STARTUP FOUNDATION OFFERS FUNDING RESOURCES TO YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

  SARASOTA, FL - 09/19/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship is a new 501(c)(3) focused on activating youth entrepreneurs by breaking down financial barriers they face when learning how to launch, fund and run a business. All entrepreneurs have to overcome hurdles when it comes to finding capital for their new business. These challenges are heightened for young entrepreneurs, who are often involved with their first formal business venture or in school with limited if any work experience, a professional network, or access to funding. KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship and its sister organization, Hatchpad have positioned themselves to attract, develop and fund the next generation of talent and business leaders to lead sustainable economic growth around the world.

“ KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship is a critical part of our children’s future. With technology eliminating jobs faster than they are created and the decreasing lifecycle it now takes a new competitor to completely eradicate an incumbent, the need to develop an agile, entrepreneurially minded next generation workforce has never been more urgent and critical. By breaking down the financial barriers young people face when trying to learn how to start, launch, fund and run a business, we start solving the problem by democratizing entrepreneurship for all our children and opening up the doors to greater economic wealth and job creation,” says Heather Holst-Knudsen, Chairman of the Board and Founder, KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship and CEO & Founder of HatchPad.

KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship awards grants ranging from $500 to $50,000 to help qualified student entrepreneurs validate concepts, engage in customer discovery and development, and build prototypes. The Foundation also awards scholarships ranging from $400 to $10,000 to students who are business enthusiasts or active entrepreneurs based on merit and financial need. Scholarships can be used for summer camp, after school programs, skills development and enrichment programs, and even college tuition.

KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship recently received its IRS approval and will be participating in the Southeast’s largest 24-hour fundraiser, The Giving Challenge.  The Giving Challenge is presented by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County with giving strengthened by The Patterson Foundation, as well as support from Manatee Community Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, William G. and Marie Selby Foundation, and the Herald-Tribune Media Group. The Giving Challenge starts at noon EST, September 20 and runs until noon EST, September 21.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) reports that almost 13% of the world’s youth — close to 75 million young people - are unemployed. Job security has all but vanished and the economy is uncertain. In most Western countries, youth unemployment has reached a critical level and is expected to rise over the next five years, threatening the global economy. Entrepreneurship is a legitimate alternative to traditional employment. Entrepreneurs are significant engines of both job creation and economic growth. But, no matter how good an idea sounds, it won't get anywhere without funding.  KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship (KFE) aims to be part of the solution by providing grants and scholarships to qualified youth entrepreneurs and their ideas.

Gregoire Sentilhes, President of NextStage and Co-Founder of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance (YEA) stated, “Youth unemployment is now a ticking bomb for all governments, both from developed countries and emerging countries. In the 21st century, the jobs we need to create will come neither from the big corporations nor from government, but they will come mainly from entrepreneurs.”

https://youtu.be/ps5rqsNIWrA

About KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Inc.: KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship aims to attract and develop the next generation of talent and business leaders so that they have the mindset, skills and resources to take charge of their futures and lead sustainable economic growth for the nation. KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation under the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Read about KidBacker Foundation for Entrepreneurship’s sister organization, Hatchpad, a social learning network and collaboration platform for student entrepreneurs. . http://www.hatchpad.co/

Learn more about The Giving Challenge here: https://givingpartnerchallenge.org/