YBI and JPMorgan Chase launch programme to support underserved and young entrepreneurs

YBI is delighted to announce a new initiative supported by JPMorgan Chase for underserved and young entrepreneurs in Germany, France, South Africa, Spain and the UK to build more sustainable and environmentally conscious businesses.

The programme will be delivered by our members KIZ in Germany, Positive Planet in France, Hatch Enterprise in the UK, Youth Business Spain, and our delivery partner Fetola in South Africa. Guided by YBI and an expert consultant, our members and delivery partner will develop a sustainability toolkit to improve and strengthen their services to help underserved and young entrepreneurs better understand the relationship and impact between profit, planet, and people and apply sustainability principles to their business practices.

The toolkit will be piloted to support 300 micro and small businesses across Germany, France, South Africa, Spain and the UK from March 2023 until the end of 2024. It will enable them to assess how sustainable their business is, make practical changes to become more sustainable, and communicate their impact. The underserved small businesses are typically owned by people who are facing socio-economic disadvantages and inequalities and have been traditionally disconnected from business resources. This includes women, youth, Black and Minoritised ethnicities, migrants, and people with low income.

Across our global network, we see a growing strong desire and effort among the entrepreneurs we support to run sustainable, environmentally conscious businesses. It is therefore vital that we provide them with the right support to achieve this.

Following the pilot, YBI will offer a Training of Trainers programme to 10 additional entrepreneurship support organisations (ESOs) in Germany, France, South Africa, Spain and the UK to help them build or improve their support offering for underserved and young entrepreneurs on their sustainability journey.

Anita Tiessen, CEO of Youth Business International (YBI), said:

“Across our global network, we see many underserved and young entrepreneurs who have enormous potential and the desire to become leaders in sustainable and environmentally conscious business. But many lack the right support and resources to achieve this. We are delighted to be partnering with JPMorgan Chase to deliver a programme that will empower underserved and young entrepreneurs to transform their businesses for the better.”

Colleen Ebbitt, Head of EMEA Small Business Philanthropy at J.P. Morgan, said:

“JPMorgan Chase is excited to support the sustainability efforts of these small businesses and founders through the YBI programme. This effort will bring invaluable learnings to participating organizations and contribute to a more sustainable economy.”