Company: QZenobia Refugee Big Data Analytics Startup
School: Middle East Technical University
Aiming to show a positive correlation between refugees and development with big data analytics, Berat launched QZenobia, a mobile application that runs as a “refugee hub.” This mobile application provides refugees with the opportunity to submit their data via a questionnaire and search for opportunities such as verified news, jobs and registration processes in the host country. Berat hopes that after three years, the profit generated from his for-profit social enterprise would support over 65 million refugees around the world.
With his EO core value of “boldly go,” Simon Hofer quickly learned that execution is the key to entrepreneurship and didn’t waste a single day working to bring his idea to life. Rebel Technologies is a proximity-based social network and marketplace app dedicated to ease communication for college students. Despite the high concentration of students on campus, the Rebel App allows students to reach others to trade and engage in other activities outside of their normal social circles. In three years, Hofer envisions Rebel Technologies as the leading platform for student interactions in Europe and the US.
After his grandmother’s sudden heart attack, Max was determined to find a better way to identify early stages of heart disease. As a result, Max launched his company, Heartstrings, an accurate, non-invasive and low-cost tool based on proprietary artificial intelligence technology for screening and early diagnosis of heart disease. Heartstrings’ breakthrough technology has been tested successfully and validated with more than 700 patients through two clinical trials. His vision for Heartstrings is to save at least 1 million lives each year over the next three years.
With the intent of creating a company that was economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, Gala Freixa and her partners originally came up with the concept of producing seed paper. Today, the company has evolved into a green-marketing product agency named Sheedo. Their paper products are made with the seeds of flowers, aromatic plants and vegetables, so once discarded, they have a second life. Sheedo is built on the foundation of non-conformity, learning by doing and respect for the environment. Freixa’s long-term vision is to expand to other markets in Europe and position her product in both physical and online stores.
With the goal of bringing happiness to every child, Luboš Jurečka, created Dreamstory and became a creator of personalized children’s books. In today’s world of technology, he hopes to help children improve their vocabulary and further develop their communication skills through reading books. With Dreamstory, parents can help their children engage in these early development skills by creating fairy tales in which they, themselves, are the characters. Jurečka envisions his company expanding to include personalized book for adults as well as translating these stories to other languages.
School: National Research Nuclear University MEPhI
Dmitry’s company, AgroDroneGroup, specializes in the development of unmanned systems (drones), scientific methods and software to help solve unique challenges in the agriculture industry. These systems are designed to monitor the health of crops, increase quality of crops, and eliminate the harmful effects of chemicals used in agriculture. Dmitry has faced many challenges in his entrepreneurial journey to create this business, but one of his greatest challenges has been learning to manage his peers in a business environment without tarnishing those personal relationships. As his business continues to grow, Dmitry hopes to expand AgroDroneGroup worldwide, including: Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Germany, Netherlands, France, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Argentina.
George’s company, Burgs Foods, is revolutionizing the food industry with its flagship product–the cricket burger! Burgs Foods distinguishes itself from other insect food companies by focusing on
crickets and processing the insects in a unique way–incorporating them into new, appealing food products instead of the typical presentation of insect foods as novelty snacks or flours. George
hopes to change the perception of eating insects and to create products that make them an accessible and delicious food source for everyday consumption.
After learning how to make websites from experience running a social enterprise, Dave started offering his website-building skills to friends, which resulted in being able to pay his way through a year of college. After successfully positioning himself as a resource to his network, Dave had more requests than he could complete and hired a friend to support the projects. This experience opened his eyes to the idea that students could serve as freelancers for projects with established companies. This is when Source Academy was created, a platform for individuals and businesses to hire vetted student freelancers to complete projects for them. His business provides clients with access to top-quality talent at an affordable price while giving student freelancers the opportunity to gain marketable skills and grow their networks.
As a diver, Anargyros is familiar with the marine ecosystem and developed an interest in the natural sponge trading industry. Due to overfishing and a series of epidemics over the past 30 years, the natural sponge population in the Mediterranean has been decimated, with Greek Fine Silk sponges facing imminent extinction. In an effort to save these species from extinction, Anargyros created Cleopatra’s Sponges, the first commercial sponge aquaculture in Greece, providing a sustainable supply of high-quality sponges, including the Greek Fine Silk sponge. Anargyros feels a deep sense of duty to help Greece build a brighter future and hopes that his business efforts will leave a lasting impact on the environment.
After spending time in India working as a teacher for a school of orphans, Manuel realized the importance of mindfulness and wanted everyone to have access for themselves. 7Mind is a mindfulness app providing daily seven-minute meditations. With a reach of over 680,000 users, Manuel envisions 7Mind as one of the top three mindfulness apps used worldwide with over seven million users, enabling people to make mindfulness a daily habit.
