Create.
Disrupt.
Repeat!

Here to empower the next-gen of entrepreneurs with practical resources, hands-on mentorship, and access to a international network of experts and leaders.

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What We Do

Friends of Bata is where aspiring change-makers transform their ideas into impactful venturesโ€”backed by practical resources, mentorship, and a global network of like-minded innovators.

About Us

Latest Events

Our events are designed to equip students with essential entrepreneurial skills through startup competitions, case study discussions with founders, webinars, workshops, and more.

๐ŸŒ Young Minds, Bold Ideas Recap!

On March 27th, 40 students pitched creative, sustainability-driven ideas in Rome, from fungi packaging to smart shoes. Entrepreneurship and sustainability united! ๐ŸŒฑ๐ŸŽ‰
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๐Ÿš€ JA Czech Student Expo Recap!

40 student startups pitched their ideas in 60 seconds at the JA Czech Student Expo. From smart hydration bottles to eco-friendly dog toys, the next generation of entrepreneurs is here! ๐ŸŒŸ
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Bridging Borders, Sparking Innovation! ๐ŸŒโœจ

Students from California Lutheran University joined us in Barcelona for an โ€œexperienceshipโ€ with FlamAid. Guided by its founder, they brainstormed solutions for real-world challenges.
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Celebrating the Youngpreneurs Finale! ๐ŸŒŸ

On March 25th, 50+ students pitched their ideas at the Youngpreneurs grand finale. She Balance won with innovative soccer shoe soles for women.
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From theory to reality: A live Q&A with the founder of FROOTS

From gaining investor trust to understanding the emotions behind financial decisions, the session offered a deep dive into the realities of scaling a fintech startup.
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Bringing Real-World Business Insights to Students ๐ŸŽ“

From embracing failure to understanding customers and acknowledging the role of luck, the session highlighted key lessons that every entrepreneur should consider.
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Young Minds Tackling Real Challenges with MGG! ๐Ÿš€

We hosted a workshop with 20 young talents at isolutions AG in Bern, tackling real-world challenges for MGG, a sustainable clothing brand, through design thinking and innovative solutions.
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Online Sessions with Repack and Aticco Ventures!

We hosted two online sessions with over 30 students from Tomas Bata University, diving deeper into the challenges faced by the founders when setting up their companies.
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Connecting Education with Business Conference with JA Slovakia

Proud to support our partners with their "Connecting Education with Business" conference in Zvolen.
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Bachelor in Entrepreneurship Welcome Day at H-Farm College

As learning partners, we support students with resources, mentorship, and real-world case studies that reflect todayโ€™s business needs.
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Open Bata at Aubonne Tennis Club

Every year we sponsor the BataOpen tournament in Switzerland to foster leadership and healthy competition among the next generation of leaders.
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JA Czech 2024 Expo student fair

The winners will advance to the National Finals with the chance to represent the Czech Republic at the European Finals in Catania, Sicily!
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UTB Online Session with FreshLabels Founder

Online session with the top students from Tomas Bata University in Zlรญn and the founder of Freshlabels, Jakub Veselsky.
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H-Farm College

We are happy to be Learning Partners of H-Farm college and actively support their Bachelor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
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Lumina Summer School

We hosted students at H-FARMโ€™s scenic campus near Venice for a hands-on learning experience focused on โ€œManaging Business Projects in Fast-Changing Competitive Landscapes.โ€
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YoungPreneurs Final 2024

Award Nights of the Youngpreneurs.org teams from Bern and Biel. We congratulate the winning teams Osmority, Tyave and Youngjobs!
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Zlรญnskรฝ Barcamp

The event hosted more than 500 participants, moving between free lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and of course... the competition!
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Thomas Bata University

Our Director Thomas Archer Bata welcoming the students on the latest startup competition.
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Case Studies

Discover how our collaborators are transforming industries and driving innovation.

FreshLabels CZ

Prozkoumejte prลฏkopnickรฝ bodovacรญ systรฉm Freshlabel a jak zpลฏsobil revoluci v pล™รญstupu k udrลพitelnosti v mรณdnรญm prลฏmyslu.

FreshLabels

Explore Freshlabel's pioneering scoring system and how it revolutionized the approach to sustainability in the fashion industry.

Circular Economy

Learn how to drive sustainable business success by integrating circular economy principles into entrepreneurship, using real-world case studies of disruptive European startups.

RePack

Discover the challenges of revolutionising the eCommerce packaging industry with RePack!

MGG

Learn about MGGโ€™s Off Piste On course sustainability initiative and its impact in the business.

Nurturing a Legacy of Entrepreneurship

Friends of Bata carries forward the Bata familyโ€™s legacy of innovation and entrepreneurship. Our mission is to foster responsible business growth by supporting projects and entrepreneurs that champion responsible capitalism.

What Drives Us

Innovation

We foster new ideas to drive growth and create sustainable impact.

Entrepreneurship

We inspire and support global startups with the resources needed to succeed.

Collaboration

We encourage partnerships and shared learning across sectors.

Transparency

We champion openness and clear communication.

Curiosity

We instill a passion for learning and creativity in everything we do.

Embark on a successful entrepreneurship journey.

Join us to grow the next generation of entrepreneurs with resources, content, and mentorship, whether you're a student seeking to grow or a mentor ready to guide.
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