Discover your inner startupper!
Applications for the Young Entrepreneurs 2022 edition are now closed. You can join the waiting list for the next year’s edition.
Eager to enter the startups-verse? Join the
Young Entrepreneurs program until June 17, 4 PM CET 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, June 20 – July 31
Onsite in Tallinn, Estonia, August 8 – August 14
How?
Through hands-on lectures and workshops. Office visits. A hackathon. Mentors. All of it delivered by actual startuppers and practitioners in the world of entrepreneurship, an exciting world they want to share with you!
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, June 20 - July 31
Onsite in Tallinn, Estonia, August 8 - August 14
How?
Through hands-on lectures and workshops. Office visits. A hackathon. Mentors. All of it delivered by actual startuppers and practitioners in the world of entrepreneurship, an exciting world they want to share with you!
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Young Entrepreneur?
Young Entrepreneurs is designed for late high school and 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 the Startup Challenge
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, your final assignment in the form of a “Startup Challenge” will be unlocked for you to work on. Complete that and then pack your bags for Tallinn!
Tallinn Trip For Onsite Coaching & Applied Learning
A 7-day onsite program in Tallinn, Estonia 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!
Online Pre-Accelerator & Alumni Community & Networking
All the participants become a part of the SWG 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 Online 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
Pelin Gonul Sahin
Head of Startup Wise Guys Foundation
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
Kotryna Kurt
Dan le Man
Farid Singh
Stoyan Yankov
Productivity Coach and co-author of PERFORM: The Unsexy Truth about (Startup) Success
Ibrahim Bashir
Co-Founder and CEO at Dilalli
Mihkel Stamm
COO at EstateGuru
Tamás Trunk
NewGen Brand Expert
This is the most enjoyable and coolest program I have ever been a part of compared to any other school experience I have had.
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.
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, SWG is one of the top early-stage startup investors in the broader CEE and CIS regions, as well as Nordics. With over 270 startup investments in their state-of-the-art accelerator program portfolio, SWG brings together aspiring entrepreneurs and world-class mentors to accelerate innovation, business growth, and international expansion.
Swedbank is the largest bank in Estonia. Its purpose is to empower people and business to create a better future. It supports their vision about a financially sound and sustainable society, while maintaining high cost efficiency and low risk. Their strong commitment to sustainability and society is central in their strategy and everything they do in Swedbank.
Supported by
Community partners
Still Have Some Questions?
Applications to the Young Entrepreneurs Summer School are open until June 17, 4.00 PM CET.
We accept any late high school and university students regardless of their 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 June and July. As a student, you will have to allocate around 20 hours to go through all the shared video content, assignments, and the startup challenge.
- Phase 2 will require you to come to Tallinn, Estonia. It will last for one full week Monday to Sunday, August 8 – 14.
Yes, the program is free, with a well-written application to join the program as your entry ticket.
Program participants will need to travel to Tallinn, Estonia, 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 Tallinn.