“Student Company” Program – Practical Entrepreneurship Training for Youth!
The “Student Company” program is a unique and widely recognized course that gives students the opportunity to go through the entire process of creating and managing their own business. The program is internationally established and is considered a best practice in entrepreneurship education by the European Commission.
It allows students to launch a fully functioning enterprise. Participants go from generating innovative ideas to implementing them through a product or service. They learn about financing, marketing, resource management, and sales, applying these skills in the creation of their company. Student companies have the chance to participate in regional and national competitions, with the best continuing on to European forums like Gen-E.
Student Company “Green Filters” Heads to the Finals of Gen-E 2025 in Athens!
We are incredibly proud to share that our student start-up Green Filters, led by Aleksandra Sivova (12B class), will participate in the finals of Gen-E 2025—the largest youth entrepreneurship forum in Europe, taking place in Athens, Greece!
This recognition comes as a result of their hard work and strong performance in the Beyond Pre-Accelerator program, organized by Junior Achievement Bulgaria.
The Road to Success: Idea, Innovation, and Hard Work
The ticket to Gen-E 2025 was earned thanks to our team’s outstanding performance during the final session of the Beyond Pre-Accelerator program. Aleksandra Sivova delivered an inspiring pitch that impressed both the jury and investors. It was a key moment—but the road to success was far from short.
It all began back in the fall of 2023, when a bold idea emerged among students from classes 11A and 11B: to turn cigarette butts into activated carbon. With the support of scientists from the Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, they proved that this was not only possible but also effective.
From that point on, the Green Filters team began winning prestigious awards and taking part in major competitions.
Major Milestones on Green Filters’ Journey
The achievements of Green Filters go far beyond the academic field. The team is actively discussing potential partnerships with several commercial companies—both for sourcing raw materials and for future purchase of the finished product. Along their journey, Green Filters earned several notable awards, including:
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Best ESG Company Award in the “Start-up Program by the Fund of Funds”
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1st Place at the National “Rising Stars” Competition
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1st Place at Eco Booster
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1st Place at the International Student Companies eXpo 2024 in Lithuania
These accomplishments reflect the team’s tireless efforts, bold ideas, leadership, and resilience. Despite challenges, team changes, and leadership transitions, each victory proves that they believe in their ideas and can turn them into sustainable solutions with real impact.
The School’s Role: Supporting and Fostering Entrepreneurial Spirit
This success would not have been possible without our partners from Junior Achievement Bulgaria and our commitment to integrating innovative programs like “Student Company,” STEAME, and many more opportunities for self-expression and development into our curriculum.
The students behind Green Filters, for example, received exceptional support from Deyan Doikov and Ivan Petrov—their entrepreneurship teachers who guided them every step of the way—as well as from Momchil Benov, their chemistry teacher, who provided conceptual and technical assistance throughout the process.
Our school community is proud of the accomplishments of these young entrepreneurs and will continue to support them in their future endeavors! We wish Green Filters unwavering focus and passion as they continue to pursue their vision!
