Youth is the Future of every nation & inheritors of the tomorrow. This statement stands true in every sense. When a country has a healthy youth population, you will find the country making headway in terms of overall development and progress. A country with a high aging population and lower youth population has a lot of problems to contend with that can slow its growth.

The world today has transited into a ‘Technology Era’. Technology has enabled progress in all fields and all societies. The technological revolution has changed the face of the lives of people bringing healthcare, information, and connectivity to even the most remote areas that were hereto isolated. Youth entrepreneurship involves acquainting young people and students with the realities and opportunities of small-business employment and ownership

ICYF startup platform is a multiphase entrepreneurship platform that offers young entrepreneurs from the OIC Member States the opportunity of online & offline training in related fields and to be matched with the specifically chosen investors both in an online platform and in a yearly investment summit organized in collaboration with relevant authorities of the member states/observers.

The Platform was decided as one of 14 priority Joint Youth Actions by the 3^rd Islamic Conference of Youth and Sports Minister (5-7 October 2016, Istanbul) and approved by the 43^rd Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (18-19 October 2016, Tashkent).

The startup platform is one of the platforms of the Young Business Hub. The online platform of the Young Business Hub accepts projects throughout the year and since its inception it has received over 5000 applications and offered free online training and mentorship for 500 Startups.

ICYF startup platform offers the following

• Online Training
• Free mentorship
• Matching with investors
• Preparation for investment

How does it work?

The first step to participate in the startup platform is to submit an application. Accepted applicants are offered 8weeks of online training by outstanding mentors with a focus on the fields of finance, marketing, business plan and development.

After the completion of the online training, the trainees get an official invitation for yearly investment summits organize by ICYF organized in cooperation with member/observer states.

Objectives of the startup platform

• Offering sustainable development opportunities for the OIC member states by creating effective reinforcements for young Muslim Entrepreneurs
• Increasing overall knowledge and knowhow level of Young Muslim entrepreneurs to prepare them for intense global competition
• Increasing the overall Job supply in the OIC Countries by establishing a rigid ground for the creation of new companies
• Decreasing the overall unemployment rate in Muslim Youth which is one of the crucial problems in the OIC Geography
• Increasing the overall economic integration rate by bringing together investors and entrepreneurs from different OIC countries
• Creating a market place for tech Startups and provide visibility around the OIC geography