Built for minds that think differently.
The Youth Foundry exists to prove that non-traditional learners in Palm Beach County aren't behind, they're building differently.
Ages 14 to 24 · Palm Beach County, FL
Every program, every partner, and every seat we open flows from two beliefs about what young people deserve.
We give Palm Beach County young people who think differently the tools and proof that how they think is their advantage.
A Palm Beach County where every young person whose brain works differently sees entrepreneurship as a real path, not a backup plan, and where the systems meant to prepare them for the future finally catch up to how they actually think.
These are not posters on a wall. They are the operating principles behind every cohort, every open seat, and every pitch competition we run.
The Youth Foundry runs a two level founder program. Students start with IGNITE, then build on it with FORGE. Each level is offered on its own, so a student can begin wherever they are ready.
The entry point into The Youth Foundry. Students take an idea and turn it into a real, investor ready business concept, then put it to the test by pitching at a live competition.
The next level for founders who completed IGNITE. Students take their concept further, sharpen the business, and keep building toward something real and lasting.
I've watched students pitch business ideas to rooms full of real entrepreneurs and walk away with something no classroom grade can measure. Confidence. Vision. The belief that their ideas are worth building.
That moment is why I built The Youth Foundry.
I spent decades feeling like I wasn't keeping up in a world that wasn't designed for the way my brain worked. Then I watched my son navigate the same invisible struggle, and watched a system fail him when he needed it most.
Those experiences didn't break me. They made me the educator I am. They're why I don't just teach entrepreneurship. I find the potential in students that's waiting to be activated, and I build the structure around them to help them actually launch.
Founders, not followers.
The best measure of this work is what students say about it. More stories are on the way as our founders share their experiences.
Your teaching inspired me to be the best version of myself and think outside the box! You always believe in your students and that encourages us to reach our full potential inside and outside the classroom.
The Shark Tank experience encouraged me to feel more confident in myself and my ability to come up with ideas, and that if an idea isn't perfect then it's okay to go back to the drawing board and come up with something different.
Tell us a little about yourself and we will keep you posted on programs, events, and new ways to get involved. Name and email are all you need. The rest is optional.
Thanks for joining. We will be in touch with what is next at The Foundry.