A New Digital Divide
AI is rapidly transforming industries, yet many young entrepreneurs lack digital skills, particularly for new technologies such as AI – this serves to widen the existing digital skills divide.
The AI Ignite project, supported by Accenture aims to equip young entrepreneurs (18 – 35), particularly those from underserved communities, with the knowledge and skills to leverage AI in their businesses. . AI Ignite seeks to close this gap by providing practical, targeted AI training to help young business owners improve efficiency, scalability, and decision-making.
The initiative consists of three phases.
- The YBI AI-Powered Accelerator – A digital programme delivered director to young entrepreneurs focused on applicable skills building supporting 60 young entrepreneurs across three pilot cohorts, offering mentorship, networking, and expert coaching. This pilot phase will inform the fine-tuning and efficacy of the AI Training Curriculum
- Community of Practice (CoP) – A knowledge-sharing platform, for peer learning, expert insights, and AI solution development leveraging the learnings from the YBI AI-powered Accelerator. YBI will co-create the curriculum with network members, ensuring relevance and scalability.
- EYE Academy AI Training Curriculum – A digital curriculum co-created with YBI members, delivered via YBI’s EYE Academy, focusing on core AI skills and competencies.
The YBI AI-Powered Accelerator
The YBI AI-Powered Accelerator is a self-paced, 6-week programme designed for real-world entrepreneurs. The overall purpose is to aide young entrepreneurs to develop and put in place a robust sales system and processes to ensure they can effectively grow their businesses.
This accelerator comes from YBI’s global team of entrepreneurship advisors. Every workflow, diagnostic, and tool inside the program is field-tested with real founders and built to work even if you’re short on time, team, or tech.
Instead of a generic theory, our program gives young entrepreneurs precision tools, smart workflows, and step-by-step diagnostics to show exactly what’s broken — and how to fix it.
Modules:
- Diagnose Your Offer – Clear transformation promise + proof
- Fix Lead-to-Sales Cycle – Mapped process, qualification filters
- Build Consistent Lead Flow Lead targets, 4-week plan
- Get Better Leads Pre-qualification, upgraded messaging
- Get Cheaper Leads – Cost tracking, low-cost channel plan
- Build Lead Engine – Weekly rhythm, automation plan
- The Pitch Reality – consistent messaging and pitching
I use ChatGPT daily, but I couldn’t get a result as I expected. As a result of this module I got a detailed plan”
Udval Shijeeravdan, young entrepreneur and programme participant
Community of Practice
YBI’s communities of practice ensure global reach with real world local expertise. This knowledge sharing platform comprised of members from [insert members] will co-design the curriculum to ensure applicable and effective materials to cater for a wide range of young entrepreneurs globally.
The YBI AI community of practice founding members are: StartUp Vietnam Foundation, The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network (UK), Challenges Worldwide (multiple countries), Bangladesh Youth Enterprise Advice and Helpcentre (BYEAH), and ONOW (Myanmar). The aim of the group is to drive AI thinking and implications on behalf of the Network. From how to deploy the AI Accelerator across the Network after the pilots, to help identify and pursue any AI related opportunities that the broader Network would benefit from.
The AI Training Curriculum
Due to be launched in 2026, the AI training curriculum will be delivered via YBI’s state of the art EYE (Excellence in Youth Entrepreneurship) Academy allowing both those supported by YBI members and individual young entrepreneurs to access the learnings.
It will build on the three pilots and input from the Community of Practice.
