NFTE

09/02/2026

NFTE will be leading the Panel "Beyond the Algorithm” during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 22nd!

We’re partnering with Pearson and Aflatoun to explore how entrepreneurship education and programs like NFTE's World Series of Innovation (WSI) helps young people build the human critical thinking skills necessary in our increasingly AI-filled world.

Our panel will be one of 15 sessions on the theme of Education for Sustainable Development as part of Education House’s Collaboration with the UN.
Moderated by NFTE CEO J.D. LaRock, we'll be joined by Kirsten Theuns, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Development at Aflatoun, Nich Haber, Director Global Partnerships at Pearson, and Arfa Masroor, one of our amazing WSI Student Ambassadors, to speak on her personal experience.

Join us on September 22nd in NYC - https://okt.to/jQcRGy

08/28/2026

Vote for our Alum Darius Davie's business Groom Guy for an INDIE Award!

Every year the Independent Lodging Congress hosts their INDIE awards to recognize independent hospitality enterprises that are leading innovation in the industry.

Groom Guy has been nominated as 2026's Indie Rebel for their work as a professional men's grooming service inside Washington DC's premiere hotels and residencies.

Vote Here by September 7th: https://okt.to/hi2nWa

08/28/2026

On September 9th, our World Series of Innovation challenge will be open to all youth globally from ages 5-24!

As a part of our Imagination League (ages 5-12) and our Impact League (ages 13-24), youth will develop creative solutions to real-world challenges based on UN Sustainable Development Goals and compete for prizes! This free-to-participate event is open to submissions through December 2026.

Be the next leader in innovation: https://okt.to/itFe95

08/27/2026

What makes an entrepreneurship educator stand out? For Apostolos Lemonidis at Pinewood School, it's that he doesn't just teach entrepreneurship, he practices it.

With 25+ years of international business experience, active consulting work, and certifications in ESG and sustainability, Apostolos brings the real world into the classroom every day. His greatest satisfaction? Watching students gain genuine understanding of how businesses operate, scale, and create value.

At NFTE we recognize work experience outside of a traditional classroom setting is benefit to students and helps prepare them for life after school.

08/26/2026

August is National Black Business Month! To celebrate, we’d love to introduce you to some of the amazing businesses our Alumni have founded.

Almnd Mlk Cakes was created when Solonia Allen’s vegan mother was craving sweets during her pregnancy. When Solonia realized she had a talent for making delicious vegan baked goods, she made it her mission to remove the stigma around vegan desserts. This teen-owned business serves the LA area – catch her at the Playa Vista, Bundy Drive and Brentwood farmers markets!

Robert Reffkin's single mother was a real estate agent, so when he founded Compass, Inc. in 2012, its mission was to support individual agents succeed as entrepreneurs. Almost 15 years later, Compass has gone from a trailblazer to an industry standard in the real estate tech space.

Eden Bodyworks founder Jasmine Lawrence has an impressive resume: Google's Everyday Robots, Facebook, Microsoft, Softbank Robotics America. But her own business came from necessity. After bad chemical hair damage from a salon, and unable to find any good natural hair products to help restore her curls, she turned to her own kitchen to create a solution! Since 2004, Eden Bodyworks has been that solution for 100s of customers.

These are just a few of the amazing businesses run by our Alumni. Visit https://okt.to/W8b6VG to find more!!

08/23/2026

Today is the LAST DAY to vote for NFTE’s panels at SXSW EDU!

If you think more students need more access to education that prepares them for the modern workforce, please take a few minutes to vote at the links below!

Student-Led Problem Finding Starts with Bad Ideas
https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1784766249123001L4Gt

Rethinking Youth Innovation Worldwide
https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1784997631364001GKBW

The Missing Link: Career-Connected Entrepreneurship
https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1785088478996001Klbs

Who Gets Funded? The AI Startup Showdown
https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1783973717322001r32E

Beyond the Prompt: Great AI Teaching in Practice
https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw27/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1785086204572001vH2H

PanelPicker® is the official SXSW user-generated session proposal platform. Enter ideas and vote to help shape Conference programming for SXSW and SXSW EDU.

08/21/2026

This spring, NFTE will be returning to SXSW EDU – and we need your vote to share our panels there!

The face of education is rapidly changing, and our panels are designed to meet that change. Our proposals focus on the role of AI, preserving and encouraging students’ problem-solving skills, and global access to career skills focused education, all in both the classroom and beyond.

If you think more students need more access to education that prepare them for the modern workforce, please take a few minutes to vote at the links below!

Student-Led Problem Finding Starts with Bad Ideas
https://okt.to/KI7uRl

Rethinking Youth Innovation Worldwide
https://okt.to/4BVMzS

The Missing Link: Career-Connected Entrepreneurship
https://okt.to/gNz6wx

Who Gets Funded? The AI Startup Showdown
https://okt.to/TYofkF

Beyond the Prompt: Great AI Teaching in Practice
https://okt.to/bjXare

08/14/2026

When Mai Anh Le became the winner of Vietnam's first-ever Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge in 2025, she didn't stop there. She used it as a launchpad to start a movement.

Now the founding President of HUB Network High School, Mai Anh leads a student-driven organization spanning 10 chapters and 200+ members, bringing entrepreneurship education to high schoolers across Vietnam.

When young people are given the right environment to act on their ideas, they don't just succeed themselves, they open doors for the next generation.

08/12/2026

When we asked our 2026 WSI Ambassadors why they joined the program, there was one thing they kept coming back to – youth empowerment.

Whether it was by providing peer support, improving access to the program, or hoping to inspire youth to become leaders themselves, our ambassadors are here to center the student experience and make WSI open to more students than ever before.

These students come from around the globe, and their perspectives highlight the universal need for a shift in how we educate the next generation. Our youth know that the world is changing, and that every student should be given the tools to succeed.

As International Youth Day comes to a close, We're grateful to our ambassadors, and look forward to what they will accomplish. Learn more about participating in WSI here: https://okt.to/Y0JSFj.

08/12/2026

International Youth Day is all about amplifying the voices of young people. Today, we're excited to introduce an inspiring young leader in her own words.

Meet Arfa Masroor, one of our new World Series of Innovation (WSI) Ambassadors. As a WSI Ambassador, she's part of a global community of young leaders who give back by supporting the program and helping new participants make the most of their competition experience.

Arfa, a 14-year-old from New Jersey, is a perfect example of just how articulate and thoughtful our youth are. Her thoughts here illustrate the importance of including youth voices in conversations about the future of education.

Our WSI Competition for 2026 is dropping on September 9th! Learn how the you and the youth in your life can get involved: innovation.nfte.com