India marked a milestone on November 22 with the launch of the YouthAid Entrepreneurs’ Federation of India (YEFI) in Pune, a national platform created to connect grassroots entrepreneurs with government schemes, banks, CSR partners, markets and investors. YEFI aims to raise standards of quality, branding and ethics in micro-businesses while enabling sustainable scale. “This federation is essential for last-mile inclusion, dignity and economic justice,” said Chairman Mathew Mattam.
The launch took place in the middle of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2025, observed across more than 200 countries under this year’s theme, “Together We Build”.
Joining the inauguration virtually from the UK, Matt Smith, Vice President of GEN UK, called ecosystem building “the real infrastructure that sustains an economy”. He said YEFI was uniquely placed to take entrepreneurship support deeper into India’s grassroots. YAF International Director Priya Kothari added that YEFI’s mission is to spread the grassroots entrepreneurship movement across all states, backed by mentorship and essential digital and financial literacy.
YEFI has adopted strict membership norms: at least two years of business operations, audited accounts, filed ITR, and a minimum annual turnover of ₹5 lakh. Six enterprises secured inaugural membership, representing ₹22 crore in audited turnover and 105 employees, 73% of them women. They are: Sarthak Enterprises, AgroZee Organics Pvt Ltd, YouthAid Global Services Pvt Ltd, VK Control Systems Pvt Ltd, Shital Enterprises, and Agrotech Farmer Produce Company.
The YEFI Board includes Chairman Mathew Mattam, four entrepreneurs, social activist Jyotsna Bahirat, and academic Prof Ujjwal Anu Chowdhury.
Entrepreneur-director Vicky Kalbande spoke of taking his Amravati-based enterprise global, while Bapu Narute offered to support the federation’s first anniversary in Dubai in 2026.
According to Prof Chowdhury, YEFI is designed to fill a major vacuum: the absence of a chamber of commerce exclusively for micro-entrepreneurs. Starting with six members and a ₹22 crore turnover in 2025, YEFI projects:
- 500 members and ₹50 crore turnover by February 2026 (Hyderabad YES Summit)
- 1,000+ members and ₹100 crore turnover by 2027 (Delhi YES Summit)
- 10,000 members, ₹1,000 crore turnover, and a ₹10,000 crore valuation by 2030, becoming India’s first Social Unicorn
YEFI’s blueprint includes mentorship from senior entrepreneurs (“Uday Gurus”), a federation e-commerce platform, an Export-Import division, and global outreach to micro-entrepreneurs across the Global South. It also aims to negotiate collectively with governments, banks and universities for member benefits.
Above all, YEFI seeks to correct a long-standing invisibility: the absence of grassroots entrepreneurs, especially women, from mainstream economic conversations. Its ambition is simple yet transformative: to make it normal for a young woman in a slum, a farmer’s son, or a first-generation diploma holder in a small town to build and scale an enterprise with dignity, support and opportunity.
