The student “startup” Microgreens Magicgreens from the 2nd Experimental Gymnasium of Kilkis was declared European “Champion”. It won the first Pan-European award, the “gold medal”, at Europe’s largest Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Festival, JA Europe’s GEN-E 2022 and now holds the title of Europe’s Best Apprenticeship “StartUp” for 2022.
The GEN-E Festival took place in Tallinn, Estonia on July 12-14, 2022 and the Greek team managed to win the first place among 41 nominations from all over Europe. The student “startup” from Greece impressed with its original product that works in the context of the circular economy, technology and smart food. The students from Kilkis presented Microwonders, the smart old computer tower in which micro-vegetables/superfoods are grown at record speed using IoT technology. Kids are making use of old computer towers, turning them into fully automated, tasteful micro-vegetable growing chambers used for gourmet dishes and super-vitamin salads.
Winning first place is the greatest success ever achieved by a Greek student team in this Pan-European competition that has been held for 33 years and is the most important and historic institution of student entrepreneurship as similar Junior Achievement competitions are held in the USA. and around the world for over 100 years. Microgreens Magicgreens had won the first prize in the Hellenic Competition “Best Virtual Business 2022” of Junior Achievement Greece on May 13, 2022 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and represented our country in the competition. After the announcement of the first pan-European position, the Greek team celebrated with great enthusiasm this huge victory.
The official awards ceremony took place at the impressive Tallinn Maritime Museum with the awards being presented on a …submarine! Watch the emotional moment of the award:
The group – which consists of Panagiotis Karatzas, Konstantinos Koukakis, Haris Koliuskas, Alexandros Katsaronas, Maria Dourou, Christina Kehagia, teachers Eleni Sidiropoulou and Stavros Katsaronas as well as other students of the 2nd Experimental Gymnasium Kilkis – said : “We are ecstatic! When passion and talent are combined with hard work and the right support, then they can become “Microwonders”! “Microwonders”! We lived the dream! We touched what seemed unattainable to our eyes! Inside the family of JA we were able to create, see ourselves as true entrepreneurs and highlight the potential of the district’s public schools! Thanks for everything! We are JA! We are GEN-E!”.
In a joint statement, the General Manager of JA Greece Argyris Tzikopoulos, the manager of the Virtual Business program Eliza Pavlidis and the Communication Director of the organization Maria Giannetou said: “Our emotion cannot be described in words: These days the new generation of Greece! The passion with which Microgreens Magicgreens has dedicated itself to its endeavor fills us with pride and shows the high level of its work. Many congratulations to the team from Kilkis who worked very hard, to the children, teachers, mentors and all supporters of the team who made the dream come true!”.
An important distinction was achieved by the student Alexandros Katsaronas of Microgreens Magicgreens who won the JA Alumni Leadership Award together with 7 students from other European groups.
Third prize and other awards in the student “startup” Drug n Drop
Great success was also achieved by the student startup Drug n Drop from the Department of Administrative Science and Technology of the Athens University of Economics and Business, which won the third place, the “bronze medal”, in the corresponding student competition in which 21 European countries participated. The team also won the special GAM Investments Financial Sustainability & Growth Award and CEO Nikolas Spyrellis won the JA Alumni Leadership Award together with 2 students from other European teams.
Drug n Drop impressed with the smart medicine bin they created so that not a single pill goes to waste. The bin analyzes with sensors the information of the medicines placed inside and achieves the production of the right amount that the market needs without the waste that pollutes the environment and deprives African countries of medicines. Nikolas Spyrellis said: “I am proud of my team and very happy that the effort of months turned into these great awards. From the beginning, I believed very much in the idea and prospects of my team, my fellow student at OPA Alexias Vasilakis and brother My Yannis Spyrellis -Pharmacy student of EKPA- and I believe that the combination of hard work and faith can bring results like this. I sincerely thank the D.E.T department and JuniorAchievementGreece, especially our D.E.T professor. Stavros Louni and the manager of the JAStartUp program, Ioanna Kyprioti, who have supported us continuously since the first day”.
Watch the emotional moment of the award:
The stands of our two groups were visited at the Trade Fair of the organization, in Freedom Square, Tallinn, by the President of Estonia Alar Karis and the Ambassador of Greece to Estonia Manolis Apostolakis.
Awarding of the SIR Award to the Greek group Food for Thought
In the framework of the GEN-E Festival, on July 13, 2022, awards from other competitions and institutions of JA Europe that had been announced earlier and in which Greece had a dynamic presence were awarded. The first prize of the International Social Innovation Competition – Social Innovation Relay (SIR) 2022 was awarded to the student social enterprise Food for Thought from the Experimental High School of the University of Macedonia with its clever idea to make an extensive production of innovative – particularly nutritious – earthworm flour so that to limit the food crisis in Africa. Team members Vassilis Malasidis, Maria Tsiaousi, Vassilis Tserkezis and the responsible educator Anna Macioris traveled to Tallinn and received the award. “This idea has perspective, the children wish to develop it and surely after this great distinction they will find supporters”, said the manager of the SIR program of JA Greece, Sofia Mansola.
Two Greek schools have been declared Business Schools of Europe 2022
In Tallinn, JA Europe’s Entrepreneurial School Awards 2022 were also awarded to schools that have excelled in the implementation of the Virtual Business program. For 2022, two Greek schools were declared “Business Schools of Europe”, Aristotle College of Thessaloniki in the category of General High Schools and the special school E.E.E.EK. Agios Dimitrios in the Vocational High Schools category. The awards were presented by the CEO of JA Europe Salvatore Nigro and were there to receive them by the Managing Director of Aristotle College of Thessaloniki Dimitris Grozoudis together with the school’s educator/economist Maria Damali and for the E.E.E.K. Agios Dimitriou, the teacher, coordinator of the school’s entrepreneurship programs, Efi Chryssou, was there and received the award.
Source: Capital
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