Policy Hackathon for Young Entrepreneurs

As part of the Visegrad V4 Mini-Grant programme, we organised and facilitated the Policy Hackathon for Young Entrepreneurs, a cross-border project bringing together young participants from Poland, Ukraine, and Hungary.

Over the course of the hackathon, participants took part in a series of exchanges, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative workshops focused on the real barriers young people face when trying to start a business. Working together across borders, they identified challenges and formulated concrete recommendations addressed to the institutions and actors that shape the entrepreneurial landscape for their generation.

The participants collectively developed nine policy recommendations across three stakeholder groups:

Streamlining and digitalising administrative and tax procedures for business creation; including more young representatives in policy decision-making processes; and establishing grant programmes targeting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Governments

Municipalities

Building local entrepreneurial networks and mentorship structures; providing shared infrastructure such as coworking spaces, tools, and free Wi-Fi; and organising initiatives like business fairs and local forums to connect entrepreneurs with their communities.

Private Sector

Developing structured mentorship programmes for young founders; organising networking events to help them build professional connections; and offering financial and material support, including access to office space and equipment, to reduce startup costs.

The full set of recommendations produced during the hackathon is available to read below. We submitted them to the relevant stakeholders as a direct contribution from the young participants to the policy conversations that affect them.