5 Junior Achievement All Stars answer 20 off-the-wall questions

Proving that age is nothing but a number when it comes to business, five young entrepreneurs took to the stage at Inspire 2024 and shared their experiences in the business world so far.

Project Coorindators at Junior Achievement Cyprus (JA Cyprus) Marios Kakouris and Eleni Tovletian were the Stage Masters of the Gen A Stage at the entrepreneurial festival in Nicosia and introduced, Melina Papageorgiou, Christoforos Melekos, Nikolas Pantelis, Charalambos Stylianou and Stevi Nicolaou. A fuller description of the young peoples' work so far can be seen at the end of this article.

Charalambos Stylianou, 17, spoke about his ventures including Saveo, an innovative app dedicated to eradicating food waste by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence while Stevi Nicolaou, 16, followed telling the audience more about the purpose of one of the ventures she is involved in Girls Go Circular, which, among other things, promotes female involvement in Digital and Entrepreneurial Skills for the Circular Economy.

Eleni Tovletian

Nikolas Pantelis, 18, confided he had failed as many times as he tried to find something new "and now helps others learn to fail, not fail to learn," while Melina Papageorgiou, 16, talked about winnning JA Company competition with a programme preventing bullying, she also won European Award.

Christoforos Melekos, who works at Junior Achievement Cyprus (JA Cyprus) spoke about his journey with the programme, including the creation of life coaching programmes, and also participating in JA startup programme with E-mbracelet, a bracelet aiming to help people wth autism.

Members of the audience were then asked to submit questions for the five young businesspeople and which were then displayed on the wall of screens behind them, including:

'Are entrepreneurs born or can anyone become one with the right mindset?' for which the general consensus was that anyone can become an entrepreneur if they wanted to enough.

They were also asked about the challenges they had faced, what qualities they considered to be most important for young businesspople--with being organised, open-minded and also disciplined was among the advice given.

They also agreed that some of their best work was often performed under stress, and all underlined that failure was something that had to be dealt with constructively. They also all said that their participation in JA Cyprus had been very valuable.

Marios Kakouris

What advice would they would give someone just starting their entrepreneurial journey?:

Stevi Nicolaou said: Just do it. Its a cliche, but, just do it. What do you have to lose?

Nikolas Pantelis said: Things are not what you expect them to be, You need to focus on being consistent, Don't take anything for granted.

Charalambos Stylianou said: Be curious. Take the opportunity. Make a difference.

Christoforos Melekos said: Just start up your life

Melina Papageorgiou said: Don't ever give up. Try again and again unti you succeed, until you reach your goal.

Melina Papageorgiou

Melina Papageorgiou is 16 years old and she attends the 11th grade at Mitsis Commercial School, in Lemythou. A top-of-the-class student, she is highly involved in numerous activities such as participating in environmental projects, being a School Ambassador of the European Parliament and being a regular member of the Oreivates choir as well as a member of the school basketball and volleyball teams. She has participated in national and international school competitions, school Olympiads and attended the MindReset program of the JA Cyprus. In April 2024, she has participated in the Junior Achievement Competition (JA Company Programme) along with her team MiGuard, where they have obtained the first position and represented Cyprus at the GEN-E 2024 European Competition in Catania, Sicily, in July 2024. Last but not least, at the GEN-E 2024, Melina was awarded with the Alumni Leadership Award for Upper Secondary Level. In her free time Melina enjoys playing volleyball and painting.

Christoforos Malekos

Christoforos Malekkos began his journey with Junior Achievement Cyprus in 2018 during high school, where he first joined the JA Company Programme. Fast forward five years to 2023, he led his team to win the National JA StartUp competition with their innovative idea, marking a turning point in his entrepreneurial path. This success fueled his passion for youth development, recognizing the crucial role JA plays in empowering the next generation of leaders in Cyprus. With a degree in Business and Public Administration, Christoforos continues his work with Junior Achievement, while his start-up, E-mbracelet, has already secured its first round of funding.

Nikolas Pantelis

Nikolas Pantelis, is 18 years old and happens to be a huge believer of "inspiration". Junior Achievement and Junior Achievement Alumni all helped him to really appreciate the meaning of inspiration. Being Inspired by them, his main goal is to inspire others too. It is his never-ending journey.

Charalambos Stylianou

Charalambos Stylianou is a 17-year-old student at The English School. He is a self-taught developer, and UI/UX designer having worked with major organizations and clients such as IronFX, Webarts, and EY, as well as earning recognition from Wargaming and the Red Cross for his outstanding and notable design work. Charalampos has worked on plenty of design & coding projects showcasing his wide-ranging expertise in the tech industry. He was also the Head of Media for Sakis Rouvas CRCS Deipno Agapis Event gaining insights into large events and artists. Charalampos is also the CEO and Co-founder of Saveo, an innovative app dedicated to eradicating food waste by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and providing tailored suggestions and gamification to users. Saveo has won 1st place Nationally and Internationally, including at the JA Innovation Camp, where he and his team won a sponsored trip to Vienna where they competed with more than 200 students from 50 countries worldwide. In addition to his entrepreneurial achievements, Charalampos has held key leadership roles in diplomacy and politics. He is the Vice President of the Inter-Communal Youth Diplomacy Conference (ICYDC) and is the Deputy Secretary General of MEDIMUN. He has chaired multiple conferences, including high-profile discussions on the Israel-Palestine conflict, and has participated as a delegate in over eight conferences. Charalampos is also the Founder of IssueSight News, where he started hosting a podcast interviewing politicians and CEOs on current affairs and leadership. Finally, beyond technology and leadership, Charalampos has excelled in STEM competitions on an international scale. He has won prestigious awards such as the NASA Space Apps Challenge and secured first place nationally in the 99Maths competition. He has also competed in and won robotics and tech competitions like Robotex.

Stevi Nicolaou

Stevi Nicolaou is 16 and a second-year student at the Lyceum of Agios Antonios in Limassol. Amongst many her latest achievement is being a finalist for the Girls Go Circular student challenge with the finals to be held in Budapest on 10 October. Over the past year, Stevi participated in the EU Ambassadors program and has consistently excelled in various competitions, proudly representing her country - Cyprus and always winning a prize. Her stamina and character as well as her love and talent for art have opened for her many doors.

Don't miss the opportunity to participate in one of the most dynamic festivals ever held in Cyprus, Inspire 2024.

Discussions, podcasts, masterclasses and an atmosphere full of live music, cocktails and street food promise an experience that will inspire and motivate you to realize your professional and personal goals.

Inspire 2024 is not just a festival; it is an experience that combines business, entertainment and social interaction, creating a platform for knowledge exchange and inspiration for all participants.

Information

For the festival program click here .

For registration click here .

• Diamond Sponsor: ECOMMBX
  Strategic Partner: Cyta Business
  Gold Sponsors: Bank of Cyprus, Zorbas Group
• Proud Sponsor: OPAP Cyprus
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• Supporters: Eurosuccess Consulting, Gravity Ventures Incubator, Jinius, Robura Limited, UMAR | WSR, Alpha Mega
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• With the Support of: CITEA, Cyprus Employers and Industrial Federation, The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Cyprus Computer Society, CSR Cyprus, Junior Achievement Cyprus, Karaiskakio Foundation, The Yianis Christodoulou Foundation, The Youthboard of Cyprus
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• Organized by: Municipality of Nicosia, IMH