skysthelimit.org is the digital platform of

Youth Business USA, a 501c3 nonprofit based in Oakland, CA

Our vision is that underserved young entrepreneurs

nationwide will have the support they need to

achieve their business dreams.

The Vision

Our mission is to empower underserved young adult

entrepreneurs nationwide by providing them with

the right support, from the right people, at the right

time in their journey.

The Mission

The youth unemployment crisis in United States…

• Nearly 45% of young adults aren’t employed full-time.

• 18 to 29 year olds have the highest underemployment rate since World War II.

• As a result, roughly 19 million are low-income. -AP, US Census

The Problem

…takes a devastating toll on society.

“America’s unemployed youth will cost an estimated $4.7

trillion over their lifetimes in lost revenue, welfare, crime and

health care expenditures.” - White House Council

And it’s getting worse.

The Opportunity…

Over young adults in the United States want

to start a business, but lack the support and resources to do so.

1

11 million

1. Kauffman/Young Invincibles report, US Census.

Over professionals want to volunteer their

skills to help others succeed.

10 million

…to connect.

Young entrepreneurs and volunteer business advisors & mentors

create a profile on our responsive web app at skysthelimit.org. They have access to training,

business loans & ongoing support from our team.

We use a machine learning algorithm on our digital platform to connect our young

entrepreneurs to the right support, from the right people, at the right time.

Our experienced, volunteer business advisors & mentors help our entrepreneurs learn,

build and achieve their business dreams.

How it works

JOINYoung entrepreneurs can

request support through the platform. In partnership with

Accenture’s Artificial Intelligence group, we use

machine learning to intelligently match the right business advisors & mentors

with our young entrepreneurs’ needs.

MATCHOur young entrepreneurs prepare, launch and grow their businesses. They get the right support, from the right people, at the right

time in their entrepreneurial journey. They build new products and services,

create jobs, get skills and chase their dreams.

BUILD

www.skysthelimit.org

PREPARING TO LAUNCH THE BUSINESS

GROWING THE BUSINESS

Business Modeling Customer Development Branding

STARTING THE BUSINESS

Product/Service Development

Website Development & Technology Funding

Marketing & Sales Bookkeeping, Accounting & Financials Legal & Regulatory

SUSTAINING THE BUSINESS

Building the Team Business Soft Skills Operations & Strategy

Pathway to Business OwnershipOur entrepreneurs receive support from our advisors & mentors in the following areas:

Impact from Pilot Program :

low-income young entrepreneurs trained700+

businesses created or grown40+

jobs created60+

Since launch in summer of 2014

completed actionable business plans400+

• Ages 18 to 29

• Low-income (HUD)

• 80%+ are people of color

• Nearly 2/3 female

• Also immigrants, formerly

incarcerated or in foster care, LGBTQ,

& other underrepresented groups

• Passionate, motivated

• Small businesses (food, many kinds of

services, clothing)

• Mostly in “Prepare” and “Launch”

stages of business

Our Young Entrepreneurs

Our Advisors & Mentors

• Professionals & subject-matter

experts, ranging from local firms to

global corporations (Accenture, Bank

of America, Google, Blockchain, Intuit,

Lyft, etc.)

• Small business owners, tech, encore

careers

• Motivated by having a meaningful

experience & giving back

• Give time on an as-available, as-

needed basis

Profiles of our Members

Tyrone and Tiffany, Co-Founders of Circle Up Education At a young age, Tyrone Botelho was placed in Oakland’s foster care system. He was rotated through 13 different group homes before he aged out of the system. In high school, he was exposed to the principles of Restorative Justice, a conflict resolution and community-building practice. Tyrone went on to work his way through college in low-wage jobs. Years later, he decided to launch a business to help other people experience the transformative effects of Restorative Justice.

Tyrone and his co-founder Tiffany Hoang, approached Youth Business USA to support them in building Circle Up Education, an educational consultancy that helps organizations implement Restorative Justice practices.

Through YBUSA, they received coaching in business modeling and planning to help them launch their business. Then they were connected with a YBUSA mentor, Robin Nasatir, who is the former CEO of a management consulting firm and a lifelong community volunteer. Robin has provided expert, invaluable guidance to Tyrone and Tiffany as they have built their company over the past 18 months.

Circle Up Education has secured over $250,000 in contracts and now employs 5 people. Their clients include the City of Oakland and the Hayward Unified School District.

“Youth Business USA helped make our business dreams become a profitable reality. We don’t know where we would be without them.” -Tyrone, Co-Founder

CircleUp EducationY O U T H B U S I N E S S U S A S U C C E S S S T O R Y

Nicolas Cary: Co-Founder and Chairman Nicolas leads the strategy of Youth Business USA’s platform development at

skysthelimit.org, our Board of Directors, and strategic partnerships. He is

also the co-founder of Blockchain, a financial technology company with over

10 million users of its digital platform. As CEO of Blockchain, he raised $30.5

million in Series A funding, and was named “European Digital Leader of the

Year” in 2015. The World Economic Forum recognized Blockchain as a 2016 Technology Pioneer - previous awardees include Google & AirBnB.

Bo Ghirardelli: Co-Founder and CEO Bo knows that talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t. He leads

operations, partnerships, outreach, program design, and fundraising for

Youth Business USA. His focus is to meet the needs of our young

entrepreneurs. Bo also founded and built a successful business accelerator

for low-income young adults in Morocco during the Arab Spring, serving

over 1,500 entrepreneurs nationally.

Our Founders

Other Initiatives

Our Funders

In partnership with the City of Oakland Mayor’s Office, we began a multi-sector collaboration in 2016 to prepare, launch, and grow 100 underrepresented young adult

entrepreneurs in Oakland each year.

*plus over 200 individual donors

THE OAKLAND

FUND

bo@ybusa.org | 510-379-8952

ybusa.org | skysthelimit.org

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EIN # 27-4333255