Athens, Greece – July 2025 — GEN-E 2025, Europe’s flagship event for youth entrepreneurship, brought together the continent’s brightest young minds in Athens 1-3 July.. Organized by JA Europe, the festival united students, educators, policymakers, business leaders, and volunteers to celebrate innovation, creativity, and real-world impact.
As Europe’s largest platform for upper secondary and university students building real businesses, GEN-E 2025 was a vibrant showcase of entrepreneurial spirit and social innovation. The atmosphere buzzed with energy as attendees rallied around a common goal: To empower the next generation of changemakers.
Spotlight: NN Group Social Impact Innovation Award
A highlight of GEN-E 2025 was the announcement of the winners of the NN Group Social Impact Innovation Award, celebrating student-led ventures tackling societal challenges through entrepreneurship. The award is part of NN Group’s Economic Opportunities for All programme, in partnership with JA Europe across 10 countries. The initiative supports the financial well-being of youth and eases their transition from education to employment.
This award enables young people to think and act like social entrepreneurs—developing solutions to social needs while gaining critical business and leadership skills.
As a financial services provider, NN Group feels a responsibility to contribute to people’s financial well-being, now and in the future. That’s why it focuses on providing young people with equal opportunities, so they can succeed in work and life.
Meet the 2025 Award Winners:
- GhidJob (Romania): A transformative startup dedicated to opening employment opportunities for individuals facing barriers to the job market.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/3gQ2e
- grECOtrails (Greece): A student-led social enterprise promoting sustainable educational tourism across Greece, fostering both environmental awareness and economic development.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/qmGJy
- Betterminds (Spain): An innovative startup supporting people affected by Alzheimer’s disease, including patients, their families, and caregivers.
Learn more: https://shorturl.at/aIlEz
These projects exemplify the ingenuity and compassion of Europe’s youth, who are identifying critical societal needs and developing innovative solutions to address them.
An inspiring group solving real problems
“It’s incredibly inspiring to witness how these young changemakers are using entrepreneurship as a force for good—developing innovative solutions to real societal challenges while building essential skills for their future. At NN Group, we believe in empowering youth with equal opportunities, and these projects show just how powerful that support can be when paired with creativity, purpose, and determination.” Renske van der Goes, Jury member – NN Group Social Impact Innovation Award
“These awarded projects reflect the innovation and social impact of Europe’s youth, using entrepreneurship to solve real problems,” said Salvatore Nigro, CEO of JA Europe. “GEN-E is not just an event—it’s an experience that brings together generations, countries, and expertise to shape a new kind of Europe: entrepreneurial, inclusive, and purpose-driven. The NN Group Social Impact Innovation Award celebrates this spirit, and this year’s winners are proof of the impact young people can make when given the right tools and support.” Salvatore Nigro, CEO – JA Europe
About GEN-E
GEN-E is Europe’s largest Entrepreneurship event, a celebration of entrepreneurship and the achievements of European youth. Thousands of European students, from 15 years old onwards, showcase their cutting–edge business ideas online and on-site. The GEN-E Festival also combines two annual European entrepreneurship contests for the winners of JA Company and the JA Start-Up Programme from over 40 countries. GEN-E 2026 will be held in Riga, Latvia.
About JA Europe
JA Europe is the largest and leading organisation in Europe dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed. For over 100 years, JA Worldwide has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial health. In the last school year, the JA Europe network provided nearly 7 million learning experiences for youth in online, in person and blended formats.
About NN Group
NN Group is an international financial services company, active in 10 countries, with a strong presence in a number of European countries and Japan. With all its employees, the Group provides retirement services, pensions, insurance, banking and investments to approximately 19 million customers. NN Group includes Nationale-Nederlanden, NN, ABN AMRO Insurance, Movir, AZL, BeFrank, OHRA and Woonnu. NN Group is listed on Euronext Amsterdam (NN).
