In November, University of Luxembourg Incubator and Entrepreneurship Programme proudly hosted Ideation Camp 12, an immersive five-day course designed for teams selected through the My Big Idea competition. Kicking off on 26 November on the Belval campus, the 12th edition of Ideation Camp began with a vibrant Opening Ceremony, where 16 teams showcased their innovative ideas and introduced themselves to an eager audience.
By the end of the camp, 10 teams were pre-selected to pitch in front of the executive jury for a €10,000 in-kind prize during the Closing Ceremony on Saturday, 30 November. The winner of this edition was The Debate Academy team, consisting of Majlinda Xhaferaj (Master in Entrepreneurship and Innovation), Sven Philipsen (Master in Psychology), and Costin-Andrei Taulescu (Master in Data Science). The team won the €10,000 in-kind prize, which they will now invest in their venture. The Debate Academy is an international online debate club that helps teenagers improve their public speaking skills and become more confident and competent adults.
“Winning the Ideation Camp 12 is a dream come true and a testament to the power of belief, hard work, and collaboration,” shares Majlinda. “I believed so strongly in The Debate Academy’s mission to help teenagers become confident and competent adults that I moved back to my parents’ house for a year to focus entirely on bringing it to life. At the time, I had no idea how much traction and support it would gain. This journey has been made even more rewarding through the incredible mentorship provided during Ideation Camp and the opportunity to collaborate with a passionate team. I’m excited to continue growing The Debate Academy and making a lasting impact.”
As with last year, there was also a runner-up. This year, the €5,000 prize kindly provided by Technoport went to the FieldFlow team: Howard Maclennan (Master in Economics and Finance), Egor Ermolaev (PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies in Computer Science), and Filippo Scalabrini (Bachelor in Law). FieldFlow is a B2B SaaS startup that simplifies the organic certification process for farmers. By providing a user-friendly platform, FieldFlow enables farmers to manage their certification documentation and track compliance easily.
“Ideation Camp was a great experience, offering the opportunity to meet real industry leaders with applicable track records,” shared Howard. “I think it serves as the perfect bridge between the academic world and the real but challenging reality of entrepreneurship, a must for any student thinking about Luxembourg’s up-and-coming startup ecosystem.”
This year’s jury included Programme and Innovation Manager at FNR Sakthivel M. Sundharam, CEO of Technoport Diego De Biasio, Executive Director of WIDE Marina Andrieu, Independent Board Director Diane Tea, and Partnership Development Officer at the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine Johnatan E. Pecero.
Throughout October, the My Big Idea competition was held to select the teams for Ideation Camp and to reward the best business idea. This year, the winner of the My Big Idea competition was The Iron Bar, which produces iron-powered nutrition bars designed to elevate women’s health and wellbeing. The team, consisting of Doctoral Candidate Dominika Repcikova and Post Doc Mila Marinova, received a €1,000 cash prize and qualified for Ideation Camp 12 among other selected teams.
Over 45 leaders of the Luxembourgish ecosystem were invited to participate as mentors of Ideation Camps 12. Three of these mentors acted as Guardian Angels, providing round-the-clock consulting to their assigned teams throughout the entirety of Ideation Camp: owner of Verbalius Pedro Castilho, tech startups value creator and investor Shai Haim, and co-founder of Balloonary.com Brice Dondelinger.
The Guardian Angel of both winning teams, Shai Haim, said: “Ideation Camp is a great event with amazing energy and atmosphere where I can meet these ambitious students and the Luxembourgish startup ecosystem. The organising team – Linda Jaerling and three dedicated students – is doing an amazing job to make everything go smoothly. This year I had the pleasure of working with great teams and I look forward to seeing their progress in the coming months.”
The three-day Ideation Camp 12 kicked off with two impactful workshops on the first day: Finding Your Product-Market Fit and How to Pitch. The camp was an intense experience, with participants working from 8 a.m. to at least midnight each day. While not all participants stayed on campus overnight, the level of dedication was evident, especially from Friday to Saturday night, when many worked tirelessly through the night to refine their projects.
Siva Bactavatchalou, Manager of the University of Luxembourg Entrepreneurship Programme, highlighted the unique approach of the Ideation Camp: “This is more than a workshop—it’s an opportunity to experience what it’s like to solve problems, build new solutions, and collaborate with people from diverse disciplines and perspectives. With 45 exceptional mentors this year, each bringing expertise from a wide range of sectors across Luxembourg, participants gained invaluable insights. At Ideation Camp, we focus on equipping students with the skills to thrive—whether they’re launching their own venture or driving innovation within an established organization. These skills are built through action and experience. You’ll learn by doing—working in teams, solving real challenges, and actively engaging in creating, refining, and presenting your business idea during the grand finale. Ideation Camp is just the beginning of your entrepreneurial journey!”
Marie-Hélène Jobin, Vice Rector for Partnership and International Relations at the University of Luxembourg, emphasised the importance of such initiatives for the wider economy:
“ Our University takes great pride in cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. We are committed to one of our core missions: equipping individuals with entrepreneurial skills and contributing to the social, cultural, and economic growth of Luxembourg and beyond. Giving the younger generation a chance to test their ideas and providing them with the best possible opportunity to turn them into real businesses is crucial for the development of the economy. Initiatives like Ideation Camp empower our students to become tomorrow’s innovators and leaders”. Marie-Hélène also extended her gratitude to Fondation Norbert Friob & Fils, saying, “The generous support of sponsors like Fondation Norbert Friob & Fils ensures the success of events like Ideation Camp, making these transformative experiences a reality for our students.”