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2025 JA Americas Company of the Year Celebrates the Spirit of Possibility

Published: March 23, 2026

For three unforgettable days at the Junior Achievement (JA) Americas Company of the Year (COY) competition, the spirit of possibility took hold of Rio de Janeiro. In a city known for its vibrancy and resilience, a new generation of entrepreneurs stepped onto a global stage, not just to compete, but to discover how far their ideas could carry them.

At this annual competition, now in its 17^th year, , the top student-led businesses from twelve countries across the Americas gathered after months of rigorous national rounds, product fairs, and pitch competitions. By the time they arrived in Rio, they had already proven themselves at home. Here, they were challenged to perform at an international standard – pitching to global juries, defending their strategies, and showcasing their products in a public startup fair.

For many, it was their first time operating in such a high-stakes environment. It was also the moment they realized they belonged there.

This year’s top JA honor went to Sacky JA from Ecuador, a student-run company transforming recycled plastic bottles into sustainable lunch bags illustrated with Ecuadorian wildlife. Their product promotes healthy eating habits while raising environmental awareness, blending sustainability, culture, and purpose into something practical and scalable.

As a signature sponsor of the event, FedEx also presented the “FedEx Global Possibilities” award, which recognizes the company with the greatest potential to generate connections with international markets, to Lula Pak, from Ecuador. Lula Pak presented their Q’ipi reusable bag, named after the language of the Tsáchila indigenous people who live in Ecuador to highlight the company’s identity and connection to Amazonian cultures. The product is lightweight, waterproof and foldable, with a variety of colorful designs to support nonprofits with social, animal and sustainable engagement.

Rakesh Shalia, Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Customer Experience for FedEx Latin America and the Caribbean, spoke about the importance of the competition and the award, “At FedEx, we see entrepreneurship as a force for good: it drives change, builds communities, and opens up the world. Through the FedEx Global Possibilities Award, we support bold young thinkers and equip them to take their ideas beyond borders. Backing up the next generation of business leaders is not just part of our purpose. It is how we help shape a smarter, more connected future.”

But beyond the awards, what stood out most was transformation.

Gabriel Guerrero of Sacky JA captured it best: “This program is almost hard to believe – sometimes, I still can’t. It’s the kind of experience you don’t live twice. It completely changed how I see the world – and how I see myself. I’m not the same person I was a year ago. And that’s thanks to this project.”

That shift, from student to confident entrepreneur, is the true impact of this experience.

The competition was part of a historic week for Junior Achievement, which also convened more than 530 leaders from 75 countries to explore the future of work and innovation. Together, students, educators, business mentors, and global executives shared one belief: when young people are given real-world platforms, they rise to the occasion.

As a company committed to empowering entrepreneurs, we are proud to support programs that move beyond theory and into action, where students build companies, test ideas in the marketplace, and develop the resilience and leadership skills that last a lifetime.

Click here to learn about FedEx Cares, our global community engagement program.