JA Americas Student Companies Shine at 2024 Company of the Year Competition
December 5, 2024
The JA Americas Company of the Year Competition showcases the region’s best student ventures from the JA Company Program. This year, 20 JA student companies from nine countries gathered in Montevideo, Uruguay, to compete for the title of JA Americas Company of the Year. Hosted by DESEM Junior Achievement (JA Uruguay), the top JA student companies from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay came together to demonstrate and enhance their entrepreneurial skills; network with JA leaders, fellow students, and professionals; and celebrate their inspiring achievements.
Meet the Student Companies
JA Argentina: FLOS offers two premixes for traditional muffins made from alternative flours, catering to those who want to optimize their time and health without sacrificing taste.
JA Argentina: Maceva focuses on biodegradable pots made from bio-ceramics derived from eggshells, complete with nutrient-rich soil and seeds.
JA Brazil: Achei developed a location tag and app to help users quickly track everyday objects via Bluetooth.
JA Brazil: La Bio offers a simple and affordable lip balm made from natural ingredients, packaged sustainably to avoid plastic waste.
JA Brazil: Toque Floral is a student-led company selling handmade, aromatic soaps, committed to environmental responsibility and fostering young entrepreneurs.
JA Brazil: WOW developed a spray that instantly dewrinkles, perfumes, and revitalizes clothes, simplifying garment care with a refreshing scent and quick-drying formula.
JA Chile: FIJA creates recycled stationery through a pulping process, aiming to reduce paper waste and raise awareness about environmental issues.
JA Ecuador: MYTHICS JA produces magnetic tangram puzzles with colorful pieces and illustrated guides, promoting cognitive development and reducing screen time for children.
JA Ecuador: SUGI JA creates eco-friendly keychains with a sensory wheel to reduce stress, made from sustainably reforested seike wood, blending nature with innovation.
JA Ecuador: WAKOMU JA combines technology with tradition through an eco-friendly board game inspired by Ecuador’s Tsáchila culture, promoting sustainability and cultural preservation.
JA Guatemala: AponWay transforms discarded tires into valuable products, addressing environmental issues while promoting sustainability and creating employment opportunities.
JA Guatemala: Chopi connects the informal economy with the formal one, automating the process of transforming informal businesses into formal companies through an e-commerce platform.
JA Jamaica: GreenCycle Solutions designs and manufactures eco-friendly compost bins from recycled materials, promoting sustainability and reducing landfill waste.
JA Jamaica: Teacher’z Pet creates custom teaching resources for diverse learning styles, focusing on eco-friendly digital formats and local sourcing to enhance classroom learning.
JA Mexico: MOVAL specializes in manufacturing and commercializing gluten-free vegetable flours.
JA Mexico: PERSA, founded by students from CETIS 145, develops eco-friendly cleaning solutions, including a non-toxic, non-corrosive metal utensil soap made from Persian lime peels.
JA Peru: IncaStart addresses the need for proper nutrition with VitaJuice, a kit of effervescent tablets that provide essential nutrients from Peruvian fruits, catering to busy young professionals, students, and athletes.
JA Peru: Muci-Cao produces popsicles made from cocoa mucilage with condensed milk and chocolate fillings, adding value to often-wasted parts of the cocoa fruit.
JA Uruguay: Zenses offers products like lavender-scented items and lip balms to inspire calm and mindfulness, helping people find balance and self-care in their daily lives.
JA Uruguay: Conexa created card games that improve mental health by entertaining and connecting young people while encouraging them to disconnect from technology.
The Competition
Day 1: Students gathered for the opening ceremony on Day 1, which included inspirational speeches and opportunities for networking and meeting fellow competitors. Although partners FedEx, PMIEF, and Delta presented their skill-building sessions virtually prior to the event, FedEx held an additional in-person activity on Day 1 to encourage creative thinking and collaboration. To qualify for the prestigious signature awards from Delta, PMIEF, and FedEx, student companies must have participated in the three sessions.
Day 2: The competition heated up as students prepared their pitches and set up trade fair booths at the Uruguay Innovation Hub in Montevideo. The student companies presented their businesses to twelve judges, one by one, in private. After additional demonstrations at the trade fair booths, students wrapped up the day with a Uruguayan dinner with traditional music and dance.
Day 3: In the morning, each student company participated in closed-door, individual interviews with the judges. The day ended with the gala dinner, where the top JA Americas student companies received accolades and awards.
The Awards
The FedEx Global Possibilities Award celebrates the company with the highest potential for global expansion, recognizing their innovative ideas and entrepreneurial vision.
Winner: Conexa, DESEM Junior Achievement (JA Uruguay)
The PMIEF Project Success Award celebrates outstanding execution and project management, highlighting the ability to bring innovative ideas to life with precision and impact.: Sugi, JA Ecuador
The Delta Social Impact Award recognizes the company with the greatest potential for social impact, making a tangible difference in their community.
Winner: Aponway, JA Guatemala
The Alumni Leadership Award honors young leaders who demonstrate the attitudes, skills, and behaviors to excel as future changemakers.
Winners:
Lucía Etchepare, JA Argentina
Gabriel Peitrez Silva, JA Brasil
Sohini Kumar, JA Jamaica
Company of the Year, third place: Muci-Cao, JA Peru
Company of the Year, second place: MYTHICS, JA Ecuador
JA Americas Company of the Year: Achei, JA Brasil
As JA Americas Company of the Year, Achei will join regional champions Limitless from INJAZ Al-Arab/JA MENA, Treberei from JA Europe, FlameGuard from Junior Achievement USA, and O’BGE from JA Asia Pacific to compete for the 2025 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award. JA Africa will announce its Company of the Year tomorrow, December 7, in Mauritius.