Social Entrepreneurship

YES's leadership in the field of Social Entrepreneurship—the application of entrepreneurial drive and discipline to the creation of ventures that have a charitable mission and stress social responsibility above any profit goal—distinguishes it from other university entrepreneurship organizations. The Y50K Social Entrepreneurship Division has funded a number of nationally-acclaimed fair trade and global health organizations in recent years.  In 2007, we launched the YES-New Haven High Schools Entrepreneurship Initiative to reach out directly to the New Haven community and promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in local high schools. YES staff spent the semester leading entrepreneurship educational seminars after school, and the program culminated in the spring with a business plan competition  for teams of high school students.