Middle and high school students from 12 local schools throughout Palm Beach County will reveal 14 new startup businesses to the public at the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) Trade Show on Saturday, April 30, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Mall at Wellington Green.
The presentation is a culmination of nine months of hard work, resulting in the graduates owning and operating their own businesses.
At YEA!, students are taught by local entrepreneurs and are introduced to guest lecturers and business mentors, and students also tour local business facilities. They brainstorm ideas, write business plans and actually launch their own company or social movement.
The program is run through the Central Palm Beach County Community Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce.
In March, these students competed in a Shark Tank-style Investor Panel for real funding. They have used the money to finance the products that visitors will have the opportunity to see exclusively at this event.
YEA! runs during the academic year from October to May, with classes meeting every Tuesday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Wellington campus. The program is now accepting applications for next year’s class.
The Trade Show is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served, and the Mall at Wellington Green will raffle off a $100 gift card. The event is a great way to decide whether applying to YEA! is right for you or someone you know.
To learn more, or to RSVP, call the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce office at (561) 790-6200, or visit www.cpbchamberyea.org.
Founded in 2004 at the University of Rochester with support from the Kauffman Foundation, YEA! today serves thousands of students in communities across America.
Locally, the program is made possible by co-presenting sponsors the School District of Palm Beach County and Florida Power & Light, as well as supporting partners United Franchise Group, the Mall at Wellington Green, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Keiser University, Wellington Regional Medical Center, My Brother’s/Sister’s Keeper Charitable Trust, Tripp Electric Motors, Bethesda Hospital West, the United Way of Palm Beach County, Banyan Printing, Floridian Community Bank and McMahon & Associates.
The program is truly a community production, involving more than 40 business leaders and volunteers over the course of the academic year. Volunteers range from business mentors and instructors to guest speakers, field trip hosts, graphic designers and others.
