Ten weeks led to one big moment: Pitch Day.

The BizWorld Young Entrepreneur Success Program, better known as YES!, is a 10-week remote Business Accelerator for young entrepreneurs ages 16–22 with an innovative idea or early-stage venture.

Throughout the program, participants attend weekly workshops, receive one-on-one mentorship, and learn from experienced entrepreneurs and industry professionals. They use those ten weeks to strengthen their business plans, understand their customers, test their ideas, and prepare to present their ventures with confidence. These 10 weeks culminate into one exciting contest for a chance at $30,000; pitch day!

How Does YES! Pitch Day Work?

At the end of the 10-week program, every team presents its venture to a panel of judges at Pitch Day.

Pitch Day is not where the $30,000 of seed funding is awarded, it is the first stage of the selection process. The judges review each team’s venture, business plan, and pitch, before selecting the strongest teams to advance as finalists, to go to the annual YES! Global Demo Day.

At Demo Day, the finalists pitch again for the opportunity to receive up to $30,000 in seed funding to help take their ventures forward.

For the YES! Summer 2026 Cohort, ten teams stepped forward to present their work, and only two would be selected to advance!

Judge Feras Alhlou shared how difficult that decision was:

“All of the teams were prepared, thoughtful, and delivered exceptionally well.”

Meet the Summer 2026 Finalists (…drum roll please!)

Impactfully

This change making start-up Impactfully, is an eight-week online mentorship program that helps high school students, as well as selected younger students who demonstrate readiness, identify a meaningful problem in their communities, develop and test a practical solution, and launch an authentic passion project.

Through a guided curriculum, weekly accountability, templates, feedback, optional one-on-one guidance, and progress updates for parents, Impactfully gives students the structure to turn something they care about into meaningful action.

Impactfully is led by Founder and CEO Emilio Saenz, alongside App Developer Mateo Saenz.

GameChanger

Founded by Cheren Song, Dominic Ye, Jonathan Ye, and Ifelade Adeleye, GameChanger is a patent-pending modular adaptive controller and companion app created to make gaming more accessible for people with limited hand dexterity, including those living with Parkinson’s, arthritis, or tremors.

Its ergonomic, PC-compatible controller uses large, low-force, interchangeable buttons that reduce strain and movement. Through the companion app, users can personalize button functions and joystick sensitivity to create an experience that better suits their individual needs.

Congratulations to both teams. We cannot wait to see them take the next step at YES! Global Demo Day, in spring 2027.

One More Demo Day Spot Is Still Open

For the remaining Summer Cohort entrepreneurs, Pitch Day was not the end.

The YES! Wildcard vote will open soon, giving the public the opportunity to directly help one additional company to join Impactfully and GameChanger at Demo Day, to pitch for up to $30,000 in seed funding.

Learn more about the BizWorld YES! Program.