25 Years of Change: Celebrating Youth Business International’s Global Impact
Starting a new business is never easy, and for many young people, barriers like limited resources, lack of access to finance and restricted access to networking opportunities can make that even harder.
Youth Business International (YBI) is the global leader in youth entrepreneurship, helping young entrepreneurs worldwide overcome these challenges. Combining global influence with local knowledge and expertise, YBI designs and scales effective solutions to the problems young entrepreneurs face. Currently, they support entrepreneurs in more than 70 countries across six continents. Their approach empowers entrepreneurs with the tools to succeed, whether that’s developing business skills, driving innovation, nurturing talent, unlocking finance, or opening access to specialised markets.
2025 marks their 25th Anniversary, which is a quarter of a century of supporting young entrepreneurs and the communities around them.
We’ve had the pleasure of working with YBI for the last eight years on projects that have helped facilitate connection, share expert knowledge, and help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into a reality.
YBI’s milestone is an opportunity to celebrate its incredible global impact and reflect on the projects we’ve been so proud to help bring to life. From branding the 2024 Global Summit to creating showreels and animations, here are a few highlights.
Theirs will be the world they make showreel
In 2022, we helped YBI create a new showreel, “Theirs will be the world they make”.
We wanted to reinforce the message that YBI is here to support its members and young entrepreneurs wherever they are in their journey, to help them succeed and to create a future that they want for themselves and their communities.
In 2025, to mark their anniversary, we gave the video a facelift, incorporating footage of more recent entrepreneurs, projects, and events.
Global Youth Entrepreneurship Summit (2024, Nairobi)
After previously helping YBI to promote their bi-annual Global Summit in 2022, 2024’s Summit was a bit different.
Prior to the Summit, YBI held its inaugural Youth Business International Bootcamp in London for young entrepreneurs supported by YBI members. Participation was free, and all expenses were covered. Thirty young social and green entrepreneurs took part, exchanging ideas, building networks, and developing pitching, growth, and networking skills.
At the end of the Bootcamp, nine participants were shortlisted for the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in three categories: Social, Climate, and Sustainable entrepreneurship. One of these entrepreneurs would go on to be named the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year at the Summit.
The Summit itself, held in Nairobi, brought participants together to be recognised for their work, share knowledge, and make valuable connections. The three-day event was a celebration of connection, inspiration, and collaboration, bringing together YBI’s partners, members and young entrepreneurs YBI supports from across the globe.
These events needed fresh yet recognisable YBI identities and a microsite to support registration and access to event information. Our team worked with YBI to bring the two brands to life, as well as a dual microsite, promotional assets, and videos for both events.
Entrepreneurs are a huge part of our society, bringing energy, jobs, and innovation to local communities everywhere. It was fantastic to support YBI and celebrate their impact through these events.
South Korea COVID-19 Recovery Programme
Supported by a $2 million grant from Google.org, YBI led a COVID-19 recovery programme in South Korea over two years, focused on supporting young social entrepreneurs and boosting their capacity to grow their profitable impact businesses sustainably.
YBI partnered with two South Korean members from their global network, Work Together Foundation and Impact Square, to deliver tailored solutions.
- Work Together Foundation delivered a hybrid project combining in-person intensive training, mentoring, and networking with online training.
- Impact Square focused on online support, launching Impact Circle, an innovative learning and networking platform.
YBI worked with Everglow throughout the programme to create video edits and social media content to promote the programme’s successful impact.
A highlight was the end-of-programme content that included a longer-form case study video that made the case for more support for social enterprises in South Korea and beyond.
We also collaborated to produce mini-cuts for social media, diving into topics such as overcoming barriers for women social entrepreneurs and harnessing AI to support more youth businesses beyond major cities.
The programme reached over 23,300 young people and provided in-depth support for 3,867 social entrepreneurs.
Google.org Insights
The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the global youth unemployment crisis, with as many as 17% of young people employed before the outbreak losing work entirely.
Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), particularly those led by women, youth, ethnic minorities, and migrants, were among the hardest hit, with around 70–80% facing severe financial difficulties.
YBI conducted a 32-country COVID-19 Rapid Response & Recovery Programme, supported by Google.org, which empowered underserved entrepreneurs to build back stronger, be personally resilient, and ensure their businesses could endure a myriad of future shocks and harness new opportunities in a post-pandemic world.
The subsequent report – Refocus, Retool, Reset: Insights from Youth Business International’s COVID-19 Rapid Response & Recovery Programme – reflects on the insights from the Programme and YBI’s roadmap to supporting youth entrepreneurship. Working with our design team, the report came to life, featuring statistical data, first-hand accounts and real entrepreneurs from around the globe.
YBI Impact Report 2024
YBI’s Impact Report 2024 wasn’t just for YBI, it was for their members and the wider entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Sharing entrepreneurs’ stories and celebrating their achievements was vital to reflect on what had been accomplished and inspire others to get involved.
We supported the campaign by designing the report, creating a summary video, and producing social graphics to amplify YBI’s message.
Their 2024 Impact Report shares stories, successes, and learnings from across their global network. It reflects a global movement powered by the belief that when young entrepreneurs are given the right support, they don’t just grow businesses – they transform communities and economies.
As YBI look to the future, they remain committed to scaling their impact, driving innovation, and championing the next generation of entrepreneurs to lead a generation for change.
In the last 25 years, YBI has seen how young entrepreneurs have the power to boost employment and drive economic growth. Their fresh perspectives and their drive to build a better future are endlessly inspiring. We’re grateful for our long-lasting relationship with Blue Stag, who feel like an extension of our internal team. Working with Blue Stag, who truly understand our brand and mission, has enabled us to tell the stories of youth-led businesses in a way that empowers young entrepreneurs and the organisations that continue to support them. Together, our network is continuing the mission to drive a global generation for change.
Working with YBI over the last 8 years has been fantastic, and we’re so pleased to have been a part of their journey. Reflecting on these projects highlights just how many young entrepreneurs we’ve helped to realise their ambitions. Here’s to many more years of partnership, supporting YBI as they drive real change for young entrepreneurs worldwide.
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