In order to foster entrepreneurship in Asia Pacific an entrepreneurial environment is needed in which young entrepreneurs find the reseources to grow their ventures. On the other hand we need to provide successful role models to inspire more young people in the region to venture out.

We believe that contrary to the common perception there are not just 2 or 3 successful young entrepreneurs in Asia, but that there are many young entrepreneurs and social Changemakers realizing their dreams and ambitions.

Geographical Reach

Mongolia, China, Japan, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, Brunei, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, Hong Kong.

Nuturing young entrepreneurs in Asia Pacific

For that reason we annually identify 100 of those young entrepreneurs for an annual fellowship in which they are provided with the resources and networks to strive as entrepreneur.

Learning environment

The young entrepreneurs in the program are exceptions to the norm, as they have boldly started their own business, NGO or social enterprise. Their selection in the Paragon 100 program highlights their success as young entrepreneur, and their potential to deliver more results and impact in the future.

Though capable organization leaders, many of these young entrepreneurs still struggle with the mental isolation that comes from founding a business alone. There is a dire need for expert informational resources and mentors to

1. Encourage them in their endeavors, and to
2. Increase their impact by building their business acumen and the management skills.

Throught the strategic learning environment the program aims to develop the fellows in a holistic way:

• developing the skills and knolwedge of the individual entrepreneur
• taking the business to a new level by increasing operational performance and brand recognition
• enabling the entrepreneur and the business to increase its positive footprint and impact on the community.

Inspiring the next generation of young entrepreneurs

A lack of entrepreneurial role models in Asia Pacific leads to an isolation of young people who want to become entrepreneurs. As many young people lack the knowledge about successful young entrepreneurs they feel they are trailblazers and therefore heesitate to start out.

Therefore a crucial step in fostering an entrepreneurial culture in Asia is to promote successful young entrepreneurs as role models, to showcase they young people can be successful in realizing their dreams and building their ventures.

A crucial component of the program is therefore the commitment of fellows to connect with young students directly through speaking engagements in schools and universities to showcase their entrepreneurial endeavor and to highlight that with passion and dedication youth entrepreneurship could be a desirable career choice for many of our youth.

During our campus tour fellows and leading entrepreneurs from the region will pair up at campus events to share their experience with students and to engage students in their initial experience with entrepreneurship.