides patronage for She Leads and Banan programs targeting female students and entrepreneurs.
• Various Egyptian UniversitiescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership with 48 universities across Egypt for program delivery, student recruitment, and leadership development initiatives.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Plan International Egypt: Plan International Egypt is a country office of a global NGO focused on children's and youth rights, including gender equality and youth empowerment. It overlaps with YLF in segments served (Egyptian youth, especially girls) and in partnering with government, but operates at significantly greater scale as part of an international federation.
• Endeavor Egypt: Endeavor Egypt selects and supports high-impact entrepreneurs across Egypt, including young founders, with mentorship and global network access. It is comparable to YLF in the entrepreneurship-development segment (She Leads, Banan), though Endeavor serves more mature founders and operates as part of a global network.
• British Council Egypt: British Council Egypt runs youth-facing programs including entrepreneurship, leadership, and active citizenship initiatives with Egyptian universities and schools. It overlaps with YLF in mission (youth leadership and employability) and in operating through university partnerships, but as a larger intergovernmental cultural body.
• Ashoka Arab World: Ashoka Arab World identifies and supports leading social entrepreneurs across the MENA region, including youth changemakers. It is a broader incumbent in the same "youth social impact" space, with a wider regional mandate and a fellowship rather than direct program delivery model.

Others

• Helwan University Student Activities / Egyptian University Student Unions: Egyptian public universities (e.g., Helwan, Cairo, Ain Shams) host student union bodies that YLF's Leaders League and SU Leaders programs engage. They are comparable ecosystem participants: they operate student activities that YLF serves, and could in principle scale competing programming in-house with sufficient funding.
• UNICEF Egypt: UNICEF Egypt is both a current YLF program partner (SU Leaders) and a parallel actor funding youth-focused programming across Egypt. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant and a potential funder/competitor for similar youth development mandates in the country.

Direct peers

• Education for Employment (EFE): EFE is a non-profit network operating across the MENA region that connects youth to employment through training and employer partnerships. It is directly comparable to YLF in mission (youth economic empowerment), regional footprint, and a model that combines training with corporate/international sponsorship.
• Nahdet El Mahrousa: Nahdet El Mahrousa is an Egyptian social entrepreneurship development organization supporting youth-led ventures and community initiatives, with programs targeting university students and early-stage entrepreneurs. It is directly comparable to YLF in geographic focus (Egypt), beneficiary type (youth), and program structure (training, incubation-style support, partnership-led delivery).
• Injaz Egypt: Injaz Egypt is a non-profit delivering entrepreneurship, work-readiness, and financial literacy programs to Egyptian university and school students, often through corporate-sponsored curricula. It is the most direct peer: similar target segments (Egyptian youth), similar mission (economic empowerment), similar corporate-partnership funding model, and overlapping curricular architecture (training, mentorship, competitions).

Emerging players

• AIESEC Egypt: AIESEC is a global youth-led organization present on Egyptian university campuses, focused on leadership development, cross-cultural exchange, and youth volunteering. It overlaps meaningfully with YLF's Leadership Program and university-led model, though AIESEC's emphasis is on international exchange rather than community service or vocational entrepreneurship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtiktok.com/@youth.leaders.foundation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@youthleadersfoundation8279
• Facebookfacebook.com/ylf.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/youth-leaders-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/youthleadersfoundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Youth Leaders Foundation