We recently sat down with Peter Burns, Program Manager for our Frisco Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!), to discuss how our business community can get involved with YEA!
About YEA!
YEA! was initially launched at the University of Rochester in 2004. With support from the Kauffman Foundation in 2008, YEA! spun off from the university level and was offered to local chambers of commerce to help bridge the gap between an area’s education and business communities. The YEA! program makes experiential entrepreneurship education available to students nationwide. YEA! continues to empower students to embrace their passion, live their dreams, and change the world!
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy is open to middle and high school students. These students create real organizations, pitch for investment dollars, and sell or showcase their products or services in a business showcase each year. YEA! Frisco meets on Tuesday evenings during the school year from October to April.
YEA! Frisco
The Frisco Chamber of Commerce was Texas’s first chamber of commerce to offer the Young Entrepreneurs Academy in partnership with Frisco ISD and the Frisco Economic Development Corporation. Burns’ recruited the founding volunteers from his Leadership Frisco class, another program of the Frisco Chamber. Thirteen years later, many continue to serve as volunteers for the program and the YEA! Frisco chapter has become a program that others can aspire to.
National Competition
The top winner of the Frisco Investors Panel earns the opportunity to compete in a national competition for monetary prizes and scholarships. We’re not bragging (yes, we are!) but in the past three years, YEA! Frisco has produced two first-place winners and one second-place team.
Are You Ready to Jump In?
There are several ways you or your organization can become involved with YEA! Frisco. We’re looking forward to meeting you!
