“StartUp 2024” FINAL AND AWARD CEREMONY | “Preventa” won the ticket to Catania!
Junior Achievement Cyprus announces the successful completion of the StartUp 2024 Programme. In the final competition we enjoyed the innovation, talent and entrepreneurial spirit of young people from all over Cyprus. The organization provided all the tools to the participants to turn their business ideas into reality, utilizing their creativity and determination to achieve remarkable results. The event was crowned with a special success, reinforcing the belief that young people have the power to shape the future of entrepreneurship. The Final and the Award Ceremony took place on Monday 3 June 2024 at the ASBIS TECH CLUSTER in Limassol.
The competition was the culmination of the efforts of more than 180 students, aged 18-30. During the event, 10 finalists from the 41 student companies created had the opportunity to present their innovative business ideas and were evaluated through interviews by the Jury.
The jury consisted of Marianna Prokopi-Demetriades (Theramir, Entrepreneur), Costas Tziamalis (ASBIS, Deputy CEO), Marilena Paraskeva (Research and Innovation Foundation, Head of Funding Programs), Louisa Sophocleous (The Mighty Kitchen, Co-founder), and Stratos Petrou (MetLife Cyprus, CEO).
This year the programme was implemented with the participation of students from 8 Universities, with the support of 11 academics and 20 mentors.
Business idea of the Year 2024 was the idea of the Preventa team, a personalized health app. The team describes its application as an ally in our pocket, always vigilant against non-communicable diseases that cost millions of lives annually. This personalized healthcare application monitors, analyzes and alerts us to our health measurements, using the power of artificial intelligence. It identifies patterns for early detection and prevention. By integrating with smart devices, their app ensures continuous health monitoring, enhancing a proactive approach to wellness. The University of Cyprus team was supported by their professor Dr. Daina Nicolaou and their mentor Artemis Paraskeva (MetLife Cyprus).
Preventa will represent Cyprus at the European Competition of JA Europe, GEN-E to be held on 2-5 July and hosted by JA Italy, in Catania. The Cypriot team will be represented by Andreas Makrides, Constantinos Loizou and Anna Maria Demetriou.
2nd Place Award was won by the PharmaConn team from the University of Cyprus. Their idea addresses traveler issues with forgotten or lost medicines by authenticating prescriptions using blockchain technology. Their platform allows access to medicines abroad through partner pharmacies and offers alternatives available in different countries, providing convenience and peace of mind to travelers worldwide. The members of the team are: Andreas Constantinou, Areti Kyriakou, Maria Krasia, Maria Eirini Kefaliou and Chara Loizidou. The team was supported by Professor Dr. Daina Nicolaou and mentor Soldatov Sergey (ASBIS).
In 3rd place was the FaintAway team. FaintAway is an innovative company that offers natural herbal gummies to prevent fainting episodes. Enriched with vegetable oils, their formula treats low heart rate, effectively fighting fainting episodes. Carefully selected ingredients ensure safety, without requiring a doctor’s prescription. The students of the group coming from the University Cyprus are: Rafaella Christou, Neophyto Christoforou, Nicolas Christoforou, Natalia Frangoudi and Andria Christodoulidou. The team was supported by Professor Dr. Daina Nicolaou and their mentor Lina Kourtella (Embio Diagnostics).
The Programme is supported by ASBIS and MetLife and the Research and Innovation Foundation.
JA Cyprus is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the largest global non-profit organization specialized in youth entrepreneurship education that aims to empower them with entrepreneurship, financial literacy and employability skills.
For more information you can also visit our website www.jacyprus.org
