Northeast Ohio May 2026 YEI News: The Latest in Youth Entrepreneurship Education

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May 14, 2026

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Newsletters

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Save the date for Enspire 2026!

Who: K-12 Educators
What: Enspire Ohio Conference
When: October 16-17, 2026
Where: Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma-Snow Branch

Registration opens soon! enspireconference.com

Ohio Business Week summer program

Ohio Business Week is a week-long summer camp where high school students dive into the world of business. The program is held at Wright State University in Dayton and focuses on entrepreneurship and business education. The 2026 session will take place from June 21-26. More information & registration.

Professional Development opportunity in June

Who: K-12 Educators
What: YEI Educator Power Hour
When: Tuesday, June 9 from 4:00-5:00pm ET
Where: Online via Zoom

College students take the stage at ideaLabs

On April 16, student entrepreneurs from nine Northeast Ohio colleges and universities took the stage at ideaLabs 2026 hosted at Eaton Center for an evening of innovation and competition. The event awarded more than $10,000 in prizes. Check out the top 3 from each category.

Register for Summer Pitch Contest by June 15

The YEI National Summer & Out-of-School Time Pitch Contest is now open for K-12 students to compete nationally, win prizes, and build entrepreneurial skills. Students can enter individually or as a team by identifying a problem, creating a solution, and pitching it in a 30-90 second video. Winners will be selected in each grade band. Register by June 15. Submissions are due July 31. Make sure to check out The Complete Pitch Toolkit for K-12 educators.

Teen entrepreneurs win full-tuition scholarships

The University of Vermont awarded full-tuition scholarships to two New Jersey high school entrepreneurs in this year's Vermont Pitch Challenge. More than 100 teams from 24 states entered the Shark Tank-style competition for teens. The 2027 Vermont Pitch Challenge will open for submissions in October. Read all about the winning idea.

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Ready-to-use resources for your classroom

YIPPEE Exchange is the go-to place for entrepreneurship education. It easily connects educators with real-world entrepreneurs and hands-on learning experiences – helping students build the skills and mindsets they need to thrive.

Educators can access a curated selection of:
• Field trips
• Workshops
• Lesson plans
• And more!

Resources are available at no cost to educators, thanks to the generous support of YIPPEE's sponsors. Learn more at yippeemarket.com.

Thank you to our generous funders

We are deeply grateful to our funders for their generous support and shared belief in the importance of youth entrepreneurship education. Through their partnership, we are able to continue empowering educators and equipping students with entrepreneurial skills for success. A special thank you to the following 2026 funders:

Ohio students are making STEM learning more accessible

The Sparkbyte team from Jackson High School in Stark County reused pieces and parts to create a STEM-focused mini arcade. Check out the video from WKYC Cleveland.

Have an event or program to highlight?

If you have an educator professional development event, useful curriculum, or opportunity for students to engage with the entrepreneurial mindset, please let us know. Feel free to email us with any potential features to be included in our future newsletters, we'd love to hear from you!

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