SPRINGERS NAMED COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2015
On Thursday, 30 April, the 2015 Company of the Year Competition Finale and Award Ceremony, organized by Junior Achievement Cyprus, took place with great success at the Filoxenia Conference Centre, Nicosia. The event was attended by more than 450 people, including the Minister of Education and Culture, representatives from the public and business sector, academic community and mass media, as well as school teachers and students.
The Finale and Award Ceremony was the culmination of the efforts of 214 high school and vocational school students, aged 15-18, who created and ran their own company over the last seven months. During the event, 10 finalists – out of 32 student companies created under the 2015 Company Programme – pitched their entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of judges in an attempt to secure the title of “Company of the Year”.
Springers, a mini-company composed of students from the American Academy Larnaca, were appointed “Company of the Year” 2015, while the mini-companies Magic Beans World and Wallblox, created by students from the Paralimni Lyceum, were pronounced First and Second Runner-Up. The winning team will represent Cyprus at the European Competition of JA-YE that will be held in Berlin, Germany, between 28 and 31 July.
Apart from the main awards, student-entrepreneurs were offered special signature awards for their excellence in vital areas of entrepreneurial activities. Awards for the most innovative product/service, the best branding and communication strategy, the best-selling product/service and higher potential for value creation, are some of the awards that were offered to JA Cyprus’ highly-talented students.
The event included interesting keynote speeches by entrepreneur, Ms. Tasoula Hadjitofi, and JA Cyprus alumnus, Ms. Olivia Georgiou, as well as an on-stage interview with the winners of the 2014 Company of the Year Competition.
The Minister of Education and Culture, Dr. Costas Kadis, stressed that a culture favouring innovation and entrepreneurship needs to be strongly facilitated by our educational system, while simultaneously commending the students’ ability to transform new ideas into actuality through their spontaneity, curiosity, creativity and imagination.
The Chairman of Junior Achievement Cyprus, Mr. Andreas Papadopoulos, highlighted that through recognized European programmes, JA Cyprus bridges the gap between academia and the real business world and, as a result, young people acquire critical knowledge and skills required by contemporary employers. Citing figures, Mr. Papadopoulos noted that this year 32 student companies were created, 26 of which achieved real sales amounting to nearly €30,000.
The event was transmitted through live streaming via the JA Cyprus website and was kindly offered by Cyta.
JA Cyprus is supported by:
- Strategic Partner: Piraeus Bank Cyprus
- Partners: Cyta and MetLife Alico
- Academic Partner: University of Nicosia
- Supporter: MS Jacovides
- Institutional Partner: Ministry of Education and Culture
The winners of the 2015 Company of the Year Competition are:
1st prize: Springers (American Academy Larnaca)
The team consisted of: Panagiotis Georgiou, Konstantinos Kapetanos, Dimitris Michael, Kyriakos Petrou, Zenonas Santis, Panayiotis Stavrinos.
2nd prize: Magic Beans World (Paralimni Lyceum)
The team consisted of: George Artimatas, Emilios Hadjiliasis, Ioannis Loizou, Panayiota Lysandrou, Tichomir Novakof, Andreas Papageorgiou, Anastasios Rousos, Chrystalla Savvidi and Maria Economou.
3rd prize: Wallblox (Paralimni Lyceum)
The team consisted of: Sophia Chrysostomou, Thomais Gavriel, Irini Holland, Stavros Kyriakoudis, Georgia Thiakou, Michaela Vasiliou.
