Students shine at the €7 Cash@School final

On February 6, 2025, the grand finale of the seventh edition of the 7€ Cash@School competition took place at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol. A total of 125 students from the TFBS Kufstein, HAK/HAS Imst and HAK/HAS Kitzbühel business schools developed creative business ideas with a starting capital of seven euros, implemented them within seven weeks and together generated a turnover of more than EUR 10.000,- (exactly: EUR 10.849,-). The net profit amounted to EUR 8.578,-, which was donated to charitable organizations selected by the participants themselves.

Preliminary rounds were held at the schools to determine the best teams for the final at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol. A total of 34 teams presented their projects to a regional jury of experts, who assessed the business ideas in the categories of business idea, market development, implementation and project success. 13 teams qualified for the final in Kufstein.

DIVERSE BUSINESS IDEAS AND CREATIVITY AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL

The projects submitted showed a wide range of innovative ideas: from drone photography and a software solution to simplify food orders, to a variety of gift ideas for the Christmas season and the trendy product Dubai chocolate – the participants proved that entrepreneurial spirit and creativity are not a question of age.

This year, for the first time, prizes were awarded to five teams. Two third places went to the Porta Cles team, who design personalized key fobs, and KreativDeco for their creative candle holders made from forks, spoons and wood. The two second places were won by Team Blütenholz, which brings charm into every home with handmade decorations made of dried flowers and wood, and Team Bee Wonderful, which produces sustainable beeswax wraps from recycled fabrics and high-quality beeswax – an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic wrap in the kitchen. Bee Wonderful was also awarded the sustainability prize worth 200 euros.

KNOTENZAUBER WINS THE VICTORY AND DONATES TO A GOOD CAUSE

First place and a prize of EUR 600,- went to the team Javilaan's Knotenzauber. With lovingly handcrafted macramé decorations such as angels, Santas and Christmas trees, they generated a sensational profit of EUR 2.686,08,- in just seven weeks. After the project ended, they donated the money to the Schwoich-based association Schritt für Schritt. The other teams also donated at least 80 percent of their company profits to social projects of their choice.

In addition to the main prizes, a special prize was awarded for the best project video. The videos offered exciting insights into the development and manufacturing process of the products and were published on YouTube. This year, the prize went to the team Bags4You, which produces individually printed fabric bags as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bags.

THE JURY:

• Constantin Badawi, Young Entrepreneurs Program Austria at IFTE.at
• Carina Berger, Innovation Space Kufstein
• Dr. Christiane Decker, Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
• Prof. (FH) Dr. Kristina Kampfer, FH Kufstein Tirol
• Prof. Johannes Lindner, IFTE & e.e.si Federal Coordinator
• Klaus Ossanna-Zala, Sparkasse Kufstein
• Selina-Maria Schiller, MSc., FH Kufstein Tirol
• Prof. (FH) DDr. Mario Situm, FH Kufstein Tirol
• Magdalena Wasilewski, WK Tirol

7 YEARS OF 7€ CASH@SCHOOL – A SUCCESSFUL CONCEPT

The 7€ Cash Project was launched in 2014 by the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol and implemented together with partners such as the Kufstein Chamber of Commerce, STARTUP.TIROL and Sparkasse Kufstein. Thanks to the support of the federal foundation Auxilium Pro Tirol, the competition was also offered to schools throughout Tyrol. The 7€ Cash Project offers participants the opportunity to gain their first practical experience in entrepreneurship and to develop important skills / competencies in the areas of teamwork and project management.

The seventh edition of the competition once again demonstrated the students' innovative spirit and commitment. The University of Applied Sciences Kufstein Tirol is already looking forward to the continuation of this successful project.

Links:

• 7€ Cash | Event series
• YouTube-Channel
• Leadership & Business Management | ft