KYLER WANG
UNITED STATES, 16
Project: Spark Teen
Basic Human Needs: Education
Kyler had a passion for entrepreneurship since he was a child, and he wanted to share this passion with other young people in his community. In August 2018 Kyler organized a successful entrepreneurship market in Portland, Oregon. In August 2019, eager to “spark” more young minds, Kyler officially formed Spark Teen – a community that unites, elevates and inspires entrepreneurial teens. Their programs and events educate teenagers to build companies, while seeding a diverse and inclusive generation of founders. Spark Teen is both a cultural and educational movement, instilling concepts like value-creation and key enterprise skills that are missing from a traditional education. In doing so, they power economic growth, advance inclusion and equity in entrepreneurship and prepare youth for the future of work. Spark Teen’s support continues beyond their events by providing founders with access to resources valued at $800,000, funding opportunities and a world-class network of mentors. What started as a market in Portland is now a community of ~5,000 teenage entrepreneurs and 400+ companies from 30+ countries. In June 2020 Spark Teen held their first Accelerator Challenge, a month-long competition where teenagers pitch their ideas to receive a $15k seed investment and entry to Spark Teen’s 3-month Summer Accelerator program. The competition was attended by 1,200+ teenagers from 27 countries. Spark Teen is a lifelong journey for Kyler and he hopes to inspire countless more young entrepreneurs who create products and solutions that will positively impact millions of lives.