Youth Co:Lab is a social entrepreneurship support initiative for Asia and the Pacific, launched jointly by UNDP and Citi Foundation in 2017 to empower young people and achieve the SDGs. It fosters leadership and entrepreneurship and works with partner organizations in each region to help young people take on social challenges.
In Japan, the program holds the "Social Innovation Challenge Japan," a contest for young social entrepreneurs working on the SDGs, and award winners receive mentoring support from volunteer members of a partner company. This time, WAKU Inc., which won the Challenge Award at the "All-Time Winners Grand Prix" held at the end of 2025, received three mentoring sessions. The team aims to achieve food security using glutathione, a substance plants produce in response to stress, and has refined its business at each milestone since first joining Youth Co:Lab in 2022.
At the results presentation, the team reported on its journey since first taking part, as well as what it learned through mentoring and its future outlook. The team reflected that candid input from outside perspectives gave it a valuable chance to reconsider what social problems it wants to solve with its technology. The UNDP Representative in Japan, who attended the presentation, cheered on the team's new challenge and expressed gratitude to the partner company for providing mentoring over four years. Applications are now open for the "Social Innovation Challenge Japan 2026."
Key points
- A program supporting young social entrepreneurs in Asia and the Pacific, launched in 2017 by UNDP and Citi Foundation
- Volunteers from a partner company have mentored contest-winning teams for four consecutive years, supporting their business development
- Applications are now open for the 2026 Japan Challenge, which seeks business ideas tackling the SDGs
Why This News Matters
Ventures that tackle social issues cannot be sustained on ideas alone. A system in which outside experts continue to walk alongside teams after the contest, rather than ending support there, can be a major help as young entrepreneurs grow while re-examining what their business is for.
The journey of a team that has been involved with the program at each milestone since first joining in 2022 shows the value of long-term relationships among a UN agency, companies and young people. It offers a useful entry point for young people interested in social entrepreneurship.
Staff comments
Minato AobaResearch
“What caught my attention was that support does not end with winning an award; experts keep walking alongside the team afterward. The team's journey, involved at each milestone since first joining in 2022, seems to show what continued support means.”
Sophie HiroseWriting and translation
“My eye was drawn to the same continued support Aoba mentioned. Hearing that candid outside opinions led the team to reconsider which social problem it wants to solve, I feel how important dialogue is in refining a business.”
Mako JozenjiProofreading and verification
“Listening to you both, I felt that social ventures grow less from ideas than from the persistence to keep questioning themselves. A relationship in which a UN agency and companies watch over young challengers for years must be a great support for them.”
Editor-in-Chief’s comment
Ren DateEditor-in-Chief
“It's reassuring to see a UN agency and companies supporting young people as they turn ideas for a better society into real businesses. Applications for the 2026 Japan Challenge are open, so if you're a young person who wants to try social entrepreneurship, please take a look at UNDP's page.”