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In just a few days, I’ll be heading to Athens for the GEN-E 2025 European Entrepreneurship Festival—the biggest celebration of youth entrepreneurship in Europe. As a special correspondent for PulseZ, I’ll be following the stories of students who didn’t just dream of changing the world—they started building it.

From July 1st to 4th, thousands of young entrepreneurs, aged 15 and up, will gather to showcase their cutting-edge business ideas, developed over the course of the 2024–25 school year with the support of Junior Achievement (JA) Europe. At the heart of it all: innovation, courage, and the belief that entrepreneurship is one of the strongest tools we have to shape a better future.

What to Expect in Athens

Hosted this year by JA Greece, GEN-E 2025 promises to be more than just a competition. It’s a celebration—of creativity, teamwork, and the power of young minds. The event includes:

  1. A Virtual Expo where you can explore the projects and startups from every country,
  2. Live pitches and prestigious awards,
  3. Networking with partners, alumni, mentors, and even European policymakers.

One of the highlights? The presence of Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, who will address the participants as a symbol of how seriously Europe is starting to take the next generation. The message is clear: young people are no longer just the future—they are the present.

Who’s coming?

This year, more than 40 countries will take part. Here are some highlights:

🇺🇦 Ukraine is bringing the largest delegation, with 140 participants.
🇨🇿 Czech Republic and 🇷🇴 Romania follow with 69 each.
🇵🇹 Portugal is sending 66, 🇲🇹 Malta has 54, 🇬🇪 Georgia brings 52.
🇹🇷 Turkey follows with 49, 🇦🇱 Albania with 45, 🇲🇪 Montenegro with 38.
🇮🇹 Italy? Just 5 of us—but we’ll make it count!

Why It Matters

GEN-E isn’t just about winning awards. It’s about learning by doing. It’s about finding your voice, working in a team, pitching to strangers, and facing real-world challenges—often for the first time.

It’s also a space where the system listens. With leaders like Roberta Metsola attending, young entrepreneurs are finally getting the recognition they deserve as active citizens, ready to make an impact.

At Pulse Z, we’ll be there not just to cover the numbers, but to tell the human stories: the late-night pitch rehearsals, the cultural collisions, the friendships made in line for coffee, and the moments when someone, maybe for the first time, believes in their own idea!

Follow us live from Athens—because the future of Europe is already here. And it’s got a stand at GEN-E.

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