Deadline: 22nd November 2026
Welcome to the Youth Ecopreneur Programme (YECO) , implemented by ITC’s Ye! Community and the G20 Global Land Initiative/UNCCD, where passionate young innovators drive the future of green business!
The YECO Programme is built for youth entrepreneurs under the age of 35 who are founders, co-founders, or CEOs.
They’re looking for passionate innovators with a clear understanding of the environmental challenges they tackle and scalable solutions ready for acceleration.
The programme consists of a:
- Global Bootcamp to kickstart your journey with dynamic training and e-learning.
- Global Accelerator to get personalized coaching, mentorship, and masterclasses to take your sustainable solutions to the next level.
- Youth Ecopreneur Awards to showcase your solutions on a global stage.
- Scale and Impact Phase to help you grow your business and expand your impact.
Benefits
- Capacity-building for scaling your venture
- Seed Funding (shared pool of $100,000 USD for the land-restoration cohort in total, equity free)
- Access to a Global Network & Exposure
- Mentorship & Coaching
- Legal Guidance
- IP expertise and coaching by WIPO
- Preferential access to Pro-Bono Legal Services from Sidley Austin
- Preferential access to the Google StartUp for Sustainable Development Programme
- One-on-One coaching session with experts from Ernst & Young (EY)
- All-Expenses-Paid Trip to International Conference for Award Finalists
- Win the Youth Ecopreneur Award and get 10,000 USD prize money (1 Award per category)
Eligibility
Applicant must be:
- Must be under the age of 35 (by the application deadline)
- Must be a Founder, Co-Founder or CEO.
Eligible businesses must be:
- Legally registered and majority-run by a young person
- The bootcamp is open globally, the accelerator is reserved for eligible countries – see the list here
- Focused on Land Restoration or Green Business solutions
For more information and application.
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