Italy Starts 2020, The Winners of Best Start-Up Business Plan

John Cabot University held the 4th Edition of Italy Starts, a Peer-to-Peer Entrepreneurship Mentoring Program, for the first time completely in remote. This program is normally held in-person at JCU, but in true entrepreneurial spirit, the challenges presented by the Covid-19 emergency were met with an innovative response. This year, a record number of 65 high school student Mentees from 8 high schools in Rome, Pomezia, and Venice worked with 23 JCU student Mentors on developing and proposing a Business Plan within the theme of the Environment.

JCU Professors whose students acted as Italy Starts Mentors were Professors Alina Sorgner (BUS/EC 336 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems), Ieva Jakobsone Bellome (MGT 301 Principles of Management, BUS 330 International Business), and Gina Siddu Pilia (BUS 342 Leadership, Mindfulness, and Emotional Intelligence).

• First Place Prize (€ 500) goes to Green Phoenix based on originality, impact, and effort
• Second Place is shared by Sover and BioCar based on innovation and future potential
• Special Mention goes to Garbage-ly for dedication and mission

During this 5-week program, 26 March-23 June (recognized for 40 hours of PCTO* credits), students were divided into teams of 10-11 Mentees and 2-4 Mentors. Guided by their Mentors, Mentees learned through hands-on activities, important skills required in the process of developing a Business Plan for a Start-Up.