FUTURE 100 is an inspirational project that seeks to recognize, acknowledge and promote promising young entrepreneurs in South Africa through a process that will identify, select and award 100 young entrepreneurs who have met the criteria of being promising entrepreneurs by a selected panel of judges.

WHY BE PART OF FUTURE 100

The FUTURE 100 project is a platform that addresses part of the YEC2010’s strategic intent of entrepreneurship awareness, education and skills training. The campaign identified the need to launch a project that will encourage young entrepreneurs to engage in entrepreneurial activity, in the form of a recognition programme for young entrepreneurs entitled “FUTURE 100”, whereby the public will be able to nominate young persons according to certain criteria specified by YEC2010, with 100 such young persons being selected by a panel of judges identified by the YEC2010 partners.

TARGET GROUP

The project targets young entrepreneurs whose stories will serve as inspiring to start-ups and aspirant young entrepreneurs. The competition also targets young entrepreneurs that aspire to be profiled in the future and will be inspired by the stories of the FUTURE 100.

GEOGRAPHICAL REACH

FUTURE 100 is a national nomination process. Young entrepreneurs from all over South Africa are encouraged to participate.

MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS

The YEC2010 project team identified and negotiated with the Sowetan/ Sunday World newspapers to be media partners for the implementation of the project and ensuring that through this partnership, the project derives maximum media publicity in these newspapers. The partnership with Sowetan Sunday world is key in ensuring that the competition is accessed by young people country wide.

NOMINATION CRITERIA

Nominated young entrepreneurs will be judged using the following criteria.

• The business should be operational.
• FUTURE 100 is open to South African citizens between the ages 18 -35 years.
• Young entrepreneurs who are nominated should have ownership in the business.
• The competition is open to any industry sector.
• The nominators should send a motivation justifying why their nominated entrepreneurs should profiled as one of the FUTURE 100.
• Nominees should submit a one page motivation of how their business idea was realised, what sector, how their business has been performing since it started, what challenges they have faced, how they dealt or planning to deal with them, what future plans they have for their business.
• Entrants must be prepared to submit financial statements on requests.
• Entrants must submit copies of their business registration documents, if the company is registered, if not registered must provide references that can be checked and verified.
• Only owners of the nominated businesses are eligible to be announced as the FUTURE 100 and profiled.
  Project Implementation

The project will be implemented in a phased-approach over 4 stages.

• The Launch Event – this event will introduce the project to the South African public and unveil the concept of FUTURE 100 to the public by the YEC2010 partners and Sowetan/Sunday World newspapers.

• The Nomination Process – this phase will include nominations of young entrepreneurs, capturing of young entrepreneurs who have registered, selection and appointment of judges, and selection of the FUTURE 100.

• Announcement and Profiling – this phase will include preparation of event, speakers during the event, publicity of the event and announcement of winners and profiling of winners in a supplement to be published in the Sowetan / Sunday World newspapers.

• Empowerment of start-up and aspirant entrepreneurs – The FUTURE 100’s will be catalysts for increased total entrepreneurship activity. They will be encouraged to mentor, provide information, and lobby for increased business development for start-up and aspirant young entrepreneurs. Start-up and aspirant young entrepreneurs will be linked to opportunities that will help them realise their business objectives.

The proposed awards for the top 100 entrepreneurs will be an award certificate confirming their selection as the FUTURE 100. Their businesses and stories will be profiled in a Sowetan/Sunday world Future 100 winner’s supplement.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS [click here]