Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Meet the judges

Revealing the winner of the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award has long been a highlight in the YBI calendar.  This year is no exception with the winner being announced at a glamourous award ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya as a highlight of our Global Youth Entrepreneurship Summit 2024.

This year, nine inspiring young people were shortlisted to be finalists after pitching their responsible, social and climate businesses to a panel of experts at the Youth Business International Bootcamp in London in June.

Since then, the public has been casting their votes to determine the three category winners of the Climate Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Entrepreneurship Awards.  

It’s now over to a final panel of judges to choose one overall winner to be crowned YBI’s Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year. YBI’s judging panel boasts expert knowledge of what it takes to overcome the odds and start a successful business as a young person, with industry expertise and start-up know-how.

Meet the judges

Namita Datta

Namita is the Program Head of Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) at the World Bank. S4YE is the World Bank’s multistakeholder global program that brings together the private sector, CSOs, think tanks and youth to curate and learn from innovative solutions to youth employment.

“Almost a billion young people are going to join the workforce in the next decade. If we continue at this rate less than half will have a job. Business as usual will not work. Innovative approaches are needed, and one organization cannot do it alone. We need to join hands to help address systemic and persistent unemployment and lack of quality jobs for youth across the world, and employment through entrepreneurship is one of the key pathways forward. The Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE) is proud to be a partner in this endeavour.”

Marta Krupinska

Marta founded her first business at 19. She has since co-founded three businesses and has been widely recognized for her achievements and contribution to the field of entrepreneurship, including recognition in Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in 2016 and their top 60 Female Tech Executives globally in 2018 as well as Evening Standard (London’s Most Influential People). Currently, she is CEO and Co-Founder of CUR8, a market-maker for carbon removals – a groundbreaking climate change mitigation and reversal industry. Marta is also the chair of the YBI Board.

‘I’m delighted to be a judge for the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2024. It’s inspiring to see young people from around the world coming up with great ideas and dedicating their lives to building a better future for themselves and their communities.  The standard of participants I met at YBI’s Bootcamp in June means I know it will be a difficult job. Good luck to all the finalists!”

David Halabisky

David is a project co-ordinator in the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. He is currently working on several projects related to entrepreneurship policy, including a multi-year project on inclusive entrepreneurship and is the main author of the Missing Entrepreneurs reports. He is also leading the new OECD-EU Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy.

“It is always really exciting to see the ideas that young entrepreneurs come up with!”

Stephanie Ayieta

Stephanie is an award-winning multimedia journalist currently working at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, where she hosts the popular technology program “Take on Tech” and a vibrant morning show on Y254, Kenya’s youth station. With a keen interest in business and technology, Stephanie is dedicated to keeping her audience informed with timely tech updates that highlight crucial issues impacting today’s youth.

“I am both excited and greatly honoured to be a judge for the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year, as it allows me to celebrate the innovative and passionate individuals who are shaping the future through their entrepreneurial spirit.”

Join us at the Global Youth Entrepreneurship Summit, 8-10 October in Nairobi, Kenya, for the awards ceremony where the three category winners and the overall winner will be announced.