Europe's Brightest Youth Entrepreneurs Join GEN-E 2026
July 10, 2026
JA Latvia hosted Europe’s largest entrepreneurship festival for youth, GEN-E, this week in Riga, Latvia. Each year, JA Europe brings together student entrepreneurs, educators, business leaders, investors, and policymakers from across Europe to showcase innovation, exchange ideas, and help shape the future of entrepreneurship. Throughout the festival, participants took part in workshops, mentoring sessions, networking events, stage presentations, the GEN-E Expo, and Get in the Ring competitions, creating opportunities to strengthen Europe's entrepreneurial ecosystem and support the next generation of innovators.
More than 400,000 students and university participants engaged in the JA Company Program and JA Start-Up Program across Europe during the 2025–2026 academic year. National competitions and the GEN-E Virtual Expo, which kicked off in April, featured hundreds of innovative youth ventures, with the most outstanding student companies earning their places to compete on the European stage in Riga.
Over three days, students rehearsed, pitched their businesses, showcased their ventures in the GEN-E Expo, and competed for Europe's top entrepreneurship honors. Alongside the competition, participants connected with peers, educators, and business leaders through company visits, networking events, and cultural activities across Riga. The festival concluded with the Gala Awards Dinner, recognizing the year's most outstanding student companies.
Upper Secondary Student Companies
Albania: Biocel transforms agricultural straw waste into biodegradable bioplastic packaging that replaces single-use plastics.
Austria: Kippes develops a reusable clip-on cigarette butt container that reduces litter and encourages responsible disposal.
Belgium (FL): Dinamyk produces a sustainable protein powder made from fermented fungi as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional protein supplements.
Belgium (FR): Petits Héros creates educational comic books that help children build confidence and navigate social and emotional challenges.
Bulgaria: Next Vision develops an innovative solution.
Cyprus: HerShield creates a lip gloss with hidden drug-test strips to help women discreetly detect drink-spiking.
Czech Republic: Fitboxd develops a wardrobe management app that helps users organize clothing and create outfits offline.
Denmark: Navis builds a GPS safety system that helps sailing coaches track sailors and respond quickly to emergencies.
Estonia: Kiryak creates a long-lasting inkless pen that uses a special metal alloy instead of traditional ink.
Finland: Shroomies produces high-protein mushroom jerky as a nutritious and portable snack.
Georgia: SafeWave develops an affordable solar-powered maritime safety device that provides GPS tracking, storm alerts, and SOS capabilities for small fishing vessels.
Germany: AeroOne provides professional drone photography and videography services for real estate, construction, and corporate clients.
Greece: Enalion reinvents salt with a seaweed-based alternative that reduces sodium while maintaining flavor and supporting environmental sustainability.
Hungary: Recaf turns organic waste such as coffee grounds and eggshells into sustainable fertilizers and gardening products.
Iceland: Þekktu Landið creates an educational board game that teaches players about Icelandic geography and culture.
Ireland: Cuan designs customizable sensory teddies made from recycled materials to support children with neurodivergent needs.
Isle of Man: Re-Vitalize converts local organic waste into natural soil enhancers that support sustainable gardening.
Italy: Natural Shield JA manufactures biodegradable materials made from recycled food waste as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastics.
Latvia: Heatify combines Bitcoin mining with residential heating systems to offset household heating costs.
Lithuania: SafeClip develops technology to verify that bicycle and motorcycle helmets are properly fastened before use.
Luxembourg: SoilStallion produces premium organic fertilizer by transforming horse manure into a natural gardening product.
Malta: Xuga creates handmade garments from textile waste to promote sustainable fashion.
Moldova: SoundStep Tech develops energy-generating smart insoles that convert walking motion into electricity to charge mobile devices.
Montenegro: SafeCircle builds an app that allows students to anonymously report bullying and peer violence to school support staff.
Netherlands: BinCare reduces odors and pests in household green-waste bins using scented pads and moisture-controlling wax.
North Macedonia: EcoBloom produces biodegradable car air fresheners embedded with seeds that can be planted after use.
Norway: Moore UB develops magnetic rope identification technology to improve traceability and compliance in the maritime industry.
Poland: Ecotina manufactures biodegradable plates made from kitchen waste that can be planted after use to enrich the soil.
Portugal: BeRed develops a smart writing device that monitors anemia indicators without requiring blood tests.
Romania: VoiceLens creates smart glasses that convert printed text into speech, helping children with dyslexia learn more independently.
Serbia: Moneta Works develops a board game that teaches financial literacy through real-life money management scenarios.
Slovakia: Lipigo creates an edible, washable children's glue made from food-grade ingredients to improve safety and reduce waste.
Slovenia: Eneruji produces an affordable powdered energy gel that reduces plastic waste while making sports nutrition more accessible.
Spain: Eskalium transforms recycled fish scales into sustainable decorative building tiles.
Sweden: ReScan UF uses AI-powered technology to improve recycling accuracy through waste-scanning hardware and a gamified mobile app.
Switzerland: Aacho blends regional herbal teas with educational content that celebrates Swiss culture and encourages human connection.
Türkiye: Quareka develops autonomous emergency communication technology that works even when the internet and mobile networks fail during disasters.
Ukraine: InCluVoice builds an inclusive digital platform that connects people with disabilities, veterans, youth, and professionals to services and opportunities.
United Kingdom: Zestee turns recycled orange peels into biodegradable golf tees, reducing plastic waste on golf courses.
University Student Companies
Albania: Kthema Gati provides on-demand automotive maintenance services that save busy drivers time.
Belgium (FL): Packo secures home deliveries with a lockable, weatherproof bag that protects packages from theft and damage.
Belgium (FR): IsiSoil transforms wastewater sludge into nutrient-rich turf rolls that improve soil health and reduce fertilizer use.
Bulgaria: Dona connects Gen Z job seekers with employers via a skills-based career-readiness platform.
Cyprus: Livia combines satellite data, drones, and AI to help farmers monitor crops and improve agricultural productivity.
Czech Republic: Solace creates a community safety app that helps women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC users share information about safe and unsafe locations.
Denmark: Siemas optimizes industrial cold storage with software that reduces electricity costs and carbon emissions.
Finland: Vaara Coaching helps workplace teams manage stress and improve performance through experiential coaching.
France: Bin'It encourages event attendees to recycle by turning waste bins into interactive voting stations.
Iceland: Iorden automates quality control documentation to help small food producers meet food safety and compliance requirements.
Luxembourg: Smart4Leak detects leaks in infrastructure networks through sensor-based monitoring technology.
Malta: Kinetihear develops a sustainable kinetic battery that powers hearing implants through movement.
Montenegro: EduAI Montenegro provides AI-powered tutoring to help students learn from their textbooks in Montenegrin.
Netherlands: Verdiax produces biodegradable absorbent products that make post-mortem care more sustainable.
Norway: BlueBond SB creates biodegradable kelp cultivation lines from salmon skin to replace plastic ropes in aquaculture.
Portugal: CropVision uses AI and drone imagery to detect crop pests early and enable more targeted treatments.
Romania: OctoTrack develops a digital dental scanner that captures complete oral impressions for better-fitting prosthetics.
Spain: ReCero collects real-world medication adherence data to help healthcare providers improve patient outcomes.
Türkiye: VitisIno transforms winery by-products into premium postbiotic ingredients for the food, supplement, and cosmetics industries.
United Kingdom: Riff Snacks produces high-fiber, high-protein snack bars using surplus and imperfect ingredients.
Awards
Upper-Secondary Level Winners
JA Europe Company of the Year 2026 (Business Track)
Lipigo, JA Slovakia
Enalion, JA Greece
Hershield, JA Cyprus
JA Europe Innovation of the Year 2026 (Innovation Track)
Moore UB, JA Norway
Kiryak, JA Estonia
Safeclip, JA Lithuania
As JA Europe Company of the year, Lipigo will represent the region and compete for the 2027 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award alongside the regional champions from JA Asia Pacific (Wealth Wizards, JA Hong Kong SAR–China), Junior Achievement USA (EVO, Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas), INJAZ Al-Arab/JA MENA (YEC in November 2026), JA Americas (COY in December 2026), and JA Africa (COY in December 2026). Learn about the 2026 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award.
University Level Winners
JA Europe Start-Up of the Year 2026 (Business Track)
Verdiax, JA Netherlands
Dona, JA Bulgaria
Riff Snacks, JA United Kingdom
JA Europe Innovation of the Year 2026 (Innovation Track)
Livia, JA Cyprus
Smart4leak, JA Luxembourg
Vitisino, JA Türkiye
Signature Awards
Upper-Secondary Level
Alumni Leadership Award supported by Johnson & Johnson:
Modestas Raila, JA Lithuania
Loore Lee Allmaa, JA Estonia
Natalija Kundacina, JA Serbia
Papavasileiou Vasileios, JA Greece
Peter Dzupka, JA Slovakia
Anastasia Molashkhia, JA Georgia
FedEx Access Award: Moore UB, JA Norway
Delta Air Lines Sustainable Innovation Award: Re-Vitalize, JA Isle Of Man
The huManpower Award by ManpowerGroup: Fitboxd, JA Czech Republic
PMIEF Best Application of Project Management Award: Enalion, JA Greece
The UniCredit Foundation “Re-Power Your Future” Award: Moneta Works, JA Serbia
The Jørgen M. & Anette Clausen AI Award: Voicelens, JA Romania
University Level
Alumni Leadership Award by Johnson & Johnson:
Izaak Scicluna, JA Malta
Tim Bottinga, JA Netherlands
Daniel Francisco Silva, JA Luxembourg
Maria Valente, JA Portugal
Louis Gerard, JA Belgium Fr
Carlos Fraguas, JA Spain
FedEx Access Award: Livia, JA Cyprus
EY AI Innovators Award: Siemas, JA Denmark
Investment and Development Agency of Latvia: Best Stage Presentation Award: Moneta Works, JA Serbia
Riga City Council: Best Stand Award: Safeclip, JA Lithuania
Public Choice Award
Upper-Secondary Level supported by MikroTik: Biocel, JA Albania
University Level supported by Bata: Algebo.AI, JA Romania
Special Awards
GEN-E Viral Reel Competition: Bered, JA Portugal
Get in the Ring by Unknown Group: Interdorm, JA Czech Republic