Could your business idea change the world? Here’s your chance to prove it.
The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge—brought to you by Verizon and Unloc—is an annual event centred around finding the best young talent across Europe.
If you’re 16–25 and have a fresh and innovative tech-led idea, The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge could help you get your business off the ground—or if you’ve already launched, boost it to the next level.
Previous year’s finalists’ ideas included:
Wind turbines powered by the airflow of passing vehicles.
Zero-waste edible biofilm to replace plastic in the silage process.
A wearable device to optimise performance & reduce physical injury recovery time.
A breathalyser that analyses organic chemicals and biomarkers to determine lung cancer susceptibility.
Home-compostable 3D-printed filaments made from algae and waste cooking oils to reduce single-use plastics in the medical industry.
Requirements
Applying is easy:
Simply record a short video (at least 60 seconds but no more than 90 seconds).
Remember to explain how your idea meets the three criteria.
Hit the “Apply now” button.
Fill out the application form and submit your video.
Then sit tight, finalists will be announced in early February 2025.
Eligibility
Applicants must be:
Between the ages of 16 and 25 years on 1 February 2025.
Residents and/or citizens of the U.K. or the continent of Europe.
Immediate family members of the judging panel are not eligible to apply.
Previous entrants are welcome to re-enter, but previous finalists are not eligible.
Business proposals must:
Be legal in all mainland European countries.
Not have the purpose of political lobbying.
Be the applicant’s own idea.
Not infringe on the copyright, patent or intellectual property of others.
Be submitted in English (both written and video).
Businesses must be either:
Pre-start (not yet trading).
No more than three years old.
Have had an annual turnover of less than £100,000 (120,000€) in its most recent financial year. This includes recipients of grants & donations.