EXI’s DNA can be found everywhere in today’s flourishing youth and marginalised-community entrepreneurship sector!

EXI was launched in 2004 as the developer and owner of four accredited Entrepreneurship courses, courseware and Train the Trainer-Mentor services. 

EXI’s pedagogy was developed from PhD research to harness the entrepreneurial potential in at-risk youth. This internationally pioneering research commenced in 2001 by psychologist Louise Earnshaw explored the ‘similarities between entrepreneurs and youth at risk.’ 

The research found that both shared the Chutzpah Factor! 

The word “Chutzpah’ is Yiddish for cheek audacity guts and gall in other words.. an entrepreneur!

Louise launched EXI Pty Ltd and its sister organisation the Chutzpah Factory College of Entrepreneurship Inc. to deliver national and international entrepreneurship training for people with unrealised entrepreneurial potential and living on the margins. 

When the courses were released in 2005, Enterprise Education was in its infancy and EXI courses were the only accredited entrepreneurship qualifications in the Australian Vocational Education and Training sector.

2002: A international spearhead of entrepreneurship for marginalised communities

Louise’s research was a national spearhead for work in this space.

Maverick-youth entrepreneurship capital was all but non-existent.  

She both created and lead a market for marginalised youth and community entrepreneurship across Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

The extensive work undertaken since 2002 by EXI and Chutzpah Inc., together with the abundant media profiling of Louise’s PhD research and its applications, distributed a successful methodology that saw the flourishing of subsequent national programs. 

EXI and Chutzpah trained many of the leaders of today’s indigenous and at-risk youth entrepreneurship organisations in Australia.