Youth Entrepreneurship Events Spotlight Business Innovation

Young entrepreneurs are getting hands-on opportunities to develop business skills, present ideas and connect with customers through markets and pitch events. Rotary BizEast’s inaugural Ultimate Pitch Festival in South Africa recognized Lihle Brian Mfenqa, 14, in its idea category and Onalerona Lionel Tudu for an early-stage business, with prizes including bursaries and laptops; participants also received feedback and mentoring opportunities. In New Jersey, Barnegat Township’s first Big Ideas Market brought 32 children ages 6 to 13 together to create, price and sell products, while a Cape Town market featured 50 child-run stalls, including vendors raising money for charities. Stockton’s Chung Wah Chinese School is scheduled to host a Halloween Kids Market on October 24 for vendors ages 6 to 18, combining small-business experience with family activities. Separately, Vietnam’s prime minister is set to discuss youth entrepreneurship and innovation with young people, as experts frame startups and technology-driven innovation as important to economic growth while noting the challenges young businesses face in surviving, expanding and attracting investment.