One Young World Selects South African Entrepreneurs
Ten local founders are joining a national programme to scale businesses and drive youth employment across South Africa.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Startups
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One Young World has selected ten South African entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 for the National Programme for Job-Generating Entrepreneurs. The initiative aims to help these founders expand their businesses and create new employment opportunities for youth.
Why it matters
By connecting emerging business leaders with mentorship and commercial partnerships, the programme seeks to bolster the local start-up ecosystem without relying on direct funding. This approach focuses on building long-term capacity for ventures that have the potential to solve unemployment.
The selected cohort includes ten founders between the ages of 18 and 35. These individuals join a broader global network encompassing 20,000 young leaders representing 190 countries.
The players
One Young World
This is a global organisation that brings together young leaders to accelerate social impact and develop leadership skills.
Ichikowitz Family Foundation
This organisation serves as a founding partner for the National Programme for Job-Generating Entrepreneurs in South Africa.
The details
Participants receive access to mentorship from established figures in the South African start-up sector alongside new business networks and commercial partnerships. While the programme provides significant professional support, it does not offer direct funding to the entrepreneurs.
Timeline
3 to 6 November 2026: One Young World Summit takes place in Cape Town.
Late May 2027: Programme demo day for investor pitches.
Market Landscape
The programme aligns with the broader mission of the One Young World Summit to foster global leadership and professional development. It follows a growing industry trend of focusing on mentorship-led incubation to strengthen the start-up sector in emerging markets.
Local entrepreneurs participating in this programme gain critical access to business networks that were previously out of reach. For the broader public, the success of these ventures could lead to increased job creation and economic growth in the local community.
The takeaway
This initiative underscores the shift toward mentorship over capital injection as a primary method for business growth. Aspiring founders should focus on leveraging professional networks and strategic partnerships to scale operations even without initial external funding.
What happens next
The selected entrepreneurs will present their businesses to investors during a scheduled demo day in late May 2027.
Further reading
For more information on the local innovation landscape, visit our Startups section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ITWeb.
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Do you believe youth entrepreneurship programs significantly reduce unemployment in the country?
