Youth Business America Inc

Youth Business America (YBA) and the StartUp Veterans America (SVA) programs' vision is to inspire and support our next generation of small business owners. Our program is based on the belief that young entrepreneurs 18-35, whohave a sound business concept, initiative and the necessary skills, should be be ableto successfully start their own business, regardless of their economiccircumstances. The mission of YBA and SVA is to Find, Fund and Mentor young entrepreneurs who need help starting up or growing their business which would create employment and promote the economic health of low and moderate-income communitiesYouth BusinessAmerica relies on a network of Community Partners to train entrepreneurs andrefer them to our program when they are ready to successfully launch a businesswith our support. We have 80+ Community Partners around the SanFrancisco Bay Area.  When it comesto young people looking to secure financing for their new start-up, with littleor no collateral, it can be a daunting task. YBA provides loans for up to $50,000 to Bay Area youngentrepreneurs.  The selectionprocess begins with staff performing due diligence on the applicant usingcredit and criminal background reporting agencies. Volunteer loan analysts do a preliminary review and summaryof the business and financial plans. A Selection Panel of volunteers representing executive level bankers,entrepreneurs and Community Partners interviews each candidate and selectsthose ready for support.   YBA’s businessmodel relies heavily on volunteer support from experienced entrepreneurs,bankers and technical consultants to select and support our clients. Mentoring is cited as the mostimportant service offered by our program- more important to the success of ourclients than capital provided. YBA’s highly qualified and dedicated business mentors bring their yearsof experience to our young entrepreneurs; encouraging them, sharing theirknowledge so youth can learn and celebrate their successes. Eachentrepreneur works for a minimum of two years with a one-to-one mentor to meetthe challenge of starting and/or building their business during the criticalstart-up stage to provide healthy and lasting business growth.