“Doing is like wanting. Just more intense.” – How Youngpreneurs is shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs

About Youngpreneurs

Youngpreneurs is a cross-educational entrepreneurship support program for 17- to 22-year-olds from academic high schools, commercial schools, and vocational schools. In 16 modules of 3 hours each, participants develop their own startup in interdisciplinary teams – from problem analysis and prototyping to a market-ready business model. They are supported by experienced coaches, entrepreneurs, and experts from the local ecosystem. The program concludes with an Award Night, where teams pitch their projects to a distinguished jury from business, politics, and media.

The goal: to equip young people with future-relevant skills – problem-solving ability, initiative, teamwork, and communication. Skills that extend far beyond the startup world.

Since 2017, 827 students have completed the program, resulting in 137 startup projects – with a recommendation rate of 94%. We spoke with Co-Founder and Managing Director Emanuel Roth.

Interview with Emanuel Roth, Co-Founder & Managing Director

How would you describe the vision and mission of the Youngpreneurs Association in one sentence – and what personally motivated you to co-found it?
“Doing is like wanting — just more intense.” We support students in pursuing their ideas in the form of a startup. It’s incredibly energetic and a lot of fun!

The motto “Doing is like wanting — just more intense” is very striking – how do you implement this idea in practice within the program?
Our target group consists of students from various vocational schools and academic high schools. At Youngpreneurs, things are put into action – unlike the often theory-heavy school environment. We learn from local entrepreneurs and experts and support teams intensively with experienced coaches. After 8 months, teams have a market-validated prototype of their product or service and often already their first customers.

In the Youngpreneurs program, students develop their own startup over two semesters. What challenges do they most commonly face?
Challenges are a constant companion for any founder. We intentionally create challenges so that participants learn quickly and efficiently. Teams need to develop a mindset that sees setbacks as opportunities. Often, it comes down to making quick decisions, experimenting, and celebrating early wins.

Which entrepreneurial skills do you consider particularly important for young people today – and how does Youngpreneurs foster these?
Ultimately, these are future skills. An entrepreneurial mindset is not only important for founding a company but also increasingly relevant in corporate environments. We observe that these skills are in high demand everywhere.

Is there a startup from the program whose development particularly impressed or surprised you?
There are several examples. Some teams start in September, test and develop their ideas, and by December realize they’re not on the right track. What’s impressive is when they don’t give up and restart with a completely new idea. If you get up one more time than you fall, that’s what impresses me.

Youngpreneurs operates in multiple locations. How do you ensure consistent program quality across all of them?
We are currently active in Bern, Thun, and Central Switzerland. In summer 2026, we will also launch in Solothurn and Zurich. We work with long-standing coaches and experts and are continuously building our team, which now consists of nine people.

How do you measure the success of Youngpreneurs – more through numbers, personal development of participants, or long-term startup creation?
We track various metrics. What excites us most are messages from former Youngpreneurs who, sometimes years later, successfully launch new ideas. Most successful entrepreneurs don’t succeed with their first idea. Youngpreneurs is the starting point for the personal development of the next generation of entrepreneurs. This is also reflected in the very high recommendation rate of 94%.

From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges in embedding entrepreneurship early in the education system?
As an entrepreneur, you’re entering uncharted territory. There is no predefined, scientifically proven system you can simply teach. It requires mentors and coaches who lead by example, understand how to deal with risk, open doors, and encourage others. Unfortunately, our education system is often not structured this way.

How has Youngpreneurs evolved since its founding – and where do you see the organization in five years?
We started with a hypothesis: Are there young people who want to build their own startup in their free time alongside the dual education system? And yes, there are. We regularly receive requests from schools, regions, and talent development organizations that want to bring Youngpreneurs to new locations.

What role do partnerships with schools, companies, or investors play in your work – and what types of collaborations would you like to see more of in the future?
Our goal is to connect our Youngpreneurs with the regional entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. Many regions already offer impressive programs and organizations. This is exactly where we seek partnerships, so that after the eight-month program, our participants have strong support networks to continue their journey.

Learn more about the program, locations, and upcoming editions at youngpreneurs.org.