Junior Achievement Cyprus is organizing on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, the Road to Gen-E 2026, an all-day event dedicated to youth entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, bringing for the first time on the same day and in the same place the finalists of its two flagship programs, the JA StartUp Programme and the JA Company Programme.
The event will take place at the Royal Hall in Nicosia and, according to the organization, aspires to create a single stage where pupils and students will present their ideas and business proposals, claiming the distinction and representation of Cyprus in the European institution Gen-E 2026.
During the first part of the day, from 12:00 to 15:00, the final of the JA StartUp Programme will be held, with the participation of student teams that have developed business plans and innovative projects, after many months of preparation. The teams will present their proposals in front of a jury and the public, claiming the title of StartUp of the Year. The event will be open to the public, upon reservation until April 26, 2026.
The final of the JA StartUp Programme is attended by the teams Apodix.io, Dimshield, Futsapp, Livia, Loaden, Nomi, Pop Crunchies, Relab, Smart bud and Ulumi, from the University of Cyprus, the American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo and Frederick University. Supporters of the program are MetLife and Coffee Island, while the Foundation for Research and Innovation is the co-organizer.
Finalist Teams:
Apodix.io – University of Cyprus
Dimshield – University of Cyprus
Futsapp – American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo
Livia – University of Cyprus
Loaden – Frederick University
Nomi – American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo
Pop Crunchies – University of Cyprus
Relab – American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo
Smart bud – American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo
Ulumi – American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo
In the afternoon, from 17:30 to 21:00, the final of the JA Company Programme will take over, through which high school students will present their own student businesses, the products and services they developed as part of the program. The teams will compete for the title of Business of the Year 2026, which leads to participation in Gen-E 2026. This event will also be open to the public by booking until April 26.
Finalist Teams:
AquaWise – Lyceum of Agios Georgios Lakatamia
BackBag – Larnaca Preparatory Apprenticeship
BaeBeSafe – The GC School of Careers
BioCleanse – The Junior & Senior School
ByteBlocks – The American Academy of Nicosia
Dr. Drone – Aspire Private British School
Earthcup – Regional High School of Apostolos Loukas Kolossi
Ecoroot – The English School Nicosia
FromSea2Soil – Lanitio Lyceum
Gymbro AI – Xenion Education
Her Shield – St. Mary’s School Limassol
KZP Energy – Polemi High School
LumiLove – Lyceum of Agia Fylaxeos
PairPal – International School of Paphos
The Soap – The Grammar School Limassol
Strategic partners of the program are PwC Cyprus and the Cyprus Youth Board, while MetLife and Coffee Island participate as partners. Supporters are the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry, the Research and Innovation Foundation, Amdocs and Coca-Cola HBC, while the institutional partner is the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth.
During the ceremony, the winning team will also be awarded for the best campaign under the "Be the Match – Youth Edition" program, which was implemented in collaboration with the Karaiskakio Foundation, with the aim of raising awareness among more young people to register as volunteer bone marrow donors.
As reported by JA Cyprus, the Road to Gen-E 2026 unites ideas and teams from school to university, with the winning teams securing their participation in Riga, Latvia in July, where they will represent Cyprus at Gen-E 2026, the largest European youth entrepreneurship scene.
JA Cyprus is a member of Junior Achievement Worldwide, the largest global non-profit organization active in youth entrepreneurship education, with the aim of empowering them through entrepreneurship, financial literacy and employability skills
