Organization · Community
Young Enterprise
Young Enterprise is a New Zealand-based not-for-profit charity that inspires young people aged 5-17 through enterprise education and financial literacy programs. It engages with a majority of secondary schools in New Zealand.
Overview
What Young Enterprise does
What Young Enterprise is
Young Enterprise is a New Zealand-based not-for-profit charity that inspires young people aged 5-17 through enterprise education and financial literacy programs. It engages with a majority of secondary schools in New Zealand.
How it participates in the startup ecosystem
The current public profile supports community capabilities. Each capability below is shown separately so organization identity and role-specific information do not get conflated.
Operational profile
Organization status and context
Organization status describes the entity itself. Funding and program availability appear within the relevant capability profile.
- Operational status
- Active
- Organization type
- Community
- Founded
- Founded in 1981
- Approximate age
- About 45 years
- Structured capabilities
- Community
- Last reviewed
- April 27, 2026
Official channels
Find Young Enterprise elsewhere
Open the official website or a supported primary organization account.
Capability profile
Young Enterprise as a community
Community overview
Young Enterprise is a charitable organization based in New Zealand that focuses on inspiring young people to discover their potential in business and life. It was founded to provide educational programs that help students develop financial capability and entrepreneurial skills. The organization operates across New Zealand, engaging with secondary schools to implement its initiatives.
Community focus
Young Enterprise provides various educational programs aimed at fostering entrepreneurship among students. Their primary offerings include the Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), which allows students to set up and run real businesses, facilitated programs for junior secondary students to ignite curiosity about business, and classroom resources to enhance financial capability and enterprise education in schools.
Member value
Members gain access to educational programs that develop financial capability and entrepreneurial skills, opportunities to create and manage real businesses, and participation in events that challenge and inspire young entrepreneurs.
Membership
- Pricing models
- free
Format and cadence
- Modality
- in-person
- Schedule
- rolling-admissions
- Commitment
- light
Availability
- Membership state
- Accepting
Audience and fit
- Audience
- Students
- Benefits
- mentorship and network-access
- Program types
- community and bootcamp
- Selection criteria
- open
- Regions
- Oceania
Community activity
Events and activity
Young Enterprise hosts several events, including Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA), an annual weekend event where students engage in business challenges; the Business Hall of Fame, recognizing outstanding contributions to business by New Zealand entrepreneurs; and Spark Tank, a competition for students to pitch their business ideas.
Notable members
Key team members include Ian Musson, Head of YES (Interim Co-CEO).
Common questions
What to know about Young Enterprise
Upseed classifies Young Enterprise under the Community organization type. Its current public profile includes community capabilities.
Source and update disclosure
Know what this page is based on
Source basis
Public organization and program material, official websites, and structured Upseed records.
Last reviewed
April 27, 2026
Known limits
Capability profiles appear only when a structured public profile also contains decision-useful role evidence. Terms and availability can change.
Upseed is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the organization described on this page.