Riga, Latvia — 9 July 2026 — JA Latvia welcomed Europe’s brightest young entrepreneurs to Riga this week, hosting GEN-E 2026, Europe’s largest celebration and competition for youth entrepreneurship. From 7–9 July, more than 1,000 young entrepreneurs, educators, business leaders, policymakers and partners from over 40 countries gathered in the Latvian capital for three days of innovation, inspiration and international collaboration. The festival showcased the ambitions and achievements of a community of more than 400,000 young people who take part in JA entrepreneurship programmes across Europe each year.
Hosted by JA Europe and JA Latvia, GEN-E 2026 brought together students, educators, business leaders and policymakers to witness Europe’s brightest young minds present their pioneering business ideas and compete for the prestigious titles of JA Europe Company of the Year 2026, JA Europe Start-Up of the Year 2026, and Innovation of the Year at both upper-secondary and university level.
The festival welcomed senior representatives from government, business and education, including Andris Kulbergs, Prime Minister of Latvia, Baiba Braže, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Ieva Jāgere, Director of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia. They were joined by leaders from JA Europe and JA Worldwide, alongside senior representatives from partners, recognising excellence in entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, sustainability, artificial intelligence, project management and social impact.
GEN-E 2026 also highlighted the power of collaboration in preparing Europe’s next generation of entrepreneurs. Leading companies, foundations and institutions worked alongside JA Europe and JA Latvia not only as sponsors, but also as mentors, jury members, speakers, award partners and learning facilitators. Their support provided young entrepreneurs with direct access to business expertise, international networks and real-world opportunities to grow their ventures beyond the competition.
Europe’s Best Youth Businesses of 2026
Upper-Secondary Level Winners
JA Europe Company of the Year 2026 (Business Track)
- LIPIGO – JA SLOVAKIA
- ENALION – JA GREECE
- HERSHIELD – JA CYPRUS
JA Europe Innovation of the Year 2026 (Innovation Track)
- MOORE UB – JA NORWAY
- KIRYAK – JA ESTONIA
- SAFECLIP – JA LITHUANIA
University Level Winners
JA Europe Start-Up of the Year 2026 (Business Track)
- VERDIAX – JA NETHERLANDS
- DONA – JA BULGARIA
- RIFF SNACKS – JA UNITED KINGDOM
JA Europe Innovation of the Year 2026 (Innovation Track)
- LIVIA – JA Cyprus
- SMART4LEAK – JA LUXEMBOURG
- VITISINO – JA TÜRKİYE
This year’s festival showcased the creativity and drive of young entrepreneurs who emerged from a remarkable pool of more than 400,000 students and university participants engaged in the JA Company Programme and JA Start-Up Programme during the 2025–26 academic year. Hundreds of innovative youth ventures were featured through the GEN-E Virtual Expo and national competitions, with the most outstanding teams earning their place to compete on the European stage in Riga.
In addition to the four Main Awards, the National Winners from Across Europe competed for a Range of European and National Signature Awards:
Winners of the European Signature Awards
Upper-Secondary Level
Alumni Leadership Award supported by Johnson & Johnson:
- MODESTAS RAILA – JA LITHUANIA
- LOORE LEE ALLMAA – JA ESTONIA
- NATALIJA KUNDACINA – JA SERBIA
- PAPAVASILEIOU VASILEIOS – JA GREECE
- PETER DZUPKA – JA SLOVAKIA
- ANASTASIA MOLASHKHIA – JA GEORGIA
FedEx Access Award:
- MOORE UB – JA NORWAY
Delta Air Lines Sustainable Innovation Award:
- RE-VITALIZE – JA ISLE OF MAN
The huManpower Award by ManpowerGroup:
- FITBOXD – JA CZECH REPUBLIC
PMIEF Best Application of Project Management Award:
- ENALION – JA GREECE
The UniCredit Foundation “Re-Power Your Future” Award:
- MONETA WORKS – JA SERBIA
The Jørgen M. & Anette Clausen AI Award:
- VOICELENS – JA ROMANIA
University Level
Alumni Leadership Award by Johnson & Johnson:
- IZAAK SCICLUNA – JA MALTA
- TIM BOTTINGA – JA NETHERLANDS
- DANIEL FRANCISCO SILVA – JA LUXEMBOURG
- MARIA VALENTE – JA PORTUGAL
- LOUIS GERARD – JA BELGIUM FR
- CARLOS FRAGUAS – JA SPAIN
FedEx Access Award:
- LIVIA – JA CYPRUS
EY AI Innovators Award:
- SIEMAS – JA DENMARK
Winners of the National Signature Awards
Investment and Development Agency of Latvia: Best Stage Presentation Award:
- MONETA WORKS – JA SERBIA
Riga City Council: Best Stand Award:
- SAFECLIP – JA LITHUANIA
Winners of the Public Choice Award
- Upper-Secondary Level supported by MikroTik: BIOCEL – JA ALBANIA
- University Level supported by Bata: ALGEBO.AI – JA ROMANIA
Special Awards
- GEN-E Viral Reel Competition: BERED – JA PORTUGAL
- Get in the Ring by Unknown Group: INTERDORM – JA CZECH REPUBLIC
- De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award Nominee: LIPIGO – JA SLOVAKIA
Beyond the competition, GEN-E 2026 served as a platform connecting young innovators with educators, policymakers, investors and business leaders. Participants engaged in workshops, networking activities, stage presentations, the GEN-E Expo, Get in the Ring competitions and mentoring opportunities designed to strengthen Europe’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and inspire future generations of innovators.
We congratulate all winners and participants of GEN-E 2026 and invite everyone to discover their ventures through the GEN-E website, social media channels, and Virtual Expo.
About GEN-E
GEN-E is Europe’s largest entrepreneurship festival for young people and the annual European championship of Junior Achievement Europe. It brings together top student businesses, university startups, educators, policymakers, and business leaders to celebrate innovation and support the next generation of entrepreneurs. https://gen-e.eu/
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 in over 40 countries provided over 7.5 million learning experiences for youth in online, in-person and blended formats, the organisation provided over 95,000 teaching experiences and 86,000 volunteering and mentoring experiences.
For additional information please contact Irina Ilieva — Head of Communications, Marketing and Policy, JA Europe at irina@jaeurope.org
