Company Programme: Trade Fair hosted by Junior Achievement Cyprus Next-Gen Entrepreneurs unveil inspiring ideas

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More than 550 students aged 15-18 participated in the Annual Trade Fair of Junior Achievement Cyprus, which took place on March 28 and 29, 2026, at the Mall of Cyprus. The young entrepreneurs represented 90 student companies from 60 schools across Cyprus, showcasing and offering their innovative products and services to the public. The event was addressed, on behalf of the Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, by Ziannet Hadjiosif, Inspector of Economics for Secondary Education, as well as by the Chairwoman of the Board of JA Cyprus, Konstantina Logotheti.

The members of the judging panel were: Zena Tsoukka (PwC), Phedon Papadopoulos (MetLife), Chrysanthi Angelidou (Coffee Island), George Savva (Amdocs), Kyriaki Makromalli (Coca-Cola), Maria Chamberlain (Ministry of Commerce), Avramis Despotis (MOEC), John Mavris (UCY), Maria Evgeniou (IDEA), Panayiotis Kakourides (Crowdbase), Varnavas Timotheou (Hegemonic Project), and Michalis Strouthos (Cocoon Creations).

At the exhibition, the “Best Stand” award was presented to the team with the most creative presentation. The award was given on the first day to the team SEED OF HOPE from Linopetra Lyceum, while on the second day it was awarded to the team Earthcup from Apostolos Loukas Regional Lyceum in Kolossi. The two awards were kindly sponsored by PwC Cyprus.

The Team Spirit Award was also presented by JA Alumni Cyprus. Members of the association visited the participants’ stands and, following an evaluation process, selected the team CHECO from GC School of Careers on the first day and Chill&Drink from Pancyprian Gymnasium on the second day.

This year, due to the program’s remarkable growth, with an overall increase in participation of 33% compared to the previous school year, it was decided to expand the number of student companies advancing to the Final. Specifically, the number has increased from ten to fifteen, giving more teams the opportunity to compete for a place at Gen-E and the European Competition.

The 15 companies that achieved the highest scores and will present their business ideas live at the Final Round of the “Company of the Year 2026” competition on April 29, 2026, at the Royal Hall in Nicosia, are the following (in alphabetical order):

  1. AquaWise, Agios Georgios Lyceum, Lakatamia
  2. BackBag, Preparatory Apprenticeship, Larnaca
  3. BaeBeSafe, The GC School of Careers
  4. BioCleanse, The Junior and Senior School
  5. ByteBlocks, The American Academy of Nicosia
  6. Drone, Aspire Private British School
  7. Earthcup, Apostolos Loukas Regional Lyceum, Kolossi
  8. Ecoroot, The English School Nicosia
  9. FromSea2Soil, Lanitio Lyceum
  10. Gymbro AI, Xenion Education
  11. Her Shield, St. Mary’s School, Limassol
  12. KZP Energy, Polemi Gymnasium-Lyceum
  13. LumiLove, Agia Fylaxeos Lyceum
  14. PairPal, International School of Paphos
  15. Το Σαπούνιν, The Grammar School, Limassol

 

The winning team which will be decided in the Finale of the 29th of April, will represent Cyprus at the European Competition Gen-E, which will be held in Riga, Latvia, in July 2026.

The Company Programme is supported by the following:

 

  • Strategic Partner: PwC Cyprus, Youth Board of Cyprus
  • Partners: MetLife, Coffee Island
  • Supporters: Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry, Amdocs, Coca-Cola HBC
  • Institutional Partner: Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth
  • Live Link: MixFM
  • Co-organisers: JA Alumni Cyprus, Research and Innovation Foundation

 

Special thanks to the Mall of Cyprus for kindly hosting the Trade-Fair.

The student companies were created within the “Company Programme” implemented in Public and Private High Schools of Cyprus. This initiative provides students with hands-on experience in the workings of a business, enabling them to develop and implement their own innovative ideas, from initial conception to the creation of a fully-operating enterprise.

 

JA Cyprus (www.jacyprus.org) is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the world’s largest non-profit organisation dedicated to educating students on entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy skills through experiential, hands-on programmes.

For more information visit the JA Cyprus website at www.jacyprus.org or contact JA at 97715909 or via email at  info@jacyprus.org .