Social Entrepreneur: Conscious Companies | Benefit Corporations | Impact Investing

Youth Lens 360 is a for-profit marketing company that works with youth. Youth Lens 360 provides visual communication, product marketing, and branding services through the lens of youth ages 14-24. Dario Otero, the founder of Youth Lens 360, has seen first-hand how the education systems do not support, nurture or value entrepreneurial thinking. “I’ve found in my teaching and leadership experience that underrecognized youth of color have a naturally creative and resourceful entrepreneurial spirit. That gets ignored in traditional education settings,” he explains. “As a result, youth will eventually lose that capacity and enthusiasm for education. They don’t stay engaged when we don’t connect what they are learning to the real world of self-sufficiency or survival.” To address the problem of lack of entrepreneurial opportunities, Dario has developed a model called L.E.A.D., or Learn, Experience, Apply, and Debrief. “LEAD allows youth access and opportunities that ignite their desire to start a business, create