AAU Business Students Compete with the Best in JA Europe Finals

A team of business students from Anglo-American University (AAU) recently showcased their entrepreneurship at the Junior Achievement (JA) Europe finals in Catania, Sicily, from July 2 to July 4. Representing both AAU and Czechia in the competition, the team presented their travel app, DIVEIN, and put their business acumen on display before judges and attendees alike.

At the event, the DIVEIN team, which is made up of Alisa Safarian, Cassidy Karbowski, Daryna Semergei, and Diego Castro Lopez, competed in the Innovation of the Year and Start-up of the Year categories. The JA Europe finals formed one part of the prestigious Gen-E European Entrepreneurship Festival and featured students from over 40 countries. The 16th century Monastero dei Benedettini, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, served as the event’s main venue. 

Safarian, DIVEIN’s graphic designer, remarked on the impact of the experience and how well she felt the team acquitted itself in the finals.

“The overall impression from the competition was unbelievable. The whole event was so unique and exciting for entrepreneurs. I am personally very satisfied with the team’s performance,” she said.

The DIVEIN team had already made headlines earlier this year by taking first place at the national Top JA Czech Start-up competition, making this the second year in a row for AAU students to claim that prize. Their winning app is designed to provide travelers with human-verified, personalized recommendations for a more authentic travel experience, addressing issues commonly associated with generic AI-generated itineraries.  

DIVEIN’s success and their invitation to compete in the finals are largely an outgrowth of AAU’s Entrepreneurship in Practice courses, taught by mentors Heinrich Homola and (formerly) Jeff Medeiros. These school students in the essential facets of the entrepreneurial craft, guiding them through the process of developing a business from conception to launch and culminating in the Top JA Start-up competition at the end of the school year. 

Medeiros, who stepped in for Homola during the event in Catania, expressed his pride in the team’s efforts and said their app proved popular with those in attendance.

“They did an excellent job. They worked hard as a team, and this is the result of two semesters of work, which included many changes along the way,” said Medeiros. “We received rave reviews from the CEO of JA Czech Republic and from other attendees. [The team’s] energy was contagious.”

The overall experience of the Entrepreneurship in Practice program and associated JA competitions proved a valuable team-building exercise for the DIVEIN team, uniting its members, all from different countries and backgrounds, in pursuit of a common goal. Project Manager Cassidy Karbowski highlighted this aspect, noting the growth and solidarity that has come as a result of the project. 

“We have a very diverse team from different backgrounds, dealing with all sorts of things, and still, we came together to prioritize this project,” said Karbowski. “The character of every individual making up the DIVEIN team has evolved and improved over the course of the project. We are more mature, hard-working, and self-aware than we were at the start.”

Although Homola was unable to attend the finals in person, he remained an integral part of the DIVEIN team’s support system, providing remote feedback through regular video chats.

Vice-Dean Jan Vašenda, who was responsible for connecting AAU with the JA competitions and integrating these with the Entrepreneurship in Practice program, was present in Sicily to offer moral support and promote AAU’s business programs among high school students. Vašenda said AAU students’ success in the JA competitions is an indication of the efficacy of the university’s approach to entrepreneurship education.

“[This] experience confirmed that our practical and hands-on approach is the right one. We’ll continue in this direction in the future for sure,” he commented.

Over the course of the three-day event, the team also witnessed the unexpected eruption of Mount Etna, which left the streets covered in layers of ash and added an unforgettable, if uneasy, dimension to their time in Sicily. 

Medeiros said Homola and he plan to further refine the Entrepreneurship in Practice courses based on the knowledge gained in Catania. As for the DIVEIN team, their work is ongoing as they continue to develop the app and look to engage with potential investors, with the hopes of soon securing approval in the Apple Store to begin gathering initial user feedback.

We won’t stop! We are currently in our second stage development and are excited to work on the start-up even more,” declared Safarian.  

Learn more about the DIVEIN team members and their mentors here. Also, to support the continued growth and development of their app, go here. Those interested in learning more about the Entrepreneurship in Practice courses and the Top JA Project competition may reach out to Vice Dean Vašenda at jan.vasenda@aauni.edu.

———————————————————————————————————————

*Junior Achievement (JA) was founded in the United States in 1919 with the intention of showing school-aged students the path to creating their own businesses by starting their own ventures. JA provides a structured learning environment and experienced mentors, operating in 120 countries and reaching over 3 million students annually. The organization has now been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for the third year in a row.

JA Europe, the European representative of Junior Achievement, currently has over 300 universities enrolled in its programs throughout Europe, representing over 15,000 participating students. JA Czech, the Czech regional body, has been instrumental in shaping the entrepreneurial thinking and financial literacy of young people in the country for three decades.