New Yes initiative aims to help young SA entrepreneurs grow

Source: Pexels

The programme aims to address high startup failure rates in South Africa, where over 86% of new ventures fail within their first year. By linking youth-owned businesses to corporate partners, YGC seeks to provide market access and support early-stage growth.

Building on Yes experience

Yes is a public-private partnership established in 2016 by the Presidency and the corporate sector. It runs South Africa’s largest private sector-funded youth internship programme, with 1,898 corporate funders sponsoring more than 200,000 young people into work experiences.

Since 2019, Yes has administered a youth empowerment incentive through the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC).

A by-product of the programme is that thousands of interns launch their own businesses, with 7,100 of the 43,088 Yes participants in 2025 starting ventures while on their internships. To date, over 28,000 Yes alumni have established businesses.

Structure of the gamechangers challenge

The YGC expands on this foundation by helping young entrepreneurs access corporate supply chains and gain financial and non-financial support.

The programme was piloted in 2025 with 310 participants, 250 receiving training and 60 receiving financial support.

The full YGC aims to reach 1,000 young entrepreneurs, providing funding of between R300,000 and R2m to those with confirmed corporate contracts. The initiative focuses on businesses with founders under 35 or Yes alumni.

Yes CEO Ravi Naidoo said the programme is demand-led, connecting entrepreneurs to corporate supply chains while offering the support needed for sustainable growth.

Partnership and application opportunities

Entities and service providers in the Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) sector with credible products are invited to partner with Yes.

Applications for the first cohort are expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. Details are available at https://connect.yes4youth.co.za/gamechangers.