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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At the European Food Forum’s Navigating US Tariffs: Impact on European Food and Drink Trade, Economy and Future Relations, Edouard Coppieters, Senior Policy Adviser, AmCham EU, spoke about the new reality in which US agri-food companies operate. Taking place on Thursday, 9 April, he outlined the continued growth of EU-US agri-trade and the need for the EU to continue to diversify its trade partners, welcoming the recent announcement of deals with Australia and India. Alongside Brando Benifei, MEP (IT, S&D), he noted that tackling the uncertainty created by tariffs is essential and that to this end, the Framework Agreement between the EU and US is a needed stable basis. Although tariffs bring uncertainty, the EU must not lose sight of the predictability steps it can take to ensure it remains competitive and attractive to potential new trading partners.
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The EU’s agri-food regulatory framework is fragmented and lacks predictability. The Food and Feed Safety Omnibus is a chance to address these shortcomings by reducing delays, improving consistency and easing compliance burdens that limit market access.
Uncertainty discourages investment and slows the uptake of new solutions. A more proportionate approach can improve legal certainty and support more consistent implementation across Member States. At the same time, maintaining a science-based, risk-based approach to trade measures is necessary to safeguard food security and avoid supply disruptions.
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Together with 14 other associations, AmCham EU has signed a joint statement on the European Commission’s Digital Omnibus on AI, calling for a clear, simple and innovation-friendly implementation of the AI Act. Co-legislators should swiftly reach an agreement on an ambitious final text that keeps simplification at its core. Measures to streamline overlaps with existing EU legislation and improve legal certainty are essential, alongside targeted adjustments to ensure the framework remains practical. This includes extending grace periods for generative AI labelling requirements, ensuring greater legal clarity for AI systems entering the EU market, preserving the risk-based approach of the AI Act by exempting non high-risk systems from registration, and supporting fixed compliance deadlines for high-risk systems.
Learn how the EU can support a clear and innovation friendly framework in the joint statement.
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