Raise the maximum applicant age from 30 to 35
Data from the early cohorts indicated that applicants with some work experience had a higher chance of business survival than those who had just graduated. The Project therefore decided to raise the maximum applicant age starting in B.E. 2558.
Translated from Thai · reviewed by the CF team
BC4C’s original applicant age criteria were 20-30 years old. However, when following up with previous cohorts, the team found that applicants slightly over 30 with some work experience had often already reached middle-management roles and were highly committed to starting their own ventures to address social problems they cared about. By contrast, most applicants who did not make it to the Champion round were students or recent graduates who still lacked the skills and commitment to put their ideas into practice.
Clear supporting data showed that the Champions whose ventures were still operating in B.E. 2560 had an average age of 29, while those whose ventures had closed had an average age of just 24. This reflects that work experience and business networks built up before joining the Project are factors in success no less important than the idea itself.
For this reason, starting in B.E. 2558, the Project raised the maximum applicant age from 30 to 35 to give more people in this group the opportunity to participate.