What if your startup idea could travel from a classroom in Europe to a pitch stage in Silicon Valley, California in just three months? That’s the opportunity given through YES!, BizWorld’s Young Entrepreneur Success program, and under the partnership between BizWorld US and Lorena Szerman of BizWorld UK, YES! is quickly becoming one of the most exciting youth accelerators in the world.

“YES! takes young entrepreneurs further than they ever thought possible,” Lorena explains. “We’ve built a global platform where their ideas don’t just stay local, they travel, scale, and inspire.”

Why We Took YES! Global

YES! first hit the international stage in 2023 with a pilot program in the UK, Japan, UAE and China. The concept was simple but bold: to launch a youth-focused business accelerator program that not only teaches entrepreneurship, but actually launches businesses on a global scale.

The results spoke for themselves. Ankhway, one of the participants in our pilot international cohort, became the first YES! company out of the UK to receive funding and gain global promotion. Momentum grew quickly. By 2024, the UK joined forces with Dubai and the wider Middle East, bringing together 11 young entrepreneurs in one powerful YES! cohort. By the end of the 12-week accelerator, two UK companies, StudyStash and National Neurodiversity Training (NNT), advanced to California for the YES! Global Demo Day, where they joined their peers from U.S. cohorts to compete on the international stage. There, NNT was the top funded company alongside calSTEM.org, both receiving $10,000 in seed funding.

For Lorena, this confirmed the program’s purpose: “We’re not here to run a simulation. We’re here to give young founders the exact tools, network, and confidence to compete on a global scale.” 

Through YES!, participants gain the knowledge, network, and access to capital they need to launch or scale their businesses into real-world ventures.

What Exactly is the BizWorld YES! Program?

At its core, YES! (the Young Entrepreneur Success Program) is a youth-focused, 12-week accelerator program designed to educate and scale the path of young entrepreneurs. The 12-week YES! Program consists of:

• Workshops – Weekly sessions co-hosted with partner universities, where students learn everything from product validation to scaling internationally.
  
• Mentorship – Each team is paired with business leaders who guide them through challenges, help them develop a business plan and perfect their pitch.
  
• Remote, Online Curriculum – A fully remote online learning experience that teaches every step of creating, implementing, and pitching a successful business plan.
  
• Pitch Day – The capstone of each cohort, where every youth entrepreneur-led business pitches to a panel of judges for a chance to advance to Demo Day.
  
• Demo Day – The high-energy, yearly finale, where finalists from our Summer and Winter cohorts from across the globe, pitch live for a chance at up to $30,000 in seed funding. 
  
• Ongoing Support – Alumni continue receiving mentorship and opportunities to grow even after the program ends.
  

As Lorena puts it: “The program spine is just 12 weeks, but the impact lasts years. Many of our founders go on to join other incubators or raise funding, but it’s YES! that gave them their first real lift.”

The Impact of YES! International Presence

YES! companies have already proven that success stories can begin in one country and expand globally:

• Ankhway – With $10,000 in BizWorld seed funding, Ankhway was able to scale their operations allowing them to move closer towards their goal of expanding internationally.
  
• StudyStash – What began as a regional educational platform is now scaling beyond the UK, leveraging YES! mentorship and networks to successfully raise upwards of $1,000,000 in VC funding and reach students globally.
  
• National Neurodiversity Training (NNT) – Founded in the UK, NNT crossed the Atlantic to BizWorld’s California Demo Day in 2025, where it tied with CalSTEM.org as the top funded company, with both receiving $10,000 in seed funding. This recognition highlighted NNT’s international potential while celebrating the strength of all YES! ventures on the global stage.

Alumni like NNT demonstrate the real transformation YES! provides:

“Before YES!, we had just launched our first training engagements. During the programme, we validated our business model, digitized and scaled our training offering, and won the international Demo Day competition, receiving a $10,000 prize,” said Iveta Pudilova, CEO of NNT. “Since YES!, we’ve secured enterprise clients, delivering 5-figure deals, launched our online learning platform, and are now building an AI-powered assessment to scale internationally.”

With YES! funding, NNT invested in the technical infrastructure to build its platform. Their mentor, Daryn, not only refined their commercial strategy but joined their advisory board, helping shape product-market fit and long-term scale.

These aren’t case studies stuck in a slide deck; they are youth-led companies already generating over $2.5 million in combined annual revenue. Each win reinforces that YES! is more than an accelerator. It’s a launchpad where 42% of participants come from low-to-moderate income households and over 80% of participant businesses continue to scale after the first year.

The Power of the YES! Ecosystem: Universities, Mentors, Scouts

YES! is designed as an ecosystem, not a silo. Four primary groups power the flywheel:

• Universities – In the UK and Canada, leading universities are partnering to cohost workshops and open their alumni networks. “They see YES! as a way to energize their communities,” says Lorena.
  
• Mentors – Industry professionals volunteer up to one hour per week, helping students refine strategies and avoid common pitfalls. The success of the YES! Program would not be possible without our amazing mentors.
  
• Scouts –  A new BizWorld UK initiative invites colleagues and classmates to nominate or refer promising young entrepreneurs into the program.
  
• BizWorld Staff – We’re proud to help shape the future of youth entrepreneurship and take great pride in providing hands-on guidance for these entrepreneurs to scale.

Together, these partnerships make YES! bigger than any single cohort. It becomes a movement, attracting resources, visibility, and opportunities.

It builds on the foundation Lorena has already laid with BizWorld UK, impacting numurous young entrepreneurs so far, and causing BizWorld to be voted the best non-curriculum activity in UK private schools.

What’s Next for YES! International? Canada + Beyond

The momentum is growing! This fall, YES! is incubating its first Canada cohort, with between 5–20 startups expected to join. Like the UK model, the program will be backed by universities, mentors, and local community partners, all tied into the global network.

The vision doesn’t stop there. With advisory boards now in place and growing interest across regions, YES! is always looking for its next chapters around the globe.

“YES! is more than an accelerator,” Lorena reflects. “It’s a global bridge for youth founders. Wherever they start, we want them to feel they can go further.”

Ready to Get Involved?

YES! thrives on collaboration. Whether you’re an aspiring young founder, a mentor ready to share expertise, a university eager to cohost an educational workshop, or a sponsor who believes in the next generation, there’s a place for you.

As one alumnus put it:

“YES! gave us structured accountability, funding, and mentorship to think more strategically about scale, and gave us the confidence to take our business international.” – Iveta Pudilova, CEO of NNT

• Apply to the YES! program. Ready to turn your idea into a global venture? The YES! program gives young founders a structured 12-week accelerator, combining online workshops, expert mentorship, and a high-energy Demo Day to showcase your business to an international audience. Applications are open for students eager to scale their ideas, gain real-world entrepreneurial experience, and join a network of ambitious peers around the globe. Don’t just dream, apply and take the first step toward making your business vision a reality.
  
• Mentor a young entrepreneur. Mentors are at the heart of YES! They spend an hour a week sharing their experience, giving advice, and helping students solve real business challenges. Along the way, mentors build their own skills, expand their networks, and see firsthand the excitement of a young founder discovering their potential. It’s a chance to give back, be inspired, and be part of a community that’s changing how the next generation launches businesses.
  
• Partner with BizWorld. Organizations that partner with BizWorld open doors for students and make a lasting impact. From hosting workshops to providing resources, partners connect young entrepreneurs with the support and networks they need to grow globally. It’s an opportunity to invest in education, innovation, and future leaders while being part of a program that already transforms lives around the world.
  
• Sponsor and Donate to make a real global impact. “Supporting the BizWorld mission is an excellent way to springboard education and equip the next generation with the tools, experience, and nurturing to launch impactful projects. Donors and funders are supporting a platform with long-lasting, global impact.” – Lorena Szerman, Educator and Founder of BizWorld UK