News

Five start-ups shortlisted for the AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneurship Award 2019

Five JA alumni are in the running for the AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneurship Award 2019. They were selected amongst 19 candidates from across Europe who all have participated in a JA programme, have made it past the initial start-up phase and have a business concept with strong growth potential.

Online finale

The five shortlisted start-ups will pitch their companies to a high-level jury panel during an online finale on the 12^th of September.

Meet the Jury

• Daniel Calleja Crespo
  Director-General for Environment,
  European Commission

• Susan Danger
  CEO,
  AmCham EU

• Joanna Gill
  Deputy Bureau Chief,
  Euronews

• Mark Libby
  Deputy Chief of Mission,
  United States Mission to the EU

• Eva Maydell
  MEP, EPP,
  European Parliament

• Lou Rivieccio
  President,
  UPS Europe

The big reveal

The jury will select the top 3 finalists who will be invited to the AmCham EU’s annual Gala on the 2^nd of October in Brussels for the award ceremony. The young entrepreneurs will be given the opportunity to tell the audience of AmCham members and guests about their business and future plans, to meet with AmCham EU executive committee members and network with the guests. The gala will also be the culminating point of the award, when the winning team will be announced and receive a public recognition of their work. This is in addition to a cash prize of €10,000 and several hours of mentorship over a 12-month period from a number of ExCo members who will coach, encourage and offer their time, expertise and advice.

See the five projects in the running for this year's award:

atlasGo

Entrepreneur:  Thomas Querton
Country: Belgium

atlasGo is a certified B-Corp growing a global community of sweaty change-makers.
Their fitness app allows users to convert their everyday activity (walk, run, bike, swim, dance, meditate, ...) into funds for charity. The activities are sponsored by corporations for whom the application creates tangible value.

https://atlasgo.org/

Biofy

Entrepreneur:  Fernando Matías Casale
Country: Spain

Biofy designs and sells modular plants that turns landfill bound plastic waste into low sulphur fuel, which can be directly used in machinery or blast furnaces or refined into more conventional fuels. The price is lower and more stable than the one that comes directly from petrol, thanks to their local production.

https://biofyspain.wixsite.com/landingpage

Entis

Entrepreneur:  Iida Hokkanen
Country: Finland

Entis develops exciting, delicious and most of all high-quality insect food. In the western culture people are not traditionally familiar with the concept of edible insects. Entis has seized this opportunity to introduce edible insects as a part of well rounded, environmentally sustainable way of eating. With their easily approachable insect food products they have successfully introduced insect food to Finnish consumers and will continue expanding their market abroad, starting in Europe.

https://www.entis.fi/

eAgronom

Entrepreneur:  Robin Saluoks
Country: Estonia

eAgronom is an AgTech start-up founded by farmers, financed by farmers and developed via farmer feedback.  It was started by a JA alumnus who didn't find suitable software for his father's farm. He learned how to code and made a first version himself. Today, hundreds of farmers use eAgronom in 7 countries and trust the company with its data organization and AI suggestions.

https://eagronom.com/

Edumus

Entrepreneur:  Maria Rahamägi
Country: Estonia

Edumus helps working professionals to go back to school and teach one grade, one subject at a time. For working professionals, Edumus is a self-development program to learn and practice leadership and training skills. As the lack of teachers is worsening, Edumus offers a complementing approach which is less demanding for teachers and can become a catalyst for positive change.

https://www.edumus.org/