The 2024 YEA! Class Has Concluded

Stay tuned for information on the 2025 class!

Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!)

About YEA!

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is the only one of its kind in New York City. YEA!’s mission is to develop and deliver experience-based entrepreneurship programs to young people to:

  • Enable them to transition successfully to adulthood

  • Help them to pursue their dreams by harnessing their creativity and energy

  • Help them transform their ideas into tangible enterprises that create economic and social value for a better world

  • Develop the character of tomorrow’s leaders based on personal principles and values

  • Enable educational institutions and Chambers of Commerce to provide successful and effective entrepreneurship programs for middle and high school students

  • Create a culture of innovation in schools and communities across the nation

  • Foster the entrepreneurial mindset in young people, educators, and community members

YEA! provides a focused introduction to the business world, combining a dynamic, proven curriculum with the experiences of local leaders of industry, community members, educators and entrepreneurs. The goal of all YEA! classes is for each student to successfully launch their own business.

The YEA! Program is made possible by Signature Sponsor Con Edison.

Meet Previous YEA! Student Winners

  • 2024 Winner: Katherine Antonov

    New Dorp High School Freshman Katherine Antonov, whose business Kathos creates homemade granola bars, won first place in the 2024 Investor Panel. Read more here.

  • 2023 Winner: Noah Rozin

    Noah Rozin, a Grade 9 student at Staten Island Technical High School, pitched “Ace of Ages,” a historical and educational board game that aims to integrate fun into modern-day learning. Rozin received $2,200 to invest in his new business. Click here to read more.

  • 2022 Winner: Youwei (Anthony) Zhen

    Staten Island Technical High School sophomore Youwei (Anthony) Zhen, who pitched his business PrivacySavior, was the winner of the 2022 Investor Panel. Click here to read more.

  • 2020 Winner: Emilee Jospey

    Curtis High School’s Emilee Jospey, who pitched her business M Tech ClearSmiles, was the winner at the 2020 Investor Panel. Click here to read more.

View footage from our 2024 CEO Roundtable

Courtesy of Community Media of Staten Island

Meet the 2023-2024 YEA! Class

  • Katherine Antonov

    New Dorp High School, 9th Grade

  • Holly Barbaria

    Staten Island Academy, 11th Grade

  • Brian Chan

    Staten Island Academy, 11th Grade

  • Aaron Colon

    Ralph R. McKee Career & Staten Island Tech, 10th Grade

  • Russell De Jesus

    Susan E. Wagner High School, 12th Grade

  • Camila Figueroa

    Curtis High School, 10th Grade

  • Azraf Hossain

    Staten Island Tech, 9th Grade

  • Audrey Kim

    Staten Island Tech, 10th Grade

  • Joseph Lomangino

    Moore Catholic High School, 12th Grade

  • Christopher Mendez

    Susan E. Wagner High School, 12th Grade

  • Mia Morales

    College of Staten Island High School, 10th Grade

  • Hibba Muzaffar

    Staten Island Tech, 12th Grade

  • Gianna Schlagel

    Moore Catholic High School, 12th Grade

  • Guadalupe Tenantitla

    Gaynor McCown Expeditionary Learning School, 10th Grade

  • Shiv Thakkar

    Staten Island Academy, 10th Grade

  • Aaron Ye

    Staten Island Tech, 11th Grade

  • Andrew Zheng

    Staten Island Tech, 11th Grade

  • Walter Zhu

    Staten Island Tech, 9th Grade

Thanks To Our 2024 Signature Sponsor:

Thanks To Our 2024 Scholarship Partners:

Thanks To Our 2024 Investor Panel Sponsors:

Thanks To Our Media Sponsor:

Interested in Sponsoring?

Becoming a YEA! sponsor has many benefits, including extensive promotion in the Chamber’s newsletters, website and social media outlets. Sponsorship can also help your business or organization achieve its own strategic goals:

Scholarship Partner Sponsorship: $2,000

  •  One student scholarship in your organization’s name

  •  The opportunity to be a student mentor or a panelist at the CEO Roundtable Event

  •  Exposure and your company logo on Staten Island YEA! materials and the Chamber’s website

  • Public Recognition of your support as a Scholarship Partner at the YEA! Investor Panel Event and YEA! Graduation

Benefits of Investor Panel Sponsorship: $1,500

  • An exclusive judging seat at the YEA! Investor Panel event – similar to TV’s “Shark Tank” show

  • Public recognition of your support at the YEA! Investor Panel event

  • Exposure and your company logo on Staten Island YEA! materials and the Chamber’s website

Don’t Just Take a Job - Make a Job! 

YEA! guides students through the process of fulfilling their very own American dream. By bridging the business and educational communities, students are taught by trained instructors, and are exposed to guest lecturers, successful entrepreneurs, and mentors. Over the course of the program, students:

  • Brainstorm business ideas

  • Write a business plan

  • Interact with business professionals

  • Attend field trips for a behind-the-scenes look at local businesses

  • Pitch their business plan to local investors for startup funding and the opportunity to advance to a national competition.

  • Legally register their businesses

  • Launch and run their own business or social movement

  • Graduate from the program with lifelong leadership and business skills

Calendar 

YEA! 2024 classes will meet from 4:30PM - 7:30PM on Tuesdays from December 2023 – April 2024. Classes are scheduled to take place at the Chamber’s office at 2555 Richmond Ave., Suite 240.

Student Selection Process

Staten Island high school students in grades 9 through 12 from public, catholic, or private schools may apply for acceptance into the YEA! program by completing an online application, which includes short-answer questions and the submission of the applicant’s high school transcript. Applicants must live in New York City. 

Once the completed YEA! application is received, students will be contacted by a member of the SI Chamber staff and invited to attend an interview for potential program admission. Acceptance into the YEA! program is based on all aspects of the completed application as well as the personal interview. Prior business experience is not required, nor is it required to have a business idea prior to the start of class.

Apply

Start as a student, finish as a CEO! High school students in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to apply. This program offers students the chance to:

  • Develop hands-on entrepreneurial experience to launch their own business or social movement

  • Connect with local entrepreneurs

  • Pitch to a panel of investors for startup funding

  • Gain confidence in their ideas, abilities and presentation skills

Applications for the 2024 class are now closed. Please contact YEA! Program Manager Jillian Baldassarre at jbaldassarre@sichamber.com for more application information.

Get Involved

Share your business wisdom with aspiring young entrepreneurs and help them get started on the path to success! We’re seeking expert professionals to volunteer their time as guest speakers, mentors, investors, graphic designers, field trip hosts, business plan reviewers, and more. The time YEA! students spend with adults who encourage their futures is invaluable, and you can play an important role in guiding our future leaders.

If you are interested in getting involved with YEA! and being inspired by your community’s great young minds, please contact Jillian Baldassarre, YEA! Program Manager, at (718) 727-1900 ext. 1002 or e-mail her at jbaldassarre@sichamber.com.

Contact Us 

For more information, call (718) 727-1900 or e-mail yea@sichamber.com.