Young founders building green businesses or land-restoration ventures can apply for the 2026-2027 Youth Ecopreneur Programme. YECO combines a global bootcamp, accelerator support, mentoring, investor exposure, and the Youth Ecopreneur Awards.
Overview
YECO is a flagship initiative of the International Trade Centre and the G20 Global Land Initiative of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. It supports youth-led businesses working on environmental sustainability, circularity, green innovation, and land restoration.
Applicants can enter either the Land Restoration category or the Green Business Solutions category. The bootcamp is global, while eligibility for accelerator-stage support varies by track and country.
Benefits
- Training: Participants receive business-development training and investment-readiness support.
- Mentorship: The programme provides mentoring and tailored coaching.
- Award: The winner in each programme category can receive a US$10,000 Youth Ecopreneur Award.
- Land Restoration Funding: Eligible Land Restoration businesses can access a US$100,000 equity-free funding pool shared across selected ventures.
- Global Exposure: Award finalists receive international exposure and an all-expenses-paid trip to an international conference.
- Specialist Support: Selected participants may access legal, intellectual-property, and sustainability-focused partner support.
Eligibility
- Age: Applicants must be under 35 by the application deadline.
- Role: The applicant must be a Founder, Co-Founder, or CEO.
- Ownership: The business must be majority run by a young person.
- Registration: The business must be legally registered.
- Focus: The business must contribute to land restoration, sustainability, circularity, or the green economy.
- Geography: The bootcamp is open globally. Accelerator eligibility depends on the programme’s eligible-country rules.
How to Apply
- Deadline: Applications close on November 22, 2026.
- Choose a Category: Select Land Restoration or Green Business Solutions based on the venture’s core activity.
- Review Eligibility: Confirm that the founder, business registration, and category requirements are met.
- Submit: Use the official application route linked from the G20 Global Land Initiative and Ye! Community programme pages.
