Generation Z is often unfairly labeled as distracted, anxious, lonely or under-skilled. But our experience has been the complete opposite. As CEO of Resolution Project and Enactus Global, I’ve witnessed first-hand that this generation is innovative, digitally-native, socially-conscious and values-driven. Where others see limitations, we see a generation whose unique perspective and determination enable them to tackle complex social challenges with unprecedented ingenuity and purpose. And that’s why we work to get them started on their social entrepreneurship journey today, when their fresh perspectives and dedication can have the longest possible runway for impact.
From our network of 40,000 Enactus students across 35 countries to our 700 Resolution Fellows, these young innovators are proving what is possible when we invest in youth-led solutions. The evidence is compelling: Resolution Fellows who started with microgrants of $3,000-$10,000 have built ventures now valued collectively at over $6.5 billion. This return demonstrates the exponential potential unleashed when we provide young entrepreneurs with the skills, capital, community and industry access they need to develop and scale their ideas.
Their impact is evident across sectors and geographies. We’ve supported young entrepreneurs in countries from Brazil to Uganda, developing innovative solutions in industries ranging from agriculture to energy. Each of these ventures demonstrates how young leaders are developing targeted solutions to their communities’ most pressing challenges.
We celebrated these innovations during our 2024 programming, including the Enactus World Cup in Astana, Kazakhstan and Resolution’s Accelerating Impact Challenge in New York. What sets these entrepreneurs apart isn’t just their creativity — it’s their commitment to collaboration over competition. Through shared learning and community building, these young innovators are creating networks of support that amplify their individual impacts.
Below, I’ll discuss four areas where young social entrepreneurs are currently driving innovation and achieving measurable impact, highlighting several youth-led enterprises that are demonstrating the next generation’s approach to solving complex social challenges. Each enterprise received support from Resolution Project or Enactus in 2024, including the Enactus World Cup Action with Africa Challenge prize money (EcoResin), the Enactus World Cup ITwin4Good Challenge prize money (TwinGrid), Accelerating Impact Challenge funding (Project Dakshata, Cassavity, Agrosage), and introductions to major philanthropic funders (Rashak).
Circular Economy and Waste-to-Value
Many youth-led enterprises are tackling the challenge of plastic and other waste by converting waste streams into valuable products while addressing environmental concerns.
EcoResin, run by students of Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University in Makurdi, Nigeria, addresses two significant environmental challenges: the global plastic crisis and cassava waste management. Operating in the world’s leading cassava-producing country, the company transforms the acidic wastewater from cassava processing — which traditionally damages ecosystems — into sustainable bioplastic alternatives. Their process converts cassava waste into resin pellets for manufacturing biodegradable shopping bags and food containers. By offering an affordable alternative to traditional plastic packaging, EcoResin provides a cost-effective, environmentally conscious solution for restaurants, food chains and supermarkets, while demonstrating how circular economy solutions can transform agricultural waste into valuable products that tackle plastic pollution in Africa.
Project Dakshata, led by Hardik Doshi and Radha Dave in rural India, transforms a common agricultural waste product into an innovative, multi-purpose construction material that simultaneously addresses housing needs and farmer livelihoods. Their social enterprise creates a specialized paint using cow dung-based resin, which provides three critical functions: mosquito repellent, water resistance and home insulation. By purchasing cow dung directly from rural farmers, Project Dakshata establishes a new revenue stream for agricultural households while converting what was previously considered waste into a valuable building material. This circular economy approach not only improves the quality of rural housing through better insulation and pest control, it also demonstrates how innovative waste-to-value solutions can create both environmental and economic benefits for rural communities.
Agricultural Value Chain Enhancement
Other young social entrepreneurs are running businesses that enhance agricultural value chains by extending in-country processing, reducing spoilage and creating skilled employment.
Cassavity SL Limited, run by Ambrose Onapa, is a social enterprise in Sierra Leone that strengthens the cassava value chain by addressing post-harvest losses and producing high-quality cassava flour. The company works directly with rural farmers, providing them with fair market access and training to improve agricultural practices. By processing cassava locally and creating a reliable market for farmers’ produce, Cassavity helps reduce crop waste while improving rural household incomes through both better prices and enhanced productivity.
Agrosage-Tek Uganda Limited (ATUL), run by Kayiza Isma, focuses on reducing post-harvest food losses in East Africa through accessible cold storage solutions. Their main innovation, a solar-powered cold room called Spacom-1, enables farmers, vendors and institutions in remote areas to preserve fresh produce longer. By combining renewable energy with cold storage technology, ATUL helps reduce food waste while creating better market opportunities for rural agricultural communities that previously lacked access to proper storage facilities.
Inclusive Employment and Support Services
Youth-led social enterprises are also working to expand quality livelihood access for underserved populations, like women and people with disabilities.
Rashak Farms and Agro-Allied Limited, founded by Rahmah Aderinoye, advances food security in Nigeria through a data-driven approach that bridges critical gaps in agricultural markets. The company focuses on empowering smallholder farmers, particularly women and farmers with disabilities, by providing both market access and financial services. Working closely with farmer cooperatives and research institutes, Rashak helps modernize farming practices, reduce post-harvest losses and improve produce quality. By connecting farmers directly with agro-processors while ensuring access to proper inputs and training, it strengthens the agricultural value chain while promoting inclusive economic opportunities for traditionally underserved farming communities.
School of Thoughts, co-founded by Kojo Owiredu Kissi and Abraham Agoni, creates economic opportunities for people with disabilities in Ghana. The social venture combines entrepreneurship training with practical business skills development, offering workshops in financial literacy, business management, branding and marketing. By focusing on tailored business education, School of Thoughts helps participants emerge from economic dependence to become self-sufficient business owners, demonstrating how targeted skill development can create pathways to financial independence for people with disabilities.
Infrastructure and Technology
Young social entrepreneurs are also modernizing infrastructure through the Internet of Things and localized solutions.
TwinGrid, run by students of Universidade Federal de Viçosa – Campus Rio Paranaíba in Brazil, is an electric grid management software powered by Bentley Systems’ iTwin platform. It monitors renewable energy sources for intermittency and automatically redirects power from online sources when others go offline. The team will work closely with utility operators to evaluate existing data sources and identify gaps. Their software determines where additional sensors are needed and how to integrate them seamlessly into the grid. Using a B2B model, TwinGrid will be offered as a subscription service to utilities and large-scale energy consumers, with an initial set-up cost for real-time data collection components.
As we look to address increasingly complex global challenges, circular economy, agricultural value chains, inclusive employment and technology-driven infrastructure represent the frontier of youth-led social entrepreneurship. When young entrepreneurs begin their journey early, they create the potential for exponential impact. Through Resolution Project and Enactus’ combined platform, we’re witnessing how starting in their formative years allows innovators to develop solutions that can evolve and scale over decades rather than years.
This long runway for growth means today’s youth-led ventures are building the foundation for a more sustainable and equitable future across all dimensions of social and environmental impact. As these young entrepreneurs connect across borders and sectors, they create powerful networks of collaboration, shared learning and mutual support that accelerate innovation and increase resilience. It’s this combination of an early start, focused innovation and a vibrant community of practice that makes youth-led social entrepreneurship such a powerful force for transformational change — exactly what we’ve seen as $3,000-$10,000 microgrants have catalyzed ventures worth billions, demonstrating the extraordinary return on investing in the next generation of changemakers.
George Tsiatis is the CEO of Resolution Project and Enactus Global.
Photo via Enactus/Tyler Maddigan.
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