FAQs
What is Young Channel Leaders?
Young Channel Leaders (YCL) is a growing community for professionals under 40 working in the tech and telecom channel. The channel is the group of companies that sell and support technology for businesses, through technology advisors. We bring together the next generation of sellers, marketers, engineers, ops leaders, and more to connect, grow, and lead the future of the industry together.
Who can join?
If you’re 18 to 39 and work in or around the technology channel, whether at a provider, distributor, master agent (a company that sells many suppliers’ services through advisors), VAR (value-added reseller), MSP (managed service provider), or anything in between, this is your place. Sales, marketing, ops, engineering, product, customer success… all roles are welcome.
How much does it cost to join?
It’s totally free to join. We want to remove as many barriers as possible so every young leader has access to the community, events, and resources.
What are the benefits of joining?
Here’s what you get:
- Access to our WhatsApp community
- Webinars with channel leaders
- Opportunities to speak, volunteer, and lead within YCL
- Early invites to YCL events
- Visibility and networking across the channel ecosystem
How do I get involved in leadership?
We open up leadership applications a couple of times per year for board positions, committee roles, and project leads. If you’re ready to contribute, grow your skills, and help shape YCL’s future, this is a great way to do it. Keep an eye out for announcements or reach out and let us know you're interested!
Does YCL have meetups in my city?
Yes. YCL is starting meetups in New York, South Florida, Dallas, Austin, Phoenix and Northern California. Each one is run by a Local Event Lead, a member who lives in that city. Bigger cities meet monthly; newer ones every few months. We also host meetups at big industry events and free webinars online. Want YCL in your city? We’re looking for more Local Event Leads.
Do I need to be in the U.S. to join?
Not at all. While we’ve got a strong presence in North America, we’re open to young leaders from all over the world. If you're part of the channel and under 40, you belong here no matter where you live.
What industries are included in “the channel”?
The channel is the group of companies that sell and support technology for businesses, through technology advisors. If you’re involved in the world of IT, cloud, telecom, cybersecurity, managed services, networking, or SaaS and your company works with partners (or through a channel) you’re in the right industry.
We’ve got folks from providers, agents, MSPs, ISPs (internet service providers), master agents, vendors, distributors, and more.
How do I become a sponsor?
We work with sponsors who want to support the next generation of channel talent while building meaningful visibility for their brand. For more information, see our sponsor page. Or tell us about your company.
Still have a question? Ask us.