Discover your inner startupper!
Eager to enter the startups-verse? Join the Young Entrepreneurs program until April 30, 2023
and take a deep dive into the world of entrepreneurship.
Young Entrepreneurs:
The First Step Of Your Startup Journey
What?
Young Entrepreneurs is an intense program designed to equip you with the necessary tools and skills to understand the startup world. From practical strategies and creative exercises to hands-on learnings during lectures and workshops—all the program activities are aimed at preparing you for future professional challenges in the startup world, or elsewhere.
Where?
Online, April 16th – May 29
Onsite, July 17 – August 9
How?
Phase 1 – the online part of the program – is 100% free of charge. So what arearee you waiting for? Start PEFORMing!
Phase 2 – the onsite part of the program – is available to a limited amount of best-performing participants in two ways:
a) Full or partial scholarship (read more about eligibility criteria in the FAQ);
b) YE Ticket of 1.000€, including 10 onsite days of entrepreneurial activities, and 10 nights of accommodation in the given city.
Young Entrepreneurs:
The First Step Of Your Startup Journey
What?
Young Entrepreneurs is an intense program designed to equip you with the necessary tools and skills to understand the startup world. From practical strategies and creative exercises to hands-on learnings during lectures and workshops—all the program activities are aimed at preparing you for future professional challenges in the startup world, or elsewhere.
Where?
Online, April 16th - May 29 Onsite in: Bilbao (Spain), July 17 - July 26 Cluj Napoca (Romania), July 17 - July 26 Tallinn (Estonia), July 31 - August 9 Marbella (Spain), July 31 - August 9
How?
Phase 1 - the online part of the program - is free of charge. Phase 2 - the onsite part of the program - is available to participants in two ways: a) Apply for a scholarship (limited amount); b) Pay the participation fee of 1.000€.
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Young Entrepreneur?
Young Entrepreneurs is designed for university students eager to learn more about entrepreneurship and what it takes to build a startup.
Passion for learning & self-development
Every minute of the program is filled with knowledge and experience from seasoned startup founders and serial entrepreneurs.
International & open mind
You’ll get to meet fellow young entrepreneurs and mentors from all over the world, for a truly international experience.
Fluency in English
Prepare to put your English to good use and polish up your business vocabulary— your fellow students and mentors come from diverse backgrounds and places—as all the communication is in English.
Passion for learning & self-development
Every minute of the program is filled with knowledge and experience from seasoned startup founders and serial entrepreneurs.
International & open mind
You’ll get to meet fellow young entrepreneurs and mentors from all over the world, for a truly international experience.
Fluency in English
Prepare to put your English to good use and polish up your business vocabulary — your fellow students and mentors come from diverse backgrounds and places—as all the communication is in English.
The Ins & Outs of the Program
This is a hybrid program that entails both online and onsite presence.
Prepare for 80+ hours’ worth of learning about all things startups and entrepreneurship.
Online Content, Assignments, and International networking
Workshops, lectures, and case studies that cover various business, startup founder and team aspects, but not limited to:
- Finding your purpose and values
- The key principles of robust communication in your startup team
- Defining business roles and responsibilities in your startup
- The essentials for effective planning
- Avoiding burnout and how to stay focused and motivated
Once you have gone through all the content, at the end of Phase 1 Online, there is the Graduation Day, where you will be awarded and, if selected, invited to join Phase 2 Onsite.
or July 31- August 9 (If selected)
Trip For Onsite Coaching & Applied Learning
A 10-day onsite program in Cluj Napoca and Tallinn filled with workshops, lectures, founder stories, office visits, pitching exercises, and…a hackathon.
Here are just some of the topics you will have to go through:
- Company culture and values
- Business modeling and experimentation
- Sales and pitching
- Creativity and digital marketing
- The basics of legal and financing your startup
In the end, you’ll apply all the learnings in a hackathon event at the end of which your team will prepare a pitch deck and present the final idea. Just like real startups do!
Pre-Accelerator & Alumni Community & Networking
All the participants become a part of the Startup Wise Guys YE alumni community with access to a global network of startups and mentors as well as such perks as quarterly community events, brought by Startup Wise Guys.
The best teams from the Hackathon will also have the opportunity to enter the SWG Pre-Acceleration program if they wish so and continue working on their idea. Or individuals may be interning with SWG’s portfolio startups.
Meet Young Entrepreneurs Mentors & Experts
Nicklas Pavoncelli
Head of Startup Wise Guys Foundation
Davide Coppola
Young Entrepreneurs coordinator
Razvan Suta
Anni Saar
Head of Legal at Startup Wise Guys
Cristobal Alonso
CEO at Startup Wise Guys and co-author of PERFORM: The Unsexy Truth about (Startup) Success
Herty Tammo
Mariia Tintul
Head of Startup Wise Guys Business Development
Stoyan Yankov
Productivity Coach and co-author of PERFORM: The Unsexy Truth about (Startup) Success
Dan le Man
And more!
The fact that we met real founders and could freely ask them any questions we want, was one of the most interesting things of the Program
It was a perfect fit as I got to know more about the startup industry, how everything works. And I met a lot of cool & ambitious people.
This program is a must-attend for starting your entrepreneurial journey. If you want to unleash your growth mindset and be the person you really want to be, then come and join the SWG family.
This program will allow you to learn more about the world of startups and business with amazing people from around the world.
This is the most enjoyable and coolest program I have ever been a part of compared to any other school experience I have had.
Young Entrepreneurs: Powered by Startup Wise Guys & Swedbank
Young Entrepreneurs is designed and powered by two of the strongest institutions on all things entrepreneurship within the Nordics region – Startup Wise Guys and Swedbank.
Founded in 2012, Start Wise Guys is the leading European B2B startup accelerator and early stage investor with 370+ portfolio startups and 80% success rate. In 2021 the Startup Wise Guys Foundation was founded for aspiring entrepreneurs and world-class mentors to accelerate innovation, business growth, and international expansion for youth.
Swedbank empowers people and businesses to create a better future. Our purpose is firmly anchored in our 200-year heritage. Since the start of the savings banks movement, we have believed in everyone’s opportunity to improve their financial situation.
Sponsored by
Host partners
Founded in 2012, Start Wise Guys is the leading European B2B startup accelerator and early stage investor with 370+ portfolio startups and 80% success rate. In 2021 the Startup Wise Guys Foundation was founded for aspiring entrepreneurs and world-class mentors to accelerate innovation, business growth, and international expansion for youth
Founded in 1988, EBS is one of the oldest business educational institutions in the Baltics. With a particular focus on innovation and sustainability, it’s considered one of the strongest business schools in the region. Students participating in the Young Entrepreneurs program can get an Erasmus Exchange semester in EBS and get ECTS points.
Host partners
Community partners
Still Have Some Questions?
We accept any youth between 18 and 24 years old (individuals or teams) regardless of their national, social and academic background. There are some region-specific age restrictions, though:
- If you are an Estonian citizen/resident, you have to be at least 16 years old.
- EU/International students should be at least 18 years old (for travel purposes).
- Click the “Apply now” button and then fill out the application form.
We review the form to understand your attitude, motivation to join the program, and unwrap the experiences you’ve had, as well as to receive some basic information about you. It’s not about writing a CV or composing a mile-long motivational letter. So just be sharp and stay in the number of characters required. Your educational background does not matter, as long as you have a curious mind and willingness to learn. If you already have had entrepreneurial experiences, created an app, or owned a summer lemonade stand—great! If you did not, but you’re burning with curiosity and creativity, that’s even better. - Let our project team evaluate your application.
- Wait for a follow-up email that confirms the receipt of your application and stay tuned for the decision.
The program is divided into 2 phases (the third one is optional):
- Phase 1 will be held online throughout May and June. As a student, you will have to allocate around 20-30 hours to go through all the shared video content, assignments, and the startup challenge, which means 3-5 hours weekly
- If selected, Phase 2 Onsite will require you to come to Cluj Napoca between July 17 and July 26; and Tallinn between July 31 and August 9.
No. Only a smaller % of participants can access Phase 2 Onsite.The most performing students who complete Phase 1 of the program will be awarded and selected as Onsite participants.
Young Entrepreneurs is a 2 phase program: Phase 1 (Spring 2023) is online and free of charge. At the end of Phase 1, if selected to join Phase 2 – Onsite you can decide to either:
- a) Buy a YE Ticket of 1000€ which covers accommodation and in-person educational contents in the given cities for 10 nights; it does not cover travel and food. (1.000€);
- b) Apply for one of the scholarships available (limited number available);
- c) Conclude your journey without participating in phase 2, giving the chances to go onsite to somebody else.
The limited amount of scholarships are funded by the Startup Wise Guys Foundation and the Sponsors of YE 2023. There are 2 types of scholarships: full and partial. Full scholarships cover 100% of the YE Ticket (1000€). Partial scholarships cover the 50% of the YE Ticket (500€ out of 1000€)The number of scholarships is limited and under no circumstances can cover all available spots for Phase 2.
Awarding of scholarships is based on:
(1) Attendance of participants during Phase 1 Online,
(2) Delivery of weekly homeworks,
(3) specific students selected by YE Sponsors,
(4) student motivation assessed by motivational letter or video at the end of Phase 1.
The YE Ticket cost 1000€. It includes all the onsite educational content (- 12+ workshops & lectures – 3 founder stories – 3 office visits – Outdoor activities – 1 final Hackathon – Social mingles with YE Sponsor – Movie night) and the accommodation for 10 nights in the given city. The YE tickets do NOT cover flights and food.
Program participants will need to travel to the onsite locations and cover their transportation costs. However, the Startup Wise Guys Foundation will take full care of your accommodation and offer a spot at a hotel/hostel.
The Startup Wise Guys Foundation will NOT cover meals across Phase 2 of the program. Thus, each participating student from inside or outside of Estonia will need to cover their own meals while in the onsite locations.