UKs top student businesses head to Europe’s Entrepreneurship festival in Riga

The event will bring together Europe’s most talented young entrepreneurs from 39 countries, including 40 student companies and 19 university startups, all competing for the titles of Europe’s Company of the Year and Europe’s Startup of the Year.

RIFF, a student startup from Harper Adams University, secured its place at the European finals after being selected to represent Young Enterprise UK at GEN-E 2026.

The company was created to tackle two significant challenges facing modern society – global food waste and insufficient dietary fibre consumption. RIFF has developed nutritious high-fibre snack bars that are both healthy and appealing to consumers, while incorporating 25% upcycled ingredients that would otherwise go to waste.

ZESTEE, have also secured their place at this years GEN-E finals producing biodegradable golf tees made from recycled orange peels. 

By replacing plastic tees with their biodegradable alternative, Zestee helps reduce plastic waste in the golf industry. Their tees break down naturally over time, meaning they don’t harm the environment or cause long-term pollution.

Both teams successes highlight the creativity and entrepreneurial talent emerging from the UK’s next generation of innovators. The team will now compete against Europe’s best student companies and university startups on the continent’s biggest stage for young entrepreneurs.

Europe’s Biggest Stage for Young Entrepreneurs

GEN-E is Europe’s premier entrepreneurship festival for young people and the flagship annual event of Junior Achievement Europe. Every year, it brings together the continent’s most promising young entrepreneurs, innovators and future business leaders, providing them with an international platform to showcase ideas that could become tomorrow’s successful companies.

This year, for the first time in the event’s history, Latvia will host GEN-E, welcoming hundreds of young entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders, educators and innovation experts from across Europe.

Participants will present innovative solutions in sustainability, health, technology, education and social entrepreneurship, while competing for Europe’s most prestigious youth entrepreneurship awards and building international networks for future collaboration.

“We are honoured to host GEN-E in Latvia for the very first time and welcome Europe’s brightest young entrepreneurs to Riga. GEN-E is much more than a competition – it is a celebration of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. We look forward to bringing together talented young people from across Europe and showcasing Latvia and Riga as a dynamic destination for innovation, business and international collaboration,” says Jānis Krievāns, CEO of Junior Achievement Latvia.