About & Advocacy

About the founder & her advocacy...

Sophia Knetter - Mosinee, WI

Sophia Knetter is from Mosinee, Wisconsin and is the student founder of Youth StartupWI. Sophia is an active member of FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America), and a 2x National 1st Place Winner in Entrepreneurship and Career Investigation. She was also recently elected as the Wisconsin FCCLA Vice President of Development. This year, Sophia competed in Public Policy Advocate and addressed an issue very important to her: the critical lack of funding, support, and education for youth entrepreneurship in Wisconsin. She will be taking this project to nationals this summer.

Wisconsin seems to face a lack of entrepreneurship compared to other states:

Wisconsin’s new entrepreneur rate is 0.22%, whereas the national rate is 0.34%
National Business Capital (2024) ranks Wisconsin 42nd nationwide for starting a business due to low funding and support

Sophia's advocacy work has consisted of the following:

Hosting Youth Emerging Entrepreneurs Day for over 80 students at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
- - This free event included networking booths, $450 worth of scholarships given out, hands on simulations, and more
Sharing her advocacy with state legislators at the Wisconsin FCCLA Capital Leadership Conference and speaking to Dr. Jill Underly at the Wisconsin FCCLA State Leadership Conference
Connecting with the credit union she works at to help teach youth about financial literacy
Advocating for the implementation of entrepreneurship courses and standards across schools in Wisconsin
And now creating Youth StartupWI, an entrepreneurship resource center for students all around Wisconsin!

Why Youth StartupWI?

Sophia started Youth StartupWI to be able to give students in Wisconsin a place to find all needed resources that Wisconsin offers related to entrepreneurship. As someone very interested in entrepreneurship herself, Sophia has always had a hard time finding camps, support, and just ways in general to be able to get involved with entrepreneurship and business.

She hopes that with this resource, more students around the state will have the opportunity to follow their dreams and make an impact in their own communities.

Check out entrepreneurship advocacy publicity...

Wisconsin high school student addresses lack of 'critical' funding support for youth entrepreneurshipsJunior high school student, Sophia Knetter, discusses the common misconceptions about starting a youth-run business, noting the advantages of being young.

Article from the Wisconsin Public Radio

Mosinee Junior Turns FCCLA Success Into Opportunity for OthersAfter earning back-to-back national first-place titles in FCCLA competitions, Mosinee High School junior Sophia Knetter embraced the organization’s emphasis on leadership and community service for her newest project, choosing to make an impact closer to home by helping other students pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. Knetter joined the Mosinee High School FCCLA organization as a freshman and now serves as chapter president. With a longtime passion for entrepreneurship, selecting her first competition category was easy.

Article from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Two Time National FCCLA Winner to host event for future youth entrepreneursMOSINEE, Wis. (WAOW) - A two time National FCCLA winner and junior at Mosinee High School is hosting her very own event to help other youths achieve their dreams.

High school student hosts youth entrepreneur event for 80 students across the stateSTEVENS POINT, Wis. (WAOW) - A two time national FCCLA student from Mosinee High School held her first youth entrepreneurship event today.

Articles from WAOW - Youth Emerging Entrepreneurs Day Event Coverage

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