The Youth Foundry runs a two level founder program for young people in Palm Beach County. Students start with IGNITE and build on it with FORGE. Each level is offered separately, so a student can begin wherever they are ready.
IGNITE is 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. They leave with a real network, real skills, and a project they are proud of.
FORGE is the next level for founders who have completed IGNITE. Students take their concept further, sharpen the business behind it, and keep building toward something real and lasting. It is where a first idea grows into a venture with legs.
Inaugural IGNITE cohort launching 2026 · Palm Beach County, FL
Every Youth Foundry program is application based and built around real outcomes, not participation. Here is the shape of the experience.
Structured sessions that build skills step by step, at a pace designed for how students actually learn.
Students work on their own business concept, not a worksheet. The idea is theirs.
Founders learn from instructors, mentors, and one another inside a real community.
The program ends with a pitch in front of a real audience and real judges.