Congratulations to all who participated in Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow! Independent spirits make the best entrepreneurs! As we concluded our final competition, thousands of people gathered to celebrate on the Pariser Platz by the Brandenburger Tor. Well, actually, they were celebrating the inauguration of the new U.S. Embassy, and the Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow were honored to be included! Former U.S. President George Bush, Sr. and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were honored guests. They were introduced by U.S. Ambassador William S. Timken, who is a supporter of the EoT program. Heavy rains cleared in time for the fireworks concluding a joyous Fourth of July. 

The national first-prize winner was Merlin Greuel (19), who just graduated from the Werdenfels-Gymnasium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Merlin had also taken first place in Munich for his visionary plan to provide innovation cancer therapy in specialized clinics. The prize carried a cash award of one thousand euros. 

The first thing Merlin did was join AGBC Munich! Welcome aboard, Merlin!

“Thank you so much for inviting me to Berlin,” wrote Merlin on the facebook wall of Dr. Marlena Corcoran, Head of Education of the Association of AGBCs. “The conference was such a great experience. And the evening celebrations were awesome, too!”

The 500-euro second prize at the national level went to Nick Holzherr (21) of Frankfurt, a student at the Aston School of Business in England,for his innovative plan to provide first-rate, fair-traded coffee with a magazine wrap. “CoGo: Coffee to Go” thus provides a product and a marketing opportunity. Nick heard about Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow on the internet. Glad you found us, Nick! You go, CoGo!

On the Fourth of July, the finalists in Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow presented their business plans before a jury in Berlin. The competition was held in the rooms of the Alfred Herrhausen Society of the Deutsche Bank. Merlin Greuel of the Munich region won first prize, and Nick Holzherr of the Frankfurt region won second prize. A team of students from the Unternehmer Gymnasium Bayern and Jens Brettschneider of Frankfurt also competed. Adrian Knopf, who had won a special prize for creativity in Frankfurt, also attended. The students are flanked by AGBC National President Robert Stoffers and AGBC Head of Education Dr. Marlena Corcoran. 

Former Minister President Bernhard Vogel (Thüringen) and Kurt Biedenkopf (Sachsen)  are shown here conversing with the keynote speaker, Henry Kissinger, as recorded by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. In the background are EoT representatives Ute Vogler, Dr. Marlena Corcoran and Robert Stoffers.

The students who won top prizes at the regional level were invited to Berlin at the cost of the AGBC. There, we attended the conference on Transatlantic Relations held at the offices of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Our students were a good twenty years younger than any other conference participants–a good thing, we think!  Here, students of the Unternehmer Gymnasium Bayern are shown with their teacher, Mrs. Ute Heim, who supported them throughout the competition; and Dr. Marlena Corcoran.

Ute Vogler and Will Philipps, shown here in Frankfurt last fall, were staunch supporters of EoT from the kickoff through the celebration on Pariser Platz!

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Heinz Klandt holds the first German chair for entrepreneurship, at the European Business School. He addressed the contestants in Oestrich-Winkel and chaired the jury that judged the business plans presented in the Frankfurt region. AGBC President Robert Stoffers stands with Prof. Dr. Klandt before the flags of the two nations, which are also represented on the AGBC pin in President Stoffers’ lapel.

Jens Brettschneider (20, left), a student at the European Business School, won second prize for his business plan, “Ferienwohnrechte.”Nick Holzherr (21, right), a student at the Aston Business School, win first prize for his business plan, “COGO: Coffee toGo.”"In fact, every one of you who participated is a winner,” said AGBC President Robert Stoffers (center). “Each of you successfully completed a demanding six-month program.”

 The first- and second-prize winners carried off checks for five hundred and one thousand euros, respectively.