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What does it really take to launch a student startup in today’s world? Beyond creativity and ambition, young entrepreneurs often face technical, organisational, and emotional issues that test their ideas.

At Gen-E 2025, Europe’s largest festival for youth entrepreneurship—held in Athens from July 1st to 3rd and organised by Junior Achievement Greece under the auspices of the European Commission—we had the opportunity to interview 10 student-led small businesses from across the continent. Over 1,000 participants from more than 50 countries came together to showcase their projects and compete to be named Europe’s best student startup of the year.

In this vibrant and competitive setting, we asked each team to reflect on a key aspect of their journey: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced while building your business?

From product development setbacks to team coordination struggles, their honest answers reveal what it really means to grow an idea from scratch—and the resilience it demands.

Keep reading to discover what they told us!

Simplex Project – Malta

Rhythm, Kyle, Daniel, Miguel, Fatima, and Jack

“First of all, coming up with our prototype—actually getting the idea—was a major challenge. This is the newer version, but we had an older one before.”

“Designing something that fits was very difficult. We made a pill popper that needed to fit various pill sizes, and then came the production issues. There was a huge demand for orders, and we couldn’t find parts. We initially attached hinges, which we ordered from Italy, but they fell overboard during shipping.”

“We ended up 3D printing everything, which is what we use now.”

“As a team, we also faced challenges. We had just started school and didn’t know each other. We came from different subjects and groups, so forming a cohesive team and getting to know each other was quite difficult.”

Playful Pages – North Macedonia

Radmila Andovska (Teacher) 

“Probably motivating the children to be the best they can be. Our product is a picture book of traditional children’s games.”

“The students came up with the idea themselves and worked as a team—researching, illustrating, and writing the book together.”

Feel It – Luxembourg

Chloé

“We created an inclusive game for sighted and non-sighted people so everyone can play together.”

“Our biggest challenge was production. But beyond that, it was learning to stay motivated, consistent, and focused as a team. We had ups and downs, but always managed to overcome them, and I’m quite happy with that.”

T-Buddy – Serbia

Anja Pajic

“We organise creative labs for kids aged 8 to 18 to show that science and learning can be fun.”

“The hardest part was becoming teachers ourselves. We had never taught before, and suddenly we were instructors.”

“Personally, my biggest challenge was organising the team. Everyone has different schedules, and it’s hard to coordinate; someone always ends up doing more.”

Cindy Up – Portugal

Joana Rodrigues

“We developed a test strip that detects if a drink has been spiked—just dip it in your drink, and if it glows fluorescent, it’s unsafe.”

“Our main challenge was being innovative. There are similar products on the market, but they’re often chemical-heavy and hard to use. We wanted to create something simple and accessible—that was the hardest part.”

Stick Friend – Ukraine

Voloshin Yohan

“We built a smart crutch with a touch button and GPS tracker, aiming to save lives when seconds matter. Every year, 680,000 people die because they don’t get help in time after falling or fainting alone.”

“The biggest challenge was building a prototype that worked and getting it ready for the market.”

CarbonTrail – Belgium/Ivory Coast

“We collaborated with a team from Ivory Coast after winning the Furaton.”

“The biggest challenge was communication, working with a team in a different country and culture.”

“The greatest takeaway was learning patience and the value of cross-cultural collaboration. (Joking) Also—women. That was my biggest challenge!”

Grind4Good – Belgium

Noah Berlenger

“The project was ambitious—we had to contact businesses, pitch our idea, and follow up. That was time-consuming and not always easy.”

“As team leader, managing a group with very different skill sets was also challenging. We often worked in smaller teams to stay efficient. It was tough, but also fun.”

Blum – Latvia

Juris Celapiters

“The biggest challenge was acquiring the necessary skills. We needed to improve our design and programming abilities.”

“Also, teamwork—at first, we weren’t that close as a team, but we developed a strong friendship and improved a lot in how we worked together.”

Lacety – Belgium

“Organisation was the biggest challenge.”

“We had to work every day, regularly, without many external deadlines. We had to be self-disciplined and make steady progress on our own.”

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