YES!

The Young Entrepreneurs Symposium (YES!) is a 10-day educational program based at Brown University that teaches talented students from China how to harness the power of entrepreneurship to do social good.  The strength of the YES! program comes from international collaboration that connects the brightest minds in China with the best entrepreneurship education in America, and building a network of student entrepreneurs that extend from Brown and the Providence community to China. That union has the potential to generate ideas, products and services that will change the world.

The YES! curriculum draws from the academic resources of Brown University, the community of Brown University students and professors, and the enthusiasm and guidance of Providence-based entrepreneurs. Chinese students will attend lectures and panels, participate in case-study workshops, visit local hubs for entrepreneurship and innovation and forge connections with other aspiring entrepreneurs.

Outside of class, students will work in teams to create comprehensive business plans that draw on what they learn inside the classroom and developing their ideas under the guidance of mentors. Teams will then present their business plans to a panel of judges and the winning team will be awarded seed capital to launch their venture.

Designed by EP Co-President Jason Beckman ’11 and East West Coalition Co-Founder Nicholas Young ’09, YES! is a collaboration between the Brown University Entrepreneurship Program and East West Coalition, two organizations that believe that communication across cultures can generate innovative ideas and positive social change.  Through the YES! program we hope to build a lasting entrepreneurial community that stretches across the globe, from Brown University and Providence to China and East Asia.