The Hitachi Foundation

Selection Criteria

Eligibility

Judging

Timeline

Selection Criteria

An independent panel with content knowledge will review and evaluate applications on a number of key factors that span entrepreneur intent and leadership qualities to business potential. Applicants must meet minimum eligibility requirements to be considered for the award.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet ALL of the following 5 requirements to be eligible for the Yoshiyama Program:

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
• Applicants must have been 29 years old or younger when their business began generating revenue.
• The business must be 1-5 years old and have been generating revenue for a minimum of the past 12 months.
• The applicant established his/her business with the expressed dual purpose of operating a successful business and creating opportunities for low-wealth individuals in America to enhance their economic security.*
• The business may be structured as a for-profit or non-profit. If the business is a non-profit, it must depend primarily on an earned-income revenue model and not depend solely on donations and grants.

* Strategies that help enhance economic security might include, but are not limited to: management practices including ownership structure, workforce advancement practices, supply-chain protocols, location decisions; developing a product or service that can alter individual and community circumstances such as improving access to education and training protocols, creating greater access to healthy lifestyle and health-care products and services, improving access to asset accumulation such as housing, transportation and marketable credentials for low-wealth individuals.

Judging

An independent panel with content knowledge will review and evaluate applications on a number of key factors:

• The entrepreneurs' motivation and intention for establishing their business.
• Strength and vision of the business leader and/or management team.
• The entrepreneurs' knowledge of and/or experience with the specific challenges of low-wealth individuals and communities.
• The potential of the business to achieve observable progress in helping low-wealth individuals in America overcome one or more of the barriers to economic security.
  
• Business' track record and potential for future business success.

Timeline

The 2013 Yoshiyama Young Entrepreneurs' timeline is as follows: