JA Asia Pacific Celebrates 2025 Company of the Year in Tokyo
March 14, 2025
JA Asia Pacific held its fifteenth-annual Company of the Year (COY) competition in Tokyo, Japan, this week. Hosted by JA Japan, the COY was the first regional JA Company Program competition of 2025. Twenty-one JA student companies from 12 JA locations convened to network, learn new skills, and compete for signature award and the top title of regional JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year.
Students who complete the JA Company Program through local JA offices compete at the local level, with winners advancing to represent their market in the regional finals. Hosted annually by different JA locations and organized by JA Asia Pacific, the regional finals showcase the top young entrepreneurs from across the region. The first-place winners of each annual regional JA Company of the Year competition (also known as the National Student Leadership Summit in the US, Gen-E in Europe, and the Youth Entrepreneurship Celebration in MENA) advance to the global competition, the De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award.
Student companies at the regional competition are assessed in four stages:
Company Report: A detailed business plan outlining a student company’s strategy, market research, and financials.
Business Presentation: A compelling pitch to showcase their product, company mission, and business model.
Interview with Judges: A deep dive into their entrepreneurial journey, challenges faced, and lessons learned.
Trade Fair: An opportunity to present and sell their products to the public.
The competition balances the business achievements of each student company with the personal development of each individual student. At each stage of the competition process, judges assess each company and ultimately decide which JA Student Companies will take home the JA Company of the Year honor.
Day 1: Monday, March 10
The with a welcome dinner for all attendees followed by a JA Alumni Community session for students, providing them with an opportunity to connect with past JA participants.
Day 2: Tuesday, March 11
The day began with the official opening ceremony, followed by a workshop from the Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) for all attendees. Students then practiced pitches and presentations before breaking for lunch. In the afternoon, student companies practiced their on-stage presentations and ended the day with a group dinner and an optional live-stream watch party of the De La Vega Awards 2025.
Meet the Student Companies
China: Committed to a mission of preserving and promoting Chinese culture, Timeless Ink created the Nüshu Monopoly Board Game inspired by Nüshu, a unique and intangible Chinese cultural heritage.
Guam: Rooted created Ensena, a board game promoting Guam in support of the company’s mission to preserve the Chamorro culture and connect generations.
Guam: Estoria Guam preserves and promotes Guam’s rich cultural heritage through its engaging coloring book illustrated by local students.
Hong Kong SAR—China: Alentar promotes empathy through its card game Gotcha!
Hong Kong SAR—China: Zester promotes awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals through its self-named card game and sustainability workshops.
India: Deaura transforms discarded plastic and cork into jewelry and accessories.
India: CigCreate recycles cigarette butts into foot mats.
Indonesia: IUVENTA Student Company creates environmentally friendly cleaning products for home and office. The company’s shoe cleaner, IU FRESH, is made from banana peels.
Japan: Connect Plus helps consumers express their individuality through its unique drawstring pouches.
Japan: MA-MO produces an environmentally friendly deodorant made from recycled wood chips.
Malaysia: Uranus Enterprise produces and sells two products: the multipurpose, electricity-free Sound Amplifier and the Gravity Chair, a lightweight, foldable and ergonomic chair.
Malaysia: RAY Enterprise publishes an interactive picture book for children that promotes sustainability and environmental sustainability.
Philippines: Tagpian Co. created and sells sutainable and convertible bags to hold tumblers.
Philippines: ADHALA promotes sustainable fashion through its 3D-printed eco-friendly sunglasses.
Republic of Korea: BBBig created and sells educational board games that encourage children to explore new foods and develop health eating habits.
Republic of Korea: SORBY developed an innovative water purification solution for showers.
Singapore: Greentopia’s strategic card game promotes sustainability and environmental awareness.
Thailand: RELEAF created a multifunctional notebook that contained a to-do list, a coloring storybook, a foldable calendar, and notebook pages.
Thailand: Bliss produces and sells alternative packaging for cosmetics made from rice husk.
Vietnam: LoopZ designed sustainable sportswear made from recycled plastic bottles.
Vietnam: Ô MAI CLUB repurposes denim to create stylish bags and accessories.
Day 3: Wednesday, March 12
Assessments dominated the third day, beginning with company presentations in front of the judges in the morning and panel interviews after lunch. In the afternoon, students had some free time and then wrapped up the day with dinner and a talent show.
Day 4: Thursday, March 13
Students set up booths for the annual COY trade fair at KITTE Marunouchi mall in Tokyo, where they could showcase and sell their products to COY attendees and the public. After lunch, students packed up and participated in a Tokyo city tour. The day and event capped off with the gala dinner and awards ceremony.
Awards
Popular Choice Award (voted on by the students): ADHALA, JA Philippines
Best Financial Management Award: Tagpian Co., JA Philippines
Product of the Year Award: LoopZ, JA Vietnam
BNY Resilient Futures Award: Zester, JA Hong Kong SAR—China
PMIEF Best Application of Project Management award
Third place: IUVENTA Student Company, Prestasi Junior Indonesia
Second place: Alentar, JA Hong Kong SAR—China
First place: Zester, JA Hong Kong SAR—China
JA Company of the Year
Third place: IUVENTA Student Company, Prestasi Junior Indonesia
Second place: CigCreate, JA India (tGELF)
First place, JA Asia Pacific Company of the Year: Zester, JA Hong Kong SAR—China
As the first-place Company of the Year, O’BGE will go on to compete for the 2026 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award with five other regional champions (JA Africa, JA Americas, JA Europe, INJAZ Al-Arab/JA MENA, and Junior Achievement USA) that will be named later this year.