BCR launches an entrepreneurship competition for young people in ZBOR hubs. The winners take the FOMO stage with Mika Häkkinen, Codie Sanchez and Vishen Lakhiani
Romania is already at the top of the European Union in terms of young entrepreneurs. According to Eurostat data, 10.3% of Romanians aged between 20 and 29 are self-employed, above the European average of 7.9%. In this context, BCR is launching an entrepreneurship competition dedicated to young people, aimed at turning ideas into projects tested in real conditions.
The competition takes place in the national network of ZBOR hubs and comes as a response to the need to support the entrepreneurial spirit and offer young people alternatives to the classic career path. The stake is not just winning awards, but developing an essential skill for any entrepreneur: the ability to clearly and convincingly support your idea under pressure.
How the competition works
Registration is done in the ZBOR app, and the competition is structured in three stages, with progressive filtering until the pitch held on one of the FOMO stages.
- Pre-selection. 15 young people are selected for each of the 10 cities with ZBOR hubs — Constanța, Iasi, Cluj, Brașov, Ploiesti, Târgu Jiu, Baia Mare, Vaslui, Timișoara and Craiova.
- Local Pitching — May 14th. The 15 are invited to present their ideas in the ZBOR hubs, individually or with their team. The jury in each city consists of a BCR representative, a local entrepreneur and the hub manager.
- National final — May 21, Bucharest. The winner from each city moves on to the FOMO – Festival of Modern Owners stage, where they present in front of a specialized jury and an audience from the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The competition also includes financial prizes for young entrepreneurs who reach FOMO – Festival of Modern Owners:
- First place: 1,000 euros
- Second place: 500 euros
- Third place: 300 euros
Beyond the financial component, the main benefit remains the exposure and access to networks of entrepreneurs, investors and mentors.
FOMO, the meeting point for global entrepreneurs
The final of the competition takes place within FOMO – Festival of Modern Owners, an event organized between May 20 and 24, in Bucharest. The festival brings to the stage entrepreneurs and international experts such as Mika Häkkinen, Codie Sanchez or Vishen Lakhiani.
For young participants, attending FOMO means more than a stage, being an opportunity for validation and networking in an environment where ideas can be accelerated or reformulated based on real feedback.
The organizers have announced discounted tickets for students, as well as discounts for those paying with George or BCR cards:
- General Access: 189 euros (compared to 289 euros)
- MAX access: 559 euros (compared to 799 euros)
Tickets are available on www.modernowners.com.
FLIGHT and trust in today's youth
The competition is built around the ZBOR ecosystem, developed by BCR as a space to explore, where young people can express their ideas, collaborate and learn from direct interactions.
A year and a half after its launch, the ZBOR ecosystem arrived at 120,000 young people from the whole country, with more 5,500 of activities and events created especially for them. Hubs work as a complement to formal education, emphasizing applied skills: entrepreneurship, personal finance, digital and collaboration.
What the jury is looking for beyond “good idea”
One of the objectives of the competition is to dispel a common myth: that a successful pitch requires a complex business plan. In the early-stage phases, the juries are attentive to other criteria.
1. A real problem. A solid pitch starts from a concrete need. It doesn't matter how sophisticated the idea is, if it doesn't solve a clear problem for a well-defined group.
2. Relevance of the founder. It matters who comes up with the idea and why. Personal experience or direct connection to the problem can make the difference between a generic concept and a credible one.
3. A clear and well supported number. There is no need for detailed financial projections, but an indicator that the participant can argue: the size of the market, the number of potential customers or the threshold of sustainability.
Enter the entrepreneurship competition for yourself in the ZBOR app, which can be downloaded from Google Play and AppStore.
FOMO – The Festival Of Modern Owners is an event presented by George. The first smart banking, a BCR innovation.
Article supported by BCR
