Vaara Coaching Brings University of Jyväskylä Expertise to the European Entrepreneurship Finals
Junior Achievement Europe, together with JA Latvia, organised Europe’s largest youth entrepreneurship event, Gen-E, in Riga, Latvia, in early July. The event brought together approximately 1,000 young entrepreneurs, teachers, business leaders and decision-makers from 39 European countries. Representing Finland in the higher education competition was Vaara Coaching, a team originating from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä. The team earned its place in the European finals by winning Finland’s national Uskalla Yrittää competition in April, as reported in an earlier University of Jyväskylä news article.
Vaara Coaching develops coaching services that help work communities strengthen resilience, enhance wellbeing and learn to manage workload and stress. At the Gen-E event, the Jyväskylä-based team had the opportunity to present its business concept to an international audience, receive feedback from experts and network with other young entrepreneurs from across Europe. The event provided valuable experience in international pitching, business development and the practical application of entrepreneurial skills.
A European Platform for Young Entrepreneurs
The Vaara Coaching team, consisting of Jaakko Anttoora and Henry Talja, participated in the competition through the NYT JA Company Programme, where students establish and run a real business as part of their studies. The course is open to students from both the University of Jyväskylä and JAMK University of Applied Sciences, regardless of faculty or field of study, and no previous entrepreneurial experience is required. Reflecting on their experience at Gen-E, the entrepreneurs commented:
“We were truly impressed by the event and by the extent to which young people are supported and taken seriously. Their potential is respected, and their ideas are viewed as realistic and worth developing. From a university student’s perspective, it did not feel like entrepreneurship was only playeding, rather, the ideas were discussed seriously, with a focus on their business potential, development and the strengths students bring to the table. This is something many students would like to find at university but often do not. In that respect, this concept and competition delivered many of the things that are still needed more widely. The expectation is not that you are already finished or fully prepared; instead, you start doing, learn along the way and keep moving forward. The overall atmosphere was highly encouraging and action-oriented.”
The expectation is not that you are already finished or fully prepared; instead, you start doing, learn along the way and keep moving forward.
From the national finals in April onwards, the entrepreneurs were coached by Nuorten Yrittäjyys ja Talous NYT (Junior Achievement Finland). Special thanks go to Noora Bergroth for her coaching and support. As part of the programme, the participants prepared a range of presentations and materials and received extensive mentoring from the NYT organisation alongside Finland’s second representative, Shroomies NY, a student company from Töölö Upper Secondary School in Helsinki, news -piece can be found from NYT web pages.
JA Company Programme as a Business Development Platform
The entrepreneurs believe that JA Company Programme played a significant role in supporting and accelerating the development of their business idea. One of the programme’s strengths is that it allows students to test and pilot a business concept without first having to establish a formal company. For Vaara Coaching team, this was particularly valuable during the early stages when the business concept was still being validated. The programme enabled them to develop their idea further and successfully build their first pilot project. As the entrepreneurs themselves explain:
“For Vaara Coaching, the entire NYT year—and particularly the preparation for these competitions—served as a springboard for the future. Working as a pair, you can take an idea only so far. Bringing your ideas out into the open, receiving feedback, presenting, pitching and acknowledging that others can identify areas for improvement are all essential if you want to move towards the ultimate goal of building a growing business. This was an important step. We competed seriously, but at the same time it was only one milestone among many future goals.”
The Gen-E finals also provide an excellent opportunity to explore potential markets across Europe, and practice presenting a business idea to an international audience. As English is the official language of the event, participation also helps students strengthen their communication and language skills.
For Vaara Coaching, the entire NYT year—and particularly the preparation for these competitions—served as a springboard for the future.
Building Momentum for Vaara Coaching
The University of Jyväskylä offers a variety of entrepreneurship support services, business development programmes and funding opportunities, several of which Vaara Coaching has already utilized. At the same time, additional opportunities remain available for the team as they continue their entrepreneurial journey.
According to the entrepreneurs:
“We will continue pitching and increasing our visibility across different networks. While we will continue to benefit from the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the actual business is now operating under its own Business ID, meaning we have already reached an important milestone. At the moment, we are in the validation phase of business development, and that process is continuing. We are currently looking for a second pilot customer to further validate the concept and strengthen our reference base.”
With a successful national championship behind them and valuable international experience gained at Gen-E in Riga, Vaara Coaching is now focused on taking the next steps towards building a sustainable and growing business.
