The annual “Company of the Year” competition, organised for the school year 2021-22 by Junior Achievement Cyprus (JA Cyprus) has concluded with great success.

The competition represents the biggest youth entrepreneurship programme in Cyprus, with this year’s edition drawing a total of 50 student companies, 28 schools and over 400 students, aged 15-18 years old, who developed their ideas to compete for the “Business of the Year 2022” title.

In the end, the Nutrica Plus team, from Lakatamia’s Agios Georgios Lyceum, emerged as winners, having created two innovative products: a pet food supplement and a plant compost, using high-calcium eggshells. Nutrica Plus will now represent Cyprus in Junior Achievement’s European Competition, which will take place in July in Estonia.

In second place were “JAMICS” from the International School of Paphos, who also received the most innovative product/service award, granted by PwC. The team created an application – essentially a smart pillbox – capable of reminding patients to take their medication, at the right time and with the correct dosage.

Congratulations go out to all the participating teams for their efforts to present their innovative and impressive business ideas and products.

PwC Cyprus has supported JA Cyprus and the “Company of the Year” competition for the past eight years. As of 2021, this support was upgraded to a strategic sponsorship, translating into more active involvement by the organisation and its people. Consequently, over 20 PwC Cyprus mentors participated in this year’s programme, passing on their experience and knowledge to participating students, guiding them to create and operate their business.

Furthermore, PwC Cyprus supports the “Our community” initiative, which aims to familiarise third-grade primary school students with terms such as “career”, “social contribution”, “innovation” and “decision-making”. A total of 300 primary school students attended the programme this year.

Supporting innovation and encouraging youth entrepreneurship have always been at the core of PwC Cyprus’ operations. The Big Four firm’s actions revolve around investing in these sectors, as well as in supporting the local community. During these volatile times, the general consensus is that it is imperative to develop knowledge and skills in the fields of innovation, technology and entrepreneurship from an early age.

In statements, PwC Cyprus CEO Philippos Soseilos highlighted both the importance of supporting youth, as well as how rewarding it is for the organisation to support and actively participate in Junior Achievement Cyprus initiatives.

“Through this multifaceted support, active involvement and interaction with students, PwC Cyprus’ people have the opportunity to volunteer and come up with new ideas, away from their demanding daily work environment,” added CEO Soseilos.