YEEP stands for “Young Entrepreneur Exchange Project”. It is a joint initiative of different Ethiopian and Swiss partners, which was created 2013 during a visit of professors and students of the Bern University of Applied Sciences at Hawassa University in Ethiopia. In Switzerland, YEEP is organized and coordinated by the association DEVENTURE. YEEP encourages an entrepreneurial mindset among young people, fosters opportunities for international exchange and interdisciplinary, intercultural learning and supports concrete projects and initiatives of motivated young people who take fate in their own hands.
Initially, YEEP started in 2014 with the concept of a business plan competition. Since then, the concept has evolved into an International exposure week, where more tailor-made solutions are offered to the teams.
In 2019 a new format, called YEEP-tech, has been developed, which will be complementary to the initial YEEP-business format. Both, the tech and the business format, have a similar general approach: Students from different Swiss schools and universities travel to Ethiopia and work during a bit more than a week on a specific project.
Next YEEP Week: November 2026
About YEEP
