Youth Ecopreneur Programme (YECO) 2026/27

The Youth Ecopreneur Programme (YECO) 2026/27 supports young entrepreneurs who are building scalable businesses in land restoration or green business. It is implemented by the International Trade Centre's Ye! Community and the G20 Global Land Initiative under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The programme starts with a 10-week global bootcamp for 225 selected entrepreneurs. It combines expert-led training, e-learning, networking, investment-readiness support and business development. Twenty-five businesses then advance to a global accelerator offering tailored coaching, mentorship, capacity-building, investor access, pro bono legal support and opportunities to scale. Programme benefits include intellectual-property workshops and individual coaching, legal guidance, preferential access to pro bono support from Sidley Austin, preferential access to Google's Startups for Sustainable Development Programme, and one-to-one coaching with EY professionals. The land-restoration cohort can access a shared equity-free seed-funding pool of US$100,000. Six finalists progress to the Youth Ecopreneur Awards, and the programme states that award winners receive US$10,000, with one award per category. Award finalists may also receive an all-expenses-paid trip to an international conference. Applicants can choose the regular track for early-stage businesses that need stronger foundations, or the fast track for pre-seed and seed-stage ventures with demonstrated traction, consistent revenue, a scalable model, a dedicated full-time team and evidence of investment readiness. Fast-track applicants must submit a short motivational video and, if shortlisted, attend a 15-minute interview during the week of 30 November 2026. Only businesses registered in developing countries are eligible for the fast track. The application takes approximately 30 to 40 minutes. Applicants should prepare a passport, business-registration certificate and pitch deck before starting. Applications close on 22 November 2026. The organiser has not stated a closing time or timezone, so candidates should apply early. The bootcamp is scheduled to begin during the week of 14 December 2026.

Applicants must: • Be under 35 years old on 22 November 2026. • Be the founder, co-founder or chief executive officer of the applying business. • Lead a legally registered business that is majority-run by a young person. • Operate in land restoration, such as reforestation or soil rehabilitation, or in green business, such as renewable energy or waste innovation. The bootcamp is open globally, but the accelerator is restricted to countries on the organiser's eligible-country list. Women entrepreneurs, founders from least developed countries, small island developing states and landlocked countries, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. The fast track is only open to businesses registered in developing countries and requires demonstrated market traction, financial performance, scalability, a dedicated team and investment readiness.