The World’s Top Student Entrepreneurs Converge in Cape Town for the Fourth Season of EO’s International Competition Series

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This year’s “Start It Up” docuseries will feature 19 student entrepreneurs from 16 countries, who have reached the final stages of Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s annual Global Student Entrepreneur Awards.

Alexandria, VA, USA (19 June 2025) – The world’s most promising student entrepreneurs are poised to compete in the fourth season of “Start It Up,” the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) YouTube docuseries. Together, they will receive mentorship from a dozen EO members as they vie to win this year’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA).

Season four of the competition series debuts on 22 June on the GSEA YouTube channel.

GSEA is the premier global competition for university students who own and operate a business while attending school. Since 1998, the competition has supported student entrepreneurs with mentorship, recognition, and connections to help their businesses take flight.

Building on the success of the previous season, which garnered more than 6.6 million YouTube views, season four of “Start It Up” features six new episodes. They will be released every Sunday and Thursday at 4:00pm UTC (12:00pm EDT). Each episode spans 24–34 minutes, capturing the grit, ingenuity, and personal transformation of university students competing for the title of GSEA Global Champion and a US$50,000 cash prize from EO.

This season features the first-ever Start It Up Bootcamp, a challenge-based experience: Top performers in that stage will advance to the Global Finals. Set in a vibrant Cape Town, students are mentored by EO members and evaluated across EO’s four core values—Trust and Respect, Thirst for Learning, Think Big, Be Bold, and Together We Grow—plus a fifth criterion based on business fundamentals. The competitors’ businesses span an array of industries, including biotechnology, sports analytics, civic technology, education, health and wellness, food technology, pharmaceuticals, and more.

“With the benefit of three seasons of learning, ‘Start It Up’ has really come into its own,” said Tamarin Morrell, EO’s Director of GSEA. “We have combined captivating storytelling and real-world tests of skill to showcase another phenomenal cohort of young changemakers.”

The competition’s scope is staggering: 1,474 students from 37 countries applied through their local EO chapters, a 9 percent increase in applications from last year’s competition. Local winners moved to regional competitions, which were hosted across six of EO’s regions. Of those regional finalists, 19 students were selected as semifinalists and traveled to Cape Town to take part in “Start It Up.” Together, they represent 16 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Finland, India, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, Uganda, and the United States.

A dozen EO member mentors from across the globe help guide and support the students throughout the Start It Up Bootcamp, where students are tasked with developing their business pitches and holding interviews with each judge.

“These student entrepreneurs are not waiting for someone to tell them what to do,” said Parveen Dhupar, a member judge from EO Toronto. “They are out there solving real problems with limited resources and unstoppable drive. I walked in thinking I was going to give back. I walked out realizing this experience gave me far more than I ever expected.”

Watch the “Start It Up” premiere on 22 June at 4:00pm UTC (12:00pm EDT) on GSEA’s YouTube channel, and follow along as the journey unfolds across six moving episodes. Only six students will advance to the Global Finals, and a Global Champion will be selected during the season finale that airs on 10 July.

GSEA 2025 by the numbers:

1,474 total student applications were received across EO chapters and the Friends of GSEA program worldwide:

• Asia Pacific Region –49
• Europe – 128
• Latin America and the Caribbean – 145
• Middle East, Pakistan and Africa –403
• North and South Asia – 592
• United States and Canada –157

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Notes to editors:

About EO: is a global, not-for-profit membership community of 20,000 leading business founders and owners representing more than 90 countries and 220 chapters worldwide. Founded in 1987, EO helps entrepreneurs move the world forward by unlocking their full potential through the power of trusted connections, leadership development, and premier learning opportunities that support the whole person. Learn more at: eonetwork.org

About GSEA: The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is the premier global competition for university students. Each year, more than 1,000 student entrepreneurs from 35+ countries compete for the title of Global Champion and the chance to build their business and gain recognition for their innovation. GSEA is designed to inspire students to stretch themselves as the future’s leading entrepreneurs and bring their businesses greater global visibility. GSEA was founded at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University in 1998. Since that time, GSEA strives to honor those students who achieve so much as both students simultaneously attending university full-time and running their own businesses. To maximize student experiences and give them access to a global network of mentors, resources and business connections, EO took on leadership of the GSEA in 2006. For more information visit: https://www.gsea.org/