The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) and Junior Achievement Europe (JA Europe) are delighted to announce that SAANA, a Belgian start-up, is the winner of the eighth AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneurship Award.
Saana is made up of a team of cutting-edge researchers and experts who designed a unique personalised nutrition platform based on the latest science and a machine learning algorithm to enhance cancer patients’ continuum of care and chances of remission.
The American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) and Junior Achievement Europe (JA Europe) are delighted to announce that SAANA, a Belgian start-up, is the winner of the eighth AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneurship Award.
Saana is made up of a team of cutting-edge researchers and experts who designed a unique personalised nutrition platform based on the latest science and a machine learning algorithm to enhance cancer patients’ continuum of care and chances of remission.
Stéphanie Roland, the founder and CEO of Saana, is passionate about the cause following the loss of her mother to cancer at a young age. Saana aims to fight back now and raise awareness around the impact of nutrition on remission. Today, up to 80% of cancer patients suffer from unaddressed and undiagnosed malnutrition, which endangers their quality of life, treatment follow-up and chances of remission. Saana aims to improve cancer patients' quality of life through actionable, tangible and personalised diet interventions.
The international jury was composed of Claude Alber, Vice-President, Europe, Collins Aerospace a Raytheon Technologies company; Susan Danger, CEO, AmCham EU; Anna-Michelle Assimakopoulou, Member of the European Parliament from Greece, Luciana Broggi, SVP and Global Head of Channel strategy and Global accounts, HP Inc; Mark Libby, Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Mission to the EU; and Lou Rivieccio, President, UPS Europe. They also wanted to send a signal to young people to get engaged in this crucial sector for the EU and the world.
The AmCham EU Youth Entrepreneurship Award, organised in collaboration with JA Europe, aims to encourage and support the entrepreneurial mindsets of young Europeans. The winner received a cash prize of €10,000 and will be offered several hours of mentorship over a 12-month period from a number of senior executives from AmCham EU’s member companies who will offer their time, expertise and advice. The other four finalists included Adventures with Amara from the United Kingdom, Canaree from Denmark, Celuna (TimeNinja) from Malta and WakiVaky from Slovakia.
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Senior business leaders gathered in Antwerp, Belgium to convey a clear message on the state of Europe’s industrial base and the urgent need to restore the continent’s competitiveness. The discussions underscored that the drivers of declining competitiveness are well understood and that decisive action is now required, notably through a systemic reduction of administrative burden, completion of the Single Market and measures to ensure lower energy prices.
Taking place on Thursday, 11 February, the forum brought together political leaders including Bart De Wever, Prime Minister, Belgium; Emmanuel Macron, President, France; Friedrich Merz, Chancellor, Germany and Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission.
Malte Lohan, CEO and Job Boonstra, Senior Policy Adviser, AmCham EU joined the exchange alongside senior executives from across sectors, reinforcing industry’s call for coordinated policy action to enhance Europe’s competitiveness and investment environment.
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The revision of the Public Procurement Directive (PPD) is a critical opportunity to unlock the full value of public procurement for European competitiveness and resilience. A simpler, more consistent and quality-driven framework would strengthen market access, attract a wider range of bidders and enable public buyers to select best-in-class solutions.
The revision should prioritise practical ‘how to buy’ reforms, including digitalisation, standardised templates and reusable documentation, to reduce administrative burdens and increase participation. In parallel, ‘what to buy’ reforms should focus on transparent and verifiable criteria that reward performance, security and life-cycle value while avoiding unnecessary complexity that risks reducing competition.
Learn how, if designed effectively, the PPD can support innovation, resilience and better outcomes for public buyers across the EU.
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