Italy Starts Program Announces Winning Team

On June 25, 2021, 15 Italy Starts Teams presented their entrepreneurial ideas to resolve a perceived challenge to the environment. The teams, which developed their ideas during the 5-week program, were composed of 4-6 Italian high school students (Mentees) and 2-4 American University undergraduate students (Mentors), for a total of 100 participants.

FIRST PRIZE
The winner of the First Prize, 500 Euro in gift certificates, is the “iGreen App” team from Istituto di Istruzione Superiore Evangelista Torricelli, Rome, mentored by students from the American University of Armenia, and the American University of Nigeria. The team proposes incentives for “green” volunteer activities, bringing together individuals and socially responsible corporations.

SPECIAL MENTIONS
Four Teams received a Special Mention, in recognition of the originality, potential impact, and sustainability of their ideas. Special Mention teams will have the opportunity to be “adopted” by a student team or class at John Cabot University to further develop their idea and devise a go-to-market strategy.

CATEGORIES
Urban Improvement:

• Team “iGreen App” from Istituto di Istruzione Superiore Evangelista Torricelli, Rome, mentored by students from the American University of Armenia, and the American University of Nigeria.
• Team CompostIT, from Liceo Tito Lucrezio Caro, Rome, and Istituto Omnicomprensivo Fabio Besta, Orte, mentored by students from The American University of Armenia. This team’s mission is to recycle organic waste and improve urban decorum.

Responsible Consumption:

• Team Zero, from Earth to Earth, from Liceo Scientifico “Marie Curie”, Pinerolo (Turin) and Liceo Scientifico Statale Giovanni Keplero, Rome. Their Mentors are from the American University of Armenia, and the American University of Nigeria. Their mission is to reduce food waste by finding market outlets for “ugly” fruit, that is, fruit that may not be aesthetically appealing, but is perfectly fine for consumption.

New Product Development:

• Team PowerCtrl for sustainable living, from Liceo Scientifico Statale Donatelli-Pascal, Milan and Liceo Blaise Pascal, Pomezia. Their Mentors are from the American University of Nigeria and San Diego State University. Their proposal helps the environment by reducing “idle charging time.” This team will be invited to work with students in Professor Pietro Paganini’s New Product Development class and jointly present the project at JCU’s Weekend of Startups in November.

The objective of Italy Starts, John Cabot University’s Peer-to-Peer Entrepreneurship Mentoring Program, is to encourage cross-cultural learning between undergraduate students who have had some training in entrepreneurship or business, and Italian high school students, within the broad spectrum of entrepreneurship-focused mentoring.

Aimed at third and fourth-year students enrolled in Italian high schools, Italy Starts was created by the JCU Institute for Entrepreneurship as part of JCU’s Programs for High Schools which offers programs for students useful for Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento (PCTO), a mandatory program that provides Italian high school students with practical work experience.

Participating JCU/partner university students (Mentors) volunteer to be connected to Italian High School Students (Mentees) to solve real environment-related problems through social entrepreneurship. Mentees are then required to deliver a short PowerPoint presentation at the end of the program.

“The program teaches some hard skills that can be valuable preparation for the job market, but above all it creates rich interpersonal relationships and opens up new perspectives for both Mentors and Mentees,” said Silvia Pulino, Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship.

Participating Universities
American University of Armenia (Armenia)
American University of Beirut (Lebanon)
American University of Nigeria Yola (Nigeria)
Bridgewater State University (USA)
Butler University (USA)
John Cabot University (Italy)
Loyola University Maryland (USA)
Rider University, New Jersey (USA)
Saint Mary’s College Indiana (USA)
San Diego State University (USA)
University of Massachusetts-Boston (USA)

Participating Italian High Schools
Liceo Classico Interculturale, Collegio San Carlo, Milan
Istituto di Istruzione Superiore “Blaise Pascal”, Pomezia (RM)
Istituto di Istruzione Superiore Evangelista Torricelli Roma Liceo Foscarini, Venice
Istituto di Istruzione Superiore Pietro Scalcerle, Padua
Istituto Magistrale Statale Margherita di Savoia, Roma
Istituto Omnicomprensivo Fabio Besta, Orte (VT)
Liceo Ettore Majorana, Rome
Liceo Giordano Bruno, Rome
Liceo Pilo Albertelli, Rome
Liceo Scientifico Statale Donatelli-Pascal, Milan
Liceo Scientifico Statale Giovanni Keplero, Rome
Liceo Scientifico Statale Isacco Newton, Rome
Liceo Scientifico “Maria Curie”, Pinerolo
Liceo Scientifico Vito Volterra, Ciampino (RM)
Liceo Tito Lucrezio Caro, Rome

Find out about JCU’s Programs for High Schools, all offered in English and free of charge.