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As the 2025 Young Entrepreneurs Challenge applications begin to flood in, we thought we’d catch up with our 2024 Winner Ethan Waisberg to reflect on the process and how he found the whole experience.
The 2024 Grand Final event was held at Verizon’s Headquarters in Holborn, London, with leaders from across industry sectors gathering to witness our young hopefuls pitch their business ideas to our panel of judges, including ex Dragon’s Den star Piers Linney.
Ethan competed with strong contenders from across Europe to win £10,000, mentorship, a technology support package to help kickstart his business proposal, and a trip to the One Young World 2024 Global Summit.
With a strong pitch and well defined business plan, Ethan talked about his product AngioGenius. With eye disease screening programs worldwide not performing well enough and millions around the world to going blind, Ethan developed an app where anyone can take a photo of their eye at home to help detect and monitor eye disease progression.
From his research work with NASA astronauts, Ethan found a way to use Generative AI to allow the eyes of astronauts to be better monitored while in spaceflight, where limited imaging equipment exists. Ethan is bringing this same technology to Earth with AngioGenius at a fraction of the cost to current and widely used eye disease screening programs.
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Ethan, it’s so great to catch up with you following your 2024 win! Tell us, how did you find entering the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge?
The application process was really easy and straightforward. I didn’t need any support or advice during the process, as I just had to record a 60 second video explaining my idea.
Once you found out you were a finalist, how did you find the experience attending the Grand Final?
During my train ride to London, I reflected on the exciting opportunity to be in the finals and pitch my company to a large audience. I arrived in London the day before the competition, so I was able to relax and explore the city. I was not nervous as I felt prepared.
The Unloc and Verizon teams were welcoming, supportive and they greeted me with warm smiles and genuine enthusiasm. They were dedicated to bringing out the best in the finalists, and created a friendly, less competitive atmosphere.
Was there anything that you were afraid of?
As a clinician and scientist, my biggest fear was that I might not be able to convey all the important aspects of my business idea within the allotted time for the pitch.
As someone who has conducted research in this area for the past 5+ years, I had a wealth of detailed information to share with the audience and judges. Nevertheless, I was able to be concise during my pitch and prioritize key messages.
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What did you think of the other finalists and their business ideas?
It was really exciting to meet the other finalists, and to learn about their interesting business ideas. It’s tough to pick only one idea that stood out from the other finalists, since they each had a lot of potential and were all very impressive.
As I interacted with the finalists, I couldn’t help but admire the passion and creativity behind their business ideas.
How did it go when it was time to deliver your pitch to the Judges?
Overall, I was happy with how my pitch went. I felt that I was able to effectively communicate the value proposition and core ideas of my business idea and that I had captured the attention of the judges and audience.
Moreover, the Judges asked insightful and thought-provoking questions, which challenged me to delve deeper into various aspects of my company and provide detailed explanations. I appreciated this opportunity to further elaborate on key points.
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How did you feel when you were named the winner?
I was surprised and elated to be chosen as the grand prize winner! I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment and validation for the sacrifices that I made along the way to reach this point.
What do you intend to do with the grand prize money?
I plan on using this prize money to conduct further clinical testing of my idea. Clinical testing is a crucial step to not only validate the safety and efficacy of my solution, but to also provide insights to further refine and optimize my business idea.
What advice would you give to other young people out there considering entering the 2025 competition?
My advice would be to not think twice about applying! Never doubt your abilities and ideas. I had entered the competition hoping to make an impact, and never imagined I would win.
Ethan thank you so much for catching up with us today, you were an absolutely outstanding entrant and a well deserved winner. We’ll be watching your progress closely and can’t wait to see all the amazing things you do next!
The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge 2025 is now open for entries! If you’re 16–25 and have a fresh & innovative tech-led idea – The Young Entrepreneurs Challenge 2025 could help you get your business off the ground, or if you’ve already launched a business, boost it to the next level.
There’s a staggering £10,000 up for grabs, as well as a mentorship package and entry to the One Young World Global Summit, so what are you waiting for? Apply now!
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