Haaga-Helia students won the Enterprise of the Year award in the Uskalla Yrittää competition

More than 150 young people from all over Finland took part in the finals of Finland's largest annual youth entrepreneurship competition. The two-day final event included a fair section and company presentations, during which a jury of business professionals followed, interviewed and evaluated the young companies. The finals culminated in a celebratory awards gala, where awards were presented in a total of 13 categories.

Troa NY, founded by Haaga-Helia's Business Administration students Pyry Juutilainen, Kasper Väisänen and Aaro Mielonen in the Year as an Entrepreneur program, which aims to reduce food waste, was awarded as the Enterprise of the Year in the higher education category.

Through the company's MyTroa application, customers can find information on the availability of red-labelled products in selected grocery stores. The customer also receives a QR code to get an additional 5% discount on red-labelled products.

The jury described the trio's solution as a well-conceived and implemented idea. They also received praise for their enthusiasm for the topic, which indicated that they are seriously involved in the idea.

The success in the competition does not come as a total surprise, as the solution of Juutilainen, Väisänen and Mielonen was awarded as the Best Business Idea and Best Marketing Act in the higher education JA company category already in the semifinals.

Next, the trio will head to Estonia in July, where they will represent Finland at the European Championships.

Image: Alexis Grigoriou