Students from JA Zimbabwe Win 2023 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award; Receive Cash Prize and Further Educational Opportunities

Students from JA Zimbabwe Win 2023 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award; Receive Cash Prize and Further Educational Opportunities

The De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award recognizes outstanding young entrepreneurs within the JA (JA-Africa.org) network. The winning team from each regional JA Company Program competition (known as Company of the Year, Gen-E, Young Entrepreneurs Celebration, and National Student Leadership Summit) in Africa, Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe, MENA, and the United States was automatically entered for the award.

Founded by tech-legend Ralph de la Vega, former President and CEO of AT&T Mobile and Business Solutions, in 2021, the De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award is the first global award for the JA Company program. The 2023 competition included teams from Greece (JA Europe), Ohio (Junior Achievement USA), UAE (INJAZ Al-Arab), Mexico (JA Americas), Guam (JA Asia Pacific), and Zimbabwe (JA Africa). Today, JA Worldwide CEO Asheesh Advani announced the winners via livestream.

Ultimately, JA Zimbabwe’s Hekima Inc. from Maranatha Christian School in Harare triumphed for its educational app Study Buddie. The team won a cash prize of US$15,000, as well as an entrepreneurship course from the institution of their choice. The five other JA student companies also won US $5,000 each, courtesy of the de la Vega Family Foundation.

A software development company born out of the JA Company Program in Zimbabwe, Hekima