Deadline: February 16, 2020.

The Yunus&Youth Fellowship Program is a six-month online program designed to empower young social entrepreneurs to develop their full potential by strengthening business models, building compelling strategies for social ventures and expanding professional networks.

Early–stage startups have particular needs in order to grow. If you answer “yes” to any of the questions below, we encourage you to apply for the Y&Y Fellowship Program.

• Do you need help refining the combination of problem to solve, idea or potential customer?
• Do you need help with your go-to-market strategy and access to potential customers?
• Do you need marketing support as well as recruitment and other services associated with rapid growth?
• Do you need help building financial projections, statements and controls?

ELIGIBILITY

Y&Y Fellows are selected based on the following criteria:

• Demonstrated dedication and commitment to building a social business and solving a social issue in their community;
• Willingness to receive professional guidance and work hard to grow and develop their social business;
• Being the founder, co-founder or having full decision-making power in the organization;
• Fluency in English;
• Generally between 18-30 years old with a few exceptions made for outstanding applicants over 30.

Special consideration for:

• Solutions that represent an advance in the way of tackling a problem to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals;
• Ideas that integrate new technologies;
• Innovations that specifically target problems faced by any of the following groups: youth, women, ethnic/racial minorities, LGBTQ+, refugees and displaced persons or persons with disability.

BENEFITS

1. Mentoring Relationship: Young social entrepreneurs and corporate professionals are connected by Y&Y to turn their business expertise and passion for social change into an actionable plan. Mentors are matched with a co-mentor and a Fellow based on mentors’ strengths and the needs of the entrepreneur. Fellows are educated through a structured 6-month online program, ensuring an effective transfer of knowledge and guidance due to mentoring guides, Y&Y monitoring, as well as frequent performance reviews.
2. Business Plan Development: Fellows join the Y&Y online platform, an exclusively curated learning journey designed to meet early-stage social entrepreneurs’ main needs and challenges. With the support of their peers and mentors, Y&Y Fellows complete a series of assignments comprehending the following modules: Solution and Strategy, Revenue Model, Marketing Strategy, Impact Measurement, Partnerships, Funding and Grants, and Pitch and Storytelling.
3. Final Online Pitch Competition: This is the very last phase of the Y&Y Fellowship Program. It is an opportunity for Y&Y Fellows to present their social businesses to a team of real investors, shape their presentation skills and test their pitch decks. Pitching competitions offer a unique platform where startups stand to gain early exposure and attention from investors and other stakeholders.
4. Global Y&Y Alumni Community: &Y Fellows who successfully complete all mandatory assignments receive a certificate of graduation and join our exclusive Alumni Network. Being a Y&Y Fellow means having a support network of former fellows, business leaders, institutions and other like-minded social entrepreneurs around the world that will help them grow their business even further.

OFFICIAL LINK: http://yunusandyouth.com/apply/