Empowering Future Entrepreneurs: JUP 3.0 Cohort Gears Up for Demo Day Showdown

The third cohort of the JUP Program opened its call for applications from February 15 to March 15, 2024. With the call for applications, informational meetings began, detailing all stages and criteria of the program. Throughout February and until the application deadline, representatives of JUP 3.0 organized informative and advisory meetings with young people who wanted to turn their ideas into successful businesses.

These 15 meetings managed to introduce this opportunity to 555 students from the following institutions:

1. Faculty of Economics, University of Tirana
2. Faculty of Foreign Languages, University of Tirana
3. European University of Tirana
4. New York University
5. Western Balkan University
6. Polis University
7. University College Bedër
8. Ofiçina HUB

By the end of the application period, a total of 35 startup ideas were submitted. From these, 17 teams and business ideas were selected to advance to the Selection Bootcamp. This intensive event lasted one and a half days, during which teams had the chance to improve their ideas and present them to field experts and representatives from Junior Achievement of Albania. The 8 most promising teams were chosen to be part of the cohort.

The cohort followed five sprints throughout April and May:

1. Lean Canvas Approach and Legal Framework for Startups in Albania
2. Problem-Solution Fit
3. Go-to-Market Strategy Development
4. Building Investor Relations
5. Pitching to Investors and Stakeholders

In over 50+ hours of workshops and 70+ hours of mentorship, the 8 startups discussed, formulated hypotheses, and developed concrete plans on how to build customer-centric startups and businesses, following the best international models. International experts, in collaboration with SwissEP and the best local experts, guided JUP 3.0 entrepreneurs on how to envision companies starting in the Albanian market but aiming to serve international markets as well.

This journey will culminate with 7 startups showcasing their potential before a panel of investors to gain financial and technical support through Junior Achievement of Albania. The Demo Day will be held on June 13 at the Pyramid Center.

The startups presenting their potential are:

1. Multifunctional Educational Gaming (M.E.G)
2. Vintagora
3. Bubi
4. Lookup
5. V’ark
6. Shamata
7. Myofit