Ioanna Schimizzi: What is Jonk Entrepreneuren Luxembourg (JEL)?
Sven Baltes: The organisation was created in 2005 as a non-profit organisation. Its aim is to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit in young people aged 9 to 25, through twelve different programmes, such as the Young Enterprise Project, Mini-Companies and Job Shadow Day. The aim is to create a link between the world of education and companies, the economy and business.
In figures, what does this represent?
During the 2023-2024 academic year, we reached around 15,500 students and we had 55 private and public partners.
Is the aim for young people to set up a business afterwards?
No. It’s a very pragmatic, very operational entrepreneurial experience, where young people are in contact with the business and economic world, but we are well aware that not everyone is going to become an entrepreneur. Our aim is to stimulate entrepreneurial thinking and creativity, to encourage innovation and initiative-taking. This gives them a taste for entrepreneurship, skills that are also very useful as employees.
Is this entrepreneurial fibre lacking in Luxembourg?
Before taking up my post as director of the JEL, I worked for five years at [national innovation agency] Luxinnovation, mainly with startups and developing the ecosystem. What I’ve seen on the ground is that this is a global problem in Luxembourg, but it’s also a European problem.
How can this be remedied?
Luxembourg’s ministries and stakeholders are starting to set up an innovation ecosystem, and this is what will stimulate initiatives. What has been missing in recent years is the right environment and the right support.
How long were you with Luxinnovation?
I had worked there since 2020, and I was already in the network of 600 JEL volunteers.
What new things are you planning at the JEL?
We need to build on the excellent work done by the team in recent years, whilst challenging the status quo to see where we can refine things and create even more added value. An even closer collaboration with the business world would be a good development, like having our students pitch at events in the country, such as Nexus 2050, or allowing them to see pitches from established startups, putting them in touch with each other.
Have you taken part in the Mini-Companies programme yourself?
Yes, in 2011, when I was a student at the Ettelbruck technical high school. The project was a game for learning economic terms.
Did you feel like setting up your own business?
My parents have an organic goat’s cheese farm, Biohaff Baltes, in Stegen. I learned a lot in terms of entrepreneurial perspectives and issues, but I realised that it was innovation and education that interested me. My sister and one of my brothers were more suited to the farming world, so things just happened naturally.
What are your next projects?
There is the grand final of the Mini-Companies competition at European level. We’d like to organise it in Luxembourg, ideally in 2027. This year, in June, we are also celebrating 20 years of the JEL.
This article was written in for the of Paperjam magazine, published on 26 March. The content is produced exclusively for the magazine. It is published on the site to contribute to the full Paperjam archive. .
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