Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative
Elected among more than 4800 Latin American and Caribbean entrepreneurs, five Uruguayans participated in the The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) launched by Barack Obama.
In May 2016 the US government launched the call for the first Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI). Natalia Díaz Kopec, Sofía Gruss, Majo Spitalnik, Agustina Tierno and Marcelo Wilkoworsky were the Uruguayan winners, who traveled in early October 2016 to the USA, where they were developing their projects, mentored by important companies related to their fields, and participating in various instances of work and training.
During 40 days they worked with American specialists and in constant bond with the 250 winners of the 35 participating countries. Beginning in Dallas, each youth was assigned one of 20 host cities and the program culminated in Washington D.C. where they had the possibility to expose their work, sharing it with the whole group of entrepreneurs and the most important authorities in the country.
The YLAI Program empowers entrepreneurs and innovative civil society leaders to strengthen their capacity to launch and advance their entrepreneurial ideas and effectively contribute to social and economic development in their communities. Through the YLAI Entrepreneurship Institute and the individualized Fellowships, YLAI Fellows had the opportunity to accelerate their commercial and social ventures’ success and develop specific action plans to carry out upon return to their home countries. YLAI Professional Fellows builds networks, linkages and lasting partnerships to attract investments and support for their entrepreneurial ventures.
