NFTE blog

By Amy Rosen
NFTE President & CEO

I feel a strong sense of optimism as I continue to participate in meetings and events, and talk with people spontaneously in and out of the Congress Centre. A growing group of business and government leaders, social entrepreneurs and journalists are coming to the conclusion that we must act NOW and together to find solutions that offer hope to the growing global army of unemployed youth. Driven by economic interests and/or moral callings, I sense that urgency is suddenly entering the discussion.  Add 75 million current unemployed youth with the 200+ million that today make less than $2.00 per day and suddenly, we are facing a cold reality. 35% of young people under 27 are turning more and more towards hopelessness.

From NFTE Bay Area

Michael Chow and David Bettner, then of Zynga with Friends, headlined a panel discussion on entrepreneurship at NFTE Bay Area’s Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge. Michael and David are best known for inventing and releasing Words with Friends, which topped 60 million downloads.

NFTE graduate Anthony Carmona, owner of Anthony Knows Computers, and Amy Rosen, NFTE CEO & President, were interviewed on the Education Nation version of MSNBC's Your Business. They discuss the power of entrepreneurship education and how a young person can balance the demands of running a company even while in school.

Entrepreneurs are known for thinking outside of the box. More and more, they are doing just that when it comes to choosing where to attend graduate school. 

What are some habits that all successful bootstrappers have?

Several successful entrepreneurs responded to this very question, posed by the Young Entrepreneur Council. Each entrepreneur elaborated on how one important trait, practice, or skill has proven beneficial to both themselves and fellow bootstrappers.

Invest Wisely

"One of the biggest mistakes you can make is spending your initial cash infusions on things that don't help create more cash infusions.

   NFTE’s international partners are an important component of our effort to bring the entrepreneurial mindset to all young people.

Congratulations to this year's Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2012 Alumni Fund Scholarship Recipients! Ernst & Young generously supports these young NFTE graduates, and NFTE is sincerely grateful. Some of this year's scholarship recipients have dreams of becoming entrepreneurs, investors and community leaders. Discover the schools they are attending and where they took the NFTE program.

Where are new jobs coming from? NFTE supporter Ernst & Young knows: Entrepreneurs are driving 30% job growth at the more than 600 companies represented by E&Y’s 2012 US Entrepreneur Of The Year® program. That compares to negative overall U.S. job growth. Revenue growth is even greater at 48% compared to an American average of 5.6%.

Your smartphone is capable of serving more roles than ever: navigator, research tool, newspaper… even financial adviser? Absolutely: with several money management apps already available, the Treasury Department’s MyMoneyAppUp Challenge is looking to both programmers and the public at large for new, innovative ideas that can bring more financial services to our fingertips.