YEP creates a global platform that creates a whole world of opportunities for youth development and helps every young person to find his way, to become happier, and to make a significant contribution to the development of the country and society.
How does it work?
YEP has established a comprehensive ecosystem with Pyramid structure: encompassing and engaging as many young people as possible at the “awareness level” (within startup clubs in universities) → , inspiring them to try out entrepreneurship via Incubation and Acceleration → leading to success and growth with the support of global partners’ network. We work closely with universities, government (Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Digital Transformation), businesses (Cisco, OKKO, ERC, Deloitte), international organizations (Estonia development cooperation, USAID Competitive Economy Program).
Key projects:
- YEP!Clubs – startup clubs in different universities, managing by a team of students and teachers, who are developing a local entrepreneurial ecosystem.
- YEP!Starter – an international entrepreneurship program that gives students the knowledge they need to start a business.
- YEP!Accelerator – an acceleration program that helps resident startups reach a new level of their projects’ development through the one-to-one mentorship.
Success story
Andriy Zaikin, founder of YEP: “In 2016, when I was in a study visit to Estonia and Poland, I discovered and explored the ecosystem of youth and academic entrepreneurship development. I figured out back then – I want to create and develop something similar in Ukraine. It was a big vision, like a dream – to build the whole ecosystem supporting young people to create their startups, which eventually will become one of the key parts of the Ukrainian economy development process. So, in several months I launched YEP – the network of startup incubators. The main mission of YEP is the development of the startup ecosystem within universities and supporting early-stage students’ startups.”
The YEP network is a member of the UBI Global Network. It is one of 600 incubation programs from 70 countries that meet the best international standards for fagging education.
YEP in numbers:
- 7 batches of startups
- 2500+ students applied
- 500+ students participated
- 240+ startups in programs
- 90+ startup teams graduated
- 30+ universities in partnership
YEP was awarded as the best project in the competition of initiatives developing the startup ecosystem of cities and took part in The Next Web Startup City Summit 2017 in Amsterdam.
About this Show Case
