Youth Entrepreneur Institute

Name

Youth Entrepreneur Institute

Legal name

Youth Entrepreneur Institute

Website

https://yeidc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Entrepreneurship Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Leadership, Management & Teamwork for Business (EDAMAHAI), Social Entrepreneurship & Impact Business (EDAMAHAK), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• Youth entrepreneurship education
• STEAM youth programs
• Social enterprise youth
• Nonprofit youth services
• Student business development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations & Charitable Contributions: Individual donors contribute to YEI's mission to support youth entrepreneurship, STEAM, and creative economy programming. Donations fund supplies, stipends, equipment, and program operations.
2. Sponsorship: Corporate and foundation sponsors support specific programs, KidBizCON events, youth stipends, and program areas at tiered levels ($500-$15,000+). Sponsors receive recognition, logo placement, and engagement opportunities.
3. Made By Youth Product Sales: Social enterprise platform selling youth-made products including candles (Scented Futures), hair/body care (Good Hair), apparel, jewelry, and custom orders. Revenue supports youth stipends, program sustainability, and paid work-based learning.
4. MBSYEP Youth Employment Funding: YEI serves as a youth employment host site for the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. Participants receive pay through the MBSYEP system while gaining hands-on entrepreneurship experience.
5. Youth Business Support Services: Programs include Smart Hustle Jr., Smart Hustle HS, BizBeauty, and Smart Hustle Abroad providing entrepreneurship education, STEAM, financial literacy, and creative learning experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Youth Entrepreneur Institute is a nonprofit youth-powered economic ecosystem delivering hands-on entrepreneurship, STE(A)M, creative economy, and financial literacy programs to youth in Washington, DC's Ward 8. Core offerings include Smart Hustle Jr., Smart Hustle High School, BizBeauty, Smart Hustle Abroad, and Summer/MBSYEP employment, supported by the Made By Youth social enterprise platform selling youth-made products such as Scented Futures candles and Good Hair care items.

Product overview

Youth Entrepreneur Institute operates as a youth-powered economic ecosystem offering multiple interconnected programs and social enterprise products. The core educational programs include Smart Hustle Jr. (elementary), Smart Hustle High School, BizBeauty (STE(A)M/cosmetics), Smart Hustle Abroad (travel), and Summer/MBSYEP (youth employment). The social enterprise product lines include Good Hair (hair and body care) and Scented Futures (candles), sold through the Made By Youth platform. The ecosystem also features KidBizCON (pitch competitions), Markets & Events (pop-up vending), and a Youth Brand Directory showcasing student-owned businesses. Programs are designed to be interconnected—a student may begin making products, learn branding, pitch a business, sell at pop-ups, join social enterprise, travel for exposure, mentor younger students, or launch their own venture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Made By Youth: YEI's social enterprise platform connecting youth-made products to real customers, supporting youth stipends, paid work-based learning, and program sustainability. Products include candles, body care, apparel, and accessories.
• Scented Futures
• Good Hair
• Smart Hustle Jr.
• Smart Hustle HS
• BizBeauty
• KidBizCON
• Student Brands
• Markets & Events
• Smart Hustle Abroad

Products and services

• Smart Hustle Jr. Elementary school entrepreneurship program teaching business basics, product creation, customer discovery, and youth business development for young students.
• Smart Hustle High School High school entrepreneurship program covering business planning, branding, pitching, vending, customer service, and youth business launch support.
• BizBeauty STE(A)M and beauty/cosmetics program where students learn product-making, cosmetic chemistry, branding, and entrepreneurship through beauty products like candles, body care, and cosmetics.
• Smart Hustle Abroad Travel and entrepreneurship program providing students with global service projects, business marketing experiences across multiple states, college tours, and networking opportunities.
• Summer / MBSYEP Summer youth employment program through the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, providing paid hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, STE(A)M, creative production, and work readiness.
• Scented Futures Youth-run candle line born in YEI's cosmetic lab at Bard High School Early College DC, featuring small-batch hand-poured coconut soy candles, wax melts, and room sprays developed, tested, named, poured, and packaged by DC high school students.
• Good Hair Youth-made hair and body care brand celebrating textured hair, natural beauty, and confidence through handcrafted products including hair oil, whipped body butter, shampoos, conditioners, and hair masks.
• Made By Youth YEI's social enterprise platform connecting youth-made products to real customers, supporting youth stipends, paid work-based learning, and program sustainability through product sales.
• KidBizCON YEI's signature youth entrepreneurship event featuring pitch competitions, workshops, youth marketplace, vendor experiences, and celebration of student businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,500+ youth served since 2015
• +5 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DC Department of Employment Services (DOES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYEI serves as a youth employment host site for the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program (MBSYEP). DOES manages eligibility, placement, payroll, and official program requirements while YEI provides program experience, site supervision, work-based learning activities, and youth development support.
• Bard High School Early College DCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore high school site supporting entrepreneurship, STE(A)M, creative economy, work readiness, and youth business development. YEI operates program sites including the cosmetic lab where Scented Futures candles are produced. Located in Ward 8, Southeast DC.
• Ketcham Elementary SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite for Smart Hustle Jr. programming and BizBeauty Jr. elementary youth entrepreneurship education. Part of YEI's pipeline from elementary through high school entrepreneurship programming.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Junior Achievement USA: Largest US nonprofit delivering entrepreneurship, work-readiness, and financial literacy education to K-12 students, often through school partnerships and student-run ventures. Directly comparable to YEI on target audience (youth), content (entrepreneurship/business skills), and delivery model (school and community sites, sponsored events).
• NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship): Nonprofit focused on entrepreneurship education for young people from under-resourced communities, combining classroom curriculum with pitch competitions and venture launches. Closely comparable to YEI's target segment, pedagogy (pitch competitions, KidBizCON-equivalent events), and underserved-community mission.
• BUILD: Youth entrepreneurship nonprofit that partners with schools in under-resourced communities to help students launch real businesses and develop entrepreneurial mindsets. Highly comparable on target demographic, school-based delivery, real-venture launch model, and outcome-driven funding model.
• Young Americans Center for Financial Education: Nonprofit running youth banking, investment, and business programs including student-operated retail stores and a youth-run business incubator. Comparable to YEI on youth-targeted entrepreneurship programs, real product/service operations, and financial-literacy curriculum.

Broad incumbents

• DECA: National student organization preparing high school and college students for careers in business, marketing, finance, and entrepreneurship through competitive events and curriculum. Comparable on youth entrepreneurship/business education but operates as a much larger, broader career-prep organization rather than a community-rooted nonprofit.

Emerging players

• Ashoka Youth Venture: Ashoka's youth program supporting young people in launching social-impact ventures and teams in their communities. Comparable to YEI's emphasis on youth-led ventures, social entrepreneurship framing, and team-based venture launches, though operating at broader national scale.
• i.c.stars: Nonprofit workforce program using project-based learning and paid apprenticeships to launch careers for young adults from under-resourced communities. Comparable to YEI on under-resourced youth focus, paid work-based learning model, and leadership/peer mentor pipeline, though targeted at slightly older participants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/youthentrepreneurinstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/yeidc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@yeidc

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 Youth Entrepreneur Institute