Young Entrepreneur Council

The Young Entrepreneur Council is an invitation-reviewed, fee-based community for founders and chief executives, operated by YEC Global, LLC. For most of its history it was a vetted membership organisation for entrepreneurs aged 45 or under whose companies met a financial test, and its members supplied syndicated expert content to business publications, including a YEC-branded column on Forbes.com. In 2026 the organisation relaunched with a narrower positioning: it now describes itself as "a council for founders operating at altitude" rather than a directory-style network, and is seating a Founding Cohort. Membership is decided by a short application, a full application form, and an interview with YEC leadership, which states it is reading for fit and contribution rather than credentials. Members get a vetted directory searchable by industry, location, expertise and stage, a private community space, live sessions with experienced operators, publishing opportunities through YEC and partner outlets, member spotlights, negotiated partner arrangements, in-person dinners and member-hosted gatherings, and a library of templates and standard operating procedures. Unusually for a peer community, YEC explicitly encourages members to hire and do business with one another.

Hoe het werkt

Applicants complete a short form, confirm their email, then receive and complete a longer application; a person reviews every one and successful candidates are interviewed before being offered a seat. Members participate through a private online community with feeds, resources and a searchable directory, plus live sessions, publishing slots and in-person dinners and member-hosted gatherings listed on a public events calendar. Some events are open to non-members, others are members only. Renewal depends on continued participation: the organisation frames the seat as earned and kept by showing up.

Typisch lid

Founders, co-founders, CEOs and builders currently running a business. The FAQ states "Young is the mind, not the age", so the historical under-45 rule is no longer presented as a test. YEC does not publish revenue, funding or exit thresholds on its current site.

YEC is the hardest organisation in this group to pin down as of 2026, because it has just changed hands and changed shape. The version most people know - under-45 founders, a US$1m revenue or funding test, and syndicated bylines placed in national outlets - is described consistently in third-party write-ups but no longer appears anywhere on yec.co, which now publishes no age, revenue, funding or exit threshold at all. The site is also silent on price, so a prospective member cannot learn the cost before applying. What is stated clearly is process (form, application, human review, interview) and philosophy ("a gym, not a spa"; give counsel as readily as you take it). Treat any specific YEC criterion or fee quoted elsewhere as historical unless confirmed directly with the organisation.

Redactionele analyse door Peer Group Guide editors. Het is gescheiden van het bovenstaande record en volgt op de redactioneel beleid.