Student entrepreneurs take note: make your idea a business with YEC 2012

If you’re a South African student with a flair for business, check this out. It’s a brand new conference designed especially for the likes of you.

Founded this year, the Young Entrepreneur Connect Conference aims to “build an entrepreneurial culture among students in South Africa”. The inaugural theme of the conference is “The Year Of The Futurepreneur”. Through inspirational stories from real-world entrepreneurs, the conference hopes to provide first-hand recounts of how businesses got started and to equip attendees with the necessary knowledge and resources to get their own ventures off the ground.

The conference launches on Saturday 29 September in Cape Town this year, and is sponsored by the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism. The one-day event will consist of workshops and a cocktail dinner, which will be presented in a TED-talk style by established entrepreneurs.

The event backed by student executive organisation InvestSoc, appeals to local government to recognise local entrepreneurs and the innovation they are pursuing. The conference hopes to inspire the government to increase infrastructure initiatives to boost entrepreneurial activity, that ultimately improves the way of life for consumers.

This year the conference is limited to Western Cape institutions, but plans for national expansion is in the works.