Yea for Entrepreneurs

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, with eight locations in Florida and more than 100 nationwide in 37 states, will make its debut on the Gulf Coast later this year.

The academy, a pre-college program based in Rochester, N.Y., is a 21-week class for middle and high school students who are serious about a career in business and becoming entrepreneurs. Students develop their own business ideas, write business plans, conduct market research, launch companies and pitch their plans to investors during the semester. YEA classes in Sarasota, affiliated with the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Sarasota program, will be held at the State College of Florida-Lakewood Ranch campus. A pilot program of classes, held one day a week from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., begins this fall.

“This is about teaching people how to make a job, not take a job,” YEA founder and CEO Gayle Jagel tells Coffee Talk. “We want to help create a culture of innovation.”