Red Bull is bullish on Gen Z entrepreneurship

Gen Zs want to change the world. And one of the ways they’re doing it is through social entrepreneurship. Here’s how two new Red Bull entrepreneurship programs are helping them chart the path.

Red Bull is known for their innovative marketing.

From the brand’s sponsorship of adrenaline-fueled sporting events to it’s clever refrigerators that got a whole generation of bar-hopping adults drinking Red Bull mixers, they’re always thinking outside the box. (Or inventing a stylish, self-cooled box to put their cans in, as the case may be.)

So when—seemingly out of the blue—they launch two new entrepreneurship programs, it’s the kinda thing that makes you stand up and take notice.

Perhaps you’re scratching your head, wondering what exactly Red Bull has to with entrepreneurship? (Brain fuel for all-night work sessions, anyone?) Or, perhaps you’re nodding it, because you realize what Red Bull is up to. I sure did.

In fact Red Bull’s new programs, Red Bull Amaphiko (an social entrepreneurship program open to anyone) and Red Bull Basement (a tech- and coding-focused social entrepreneurship program) seem tailor-made for Gen Z.

Roughly 41 percent of Gen Zs aspire to become entrepreneurs. And of those, roughly half are in it to “invent something that changes the world”.

In case you haven’t noticed, changing the world is HARD work. And Gen Zs can use all the help they can get. Eight out of 10 entrepreneurs that found new businesses fail within the first 18 months.

So by starting these support programs, which offer entrepreneurs mentorship, networking, community and technology support amongst other resources, Red Bull is most certainly helping the next generation of entrepreneurs succeed. And influencing Gen Z perceptions of their brand in the process.

There are many ways that you can steal a page from Red Bull’s playbook without launching one (or two) full-scale entrepreneurship programs. For example, look to your company’s own founders, using their stories to inspire Gen Zs or offer them real-world advice.

Or host a competition, asking Zs to submit product design ideas. By helping Gen Zs get their own ideas into production, you’ll be giving them valuable experience that can help them launch out on their own one day.

After all, you can’t learn to fly without wings. And who better to give them to you than Red Bull.