Inside the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards: Celebrating Generation Growth

Youth Business International’s Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award celebrates innovative, inspiring young entrepreneurs who are leading the way in impact business.

With the YBI Bootcamp now underway, ambitious founders from around the world are developing their businesses and testing new approaches to growth and impact. As the programme progresses, attention turns to the entrepreneurs whose ideas and businesses demonstrate exceptional potential. Those who make the shortlist will have the chance to win up to $10,000 to grow their business.

From harnessing AI to tackling social and environmental challenges and reimagining how business gets done, the award recognises three distinct pathways to entrepreneurial impact.

Three categories, one shared purpose

AI-Driven Entrepreneurship

For founders using Artificial Intelligence as a core part of their products, services or operations to drive innovation, efficiency and impact, such as improving crop yields for smallholder farmers or widening access to education and healthcare.

Social & Green Entrepreneurship

For founders whose primary goal is to solve societal and environmental challenges, from poverty and education to waste management and sustainable agriculture, like affordable clean energy for underserved communities.

</p>

Smart Growth & Innovation

For founders with highly innovative products, services or business models that drive significant growth and change within their sector, such as community-based healthcare solutions or traditional industries run through new models.

 

Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Each category winner receives $5,000. The Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year is then selected from the three category winners and receives an overall prize of $10,000.

Every year, one young entrepreneur rises to represent the ambition, ingenuity and impact at the heart of the YBI network. A founder who sees a challenge and dares to do something about it, building a business that creates change, opens doors and inspires others to think bigger.

That’s what the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award is all about: celebrating young people who prove that business can be a force for good, creating solutions to pressing challenges while generating opportunities and jobs for the next generation.

The Awards journey

Sep-Nov 2026: Online phase. Participants name their chosen award category in their application. To be considered as a finalist, they need to complete the online course and participate fully in the live sessions.

Dec 2026: Finalists announced. 21 finalists, seven per category, are selected and invited to the in-person Bootcamp in Nairobi, Kenya. Profiles of the finalists will be published online.

Jan-Feb 2027: Public voting opens in early January until 12 Feb, giving you the opportunity to support the entrepreneurs who inspire you most.

15-19 Feb 2027: In-person phase and pitch competition. Finalists pitch to a panel of expert judges in Nairobi. The final decision is made by the YBI team, based on the judges’ insight and the weighting of the public vote.

19 Feb 2027: Winners announced. At the closing celebration, the three category winners are revealed, and one of them is crowned Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Have your say

Public voting opens in early January and runs until 12 February. You can vote once in each category, so choose the finalists who inspire you most and help support youth-led businesses making a positive impact as part of Generation Growth.

Sign up for updates to receive the latest news on the finalists and the opening of public voting below.

Follow YBI on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook for further updates on the awards.