Go Negosyo attracted its largest audience of senior high school students yet for its youth entrepreneurship mentoring event Youthpreneur last February 21, 2025, which was held at the San Francisco High School in Quezon City.

Speaking to more than 1,500 senior high school students of the San Francisco High School in Quezon City, Department of Education (DepEd) Sec. Sonny Angara thanked Go Negosyo and its founder Joey Concepcion for organizing the biggest turnout yet for Youthpreneur. He also thanked the mentors for sharing their lessons in entrepreneurship. “What the mentos will share here today cannot be found in books because they are real-life lessons,” he told the students.

In a recorded speech, Concepcion thanked the key officials of the DepEd, the Quezon City LGU, and the country’s largest business groups for helping the public school students. He also invited the students to dream big and surround themselves with mentors. “Character formation is important, and a lot of it comes from parents, from mentors, from good friends,” he said.

Joining Angara and Concepcion were DepEd NCR Regional Director and OIC for the Office of the Asst. Sec. for Operations Jocelyn Dr. Andaya, Asst. Sec. for Operations Malcolm Garma, CESO V School Division Superintendent Carleen Sedilla, and officers of the Quezon City LGU and Quezon City Schools Division Office. Private sector was also well represented by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Quezon City. They led the more than 50 veteran entrepreneurs who volunteered to mentor and guide the senior high school students toward a life of entrepreneurship. Presiding over the program was Mercato Centrale founder RJ Ledesma.

Successful entrepreneurs Violy Lapid, owner of R. Lapid’s Chicharon, and Graciano “Butch” Salvador, owner of Car Magic Auto Painting and Street Smart Magic General Merchandise, enthralled the students as they shared their journey toward entrepreneurship. Successful young entrepreneurs, meanwhile, inspired the public school students to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams early on. These included Kim Lato, founder of Kim Store and Mika Leetong, owner of Brew & Co., and content creator Reymond ‘Boss RDR’ Delos Reyes of RDR business solutions.

Youthpreneur has reached more than 6,000 public school students so far. It has visited 22 schools across the country, including those in Quezon Province, General Santos City, Cebu, Davao, La Union, Lucena, Laoag, Baguio, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and several cities in the National Capital Region.