The 2025 YSC finalists are here: meet the young entrepreneurs pitching in Copenhagen

After an incredibly competitive selection process, the jury praised the outstanding quality, creativity, and impact of this year’s submissions. The finalists impressed our expert jury with their innovative solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges, from renewable energy and disaster response to cutting-edge cancer treatment.

This November, they will take to the stage at the SME Assembly 2025 in Copenhagen, where they will pitch their start-up ideas live for the title of Youth Start-Up Champion 2025. 

Meet the three inspiring young innovators shaping Europe’s entrepreneurial future:

🇦🇹 Michael Strudler – Wendy Windenergy (Austria)

Aged just 22, Michael Strudler is the CEO and co-founder of Wendy Windenergy, a start-up driving Austria’s clean energy transition. The company develops vertical small wind turbines with an innovative folding system that improves efficiency even at low wind speeds. Having already applied for a patent and secured early installations, Michael and his team are on a mission to make wind power accessible to everyone.

🇩🇪 Jonas Kewenig – AIRIS (Germany)

Jonas Kewenig, a Mechanical Engineering and Management student at the Technical University of Vienna, is the founder of AIRIS, a start-up developing AI-powered tools to enhance disaster response. By integrating real-time data analysis and multilingual communication, AIRIS helps emergency services coordinate faster and more effectively, improving safety and resilience in times of crisis.

🇵🇹 Gonçalo Ribeiro – FLASHGuard (Portugal)

Gonçalo Ribeiro, a PhD Fast Track student at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, leads FLASHGuard, a pioneering medical technology project enabling the safe clinical use of FLASH Radiotherapy. This innovative approach could transform cancer treatment by protecting healthy tissue while maintaining tumour control, positioning Europe at the forefront of advanced healthcare innovation.

These three finalists will pitch their ideas live at #SMEAssembly2025 in Copenhagen, Europe’s flagship event for entrepreneurs and policymakers, where one will be crowned the Youth Start-Up Champion 2025 and go on to attend the EIC Summit 2026.

Stay tuned to #EUSMEWeek and #YouthStartUpCompetition to follow their journey to Copenhagen!