YBI launches AI Accelerator for young entrepreneurs in Germany 

Youth Business International (YBI), supported by Bank of America, is launching the EmpowerAI Digital Accelerator: a free, five-week programme empowering young entrepreneurs in Germany with the practical AI skills to grow their business smarter, faster, and more competitively.

AI is becoming one of the clearest advantages a small business can have, and the entrepreneurs who learn to use it well are giving themselves a real edge. For most young founders, that edge is hard to reach. The tools are often free or low-cost, but the skills, time, and guidance to use them well rarely are, and generic tutorials don’t translate into a sharper offer, a working sales funnel, or a pitch that convinces a funder. EmpowerAI exists to close that gap, giving founders practical AI workflows they can apply immediately.

The programme is open to entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 who are based in Germany and currently running a business. Applications are particularly encouraged from entrepreneurs in underserved communities, including women, refugees and migrants, and entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Over seven self-paced modules, delivered through YBI’s EYE (Excellence in Youth Entrepreneurship) Academy platform, entrepreneurs will work through their own business data to sharpen their offer, build a sales system that runs reliably, and shape a pitch that lands with funders and customers alike. Every outcome is grounded in the entrepreneur’s own business, not a template.

By the end, participants will have an offer that converts, a sales funnel they know how to diagnose and fix, a lead engine that keeps working even at limited capacity, and a pitch tested and ready for funders and customers. AI can level a playing field that has rarely favoured young entrepreneurs, and EmpowerAI is designed to make sure they’re equipped to take that opportunity.

Three cohorts will run between July and November 2026. Applications are open now via the YBI website.

EmpowerAI is delivered by Youth Business International and supported by Bank of America.