Students from JA Ecuador Win 2026 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award

BOSTON, March 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Founded in 2021 by tech-legend Ralph de la Vega, former President and CEO of AT&T Mobile and Business Solutions, the De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award is the highest global award for the JA Company Program. The winning JA Company of the Year student teams from JA’s six regions—JA Africa, JA Americas, JA Asia Pacific, JA Europe, INJAZ Al-Arab/JA MENA, and Junior Achievement USA—automatically become finalists.

The JA Company Program is JA’s flagship youth-entrepreneurship experience, helping students develop real companies that create products or services to meet a specific need; build, market, and deliver products; and earn real profits. Student companies compete at the local level, and some move on to national and regional competitions. Until this award was established, the highest prize that a JA student company could earn was the coveted first place at one of JA’s six regional competitions.

The 2026 De La Vega Global Entrepreneurship Award competition included SmartGenix, representing Africa from JA Nigeria; Sacky JA, representing the Americas from JA Ecuador; Zester, representing JA Asia Pacific from JA Hong Kong SAR—China; VerifyID, representing Europe from Fonden for Entreprenøskab (JA Denmark); EcoRock, representing the Middle East and North Africa from INJAZ Palestine; and InnovaQuest, representing the United States from Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Last week, award sponsor Ralph de la Vega announced the 2026 winner: Sacky JA, who are students at International Scholastic Model (ISM) and winners of the 2025 JA Americas Company of the Year Competition. The team won US$15,000 cash prize for its product, Sacky, a reusable lunchbox made of recycled water bottles that features friendly characters inspired by endangered animals. The five other JA student companies also won US$5,000 each, courtesy of the de la Vega Family Foundation.

The team behind Sacky JA created their product to address three interconnected challenges in Ecuador: plastic pollution, limited awareness of wildlife conservation, and unhealthy lifestyle habits among children. The company’s Sackies—sustainable lunchboxes designed as both practical products and educational tools—are made from eco-friendly materials, including Lafayette-certified R-PET waterproof fabric that recycles approximately seven plastic bottles per unit, and each lunchbox highlights an endangered species to encourage environmental awareness. Built around circular economy principles, the product incorporates durable and repairable components such as a removable hydrophobic inner lining, detachable thermos holder, adjustable straps, and a clip hook for backpack attachment, allowing individual parts to be replaced and extending the product’s lifecycle while reducing waste. Local textile artists are employed to sew and finish each lunchbox.

Mr. De La Vega addressed all six JA student companies with a message of encouragement: “Today, we celebrate more than competition. We celebrate courage, we celebrate creativity, and we celebrate the willingness to step forward when others hesitate. Each of you saw a problem and chose not to walk past it. You chose to build. You chose to lead. You chose to take the risk of turning an idea into action. That mindset, that willingness to create value where none existed before, is the essence of entrepreneurship.”

JA Worldwide CEO Asheesh Advani agreed: “Young people everywhere have the capacity to shape the future when they are given the opportunity to lead. These young entrepreneurs saw challenges in their communities and responded with creativity, discipline, and purpose. Through the JA Company Program, they’re learning that leadership is not defined by age but by the courage to take initiative and create solutions that improve lives.”

About JA Worldwide
As one of the world’s largest and most-impactful youth-serving NGOs, JA provides hands-on, immersive learning in entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial capability.

Delivering more than 23 million student experiences each year through 750,000+ teachers and business volunteers, JA Worldwide is one of few organizations with the scale, experience, and passion to build a brighter future for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Visit us at jaworldwide.org.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9723ecbd-b66d-44f2-b1f4-997d739b45e5