The YouthStart Adventure

It all started in 1982, when Steve Mariotti, an entrepreneur from New York, was mugged in Central Park by a group of young people. The experience deeply affected him but also inspired him.
He realized that these young people had talent and untapped potential.

Steve decided to change his life and became a teacher in the Bronx. His school gave him full freedom to design his classes, and he chose to base them on entrepreneurship. The results were astonishing.

In 1987, Steve founded an organization to teach vulnerable young people the fundamentals of entrepreneurship the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE). NFTE America was a huge success and even became a case study at Harvard University. Today, the NFTE network operates worldwide.

In 1998, Steve’s idea was taken up by a group of Belgian business leaders who wanted young people seeking opportunities to benefit from the same program in Belgium. NFTE Belgium, now known as YouthStart Belgium, was launched that same year.

Belgium became the first European country to offer this unique program.
Over more than 24 years, YouthStart has grown into an organization that now trains 1,000 young people each year, all between 16 and 30 years old, with little or no qualifications and without a job. After completing the YouthStart program, the vast majority of them become (re)activated and take real steps toward their future.

Steve Mariotti passed away on October 20, 2024.

His legacy will live on through the young entrepreneurs and successful business founders he inspired and encouraged throughout his life.