High School Business Challenge – Project Overview (EN)
High School Business Challenge
An international business competition for high-school students across Central Europe
The High School Business Challenge (HSBC) invites students from the Visegrad Four — Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic — to solve real business problems as a team and compete for a shared prize pool of €6,000, culminating in an international final in Warsaw. As the Slovak partner, IKReON brings this stage to students in Slovakia — because talent is everywhere, but chances are not.
4 Visegrad Countries
€6,000 Prize Pool
4 Competition Stages
Organised by ENTRE (PL)
About the Project
Across Central Europe, many high-school students are curious about business but rarely get to test their ideas in a real, structured way. HSBC gives them that chance. Over four stages, teams work through tests and case studies, present their solutions to expert juries, and learn by doing — with the best teams from each country meeting for an international final in Warsaw.
The project is organised by the European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development (ENTRE, Poland) and supported by the International Visegrad Fund. IKReON takes part as the Slovak national partner, opening the competition to students and teachers across Slovakia.
Impact by the Numbers
Reach and participation from the most recent edition.
1,775 Students Competed
72 Schools Visited
596K+ Reached Online
8 Finalist Teams in Warsaw
How the Competition Works
IKReON’s Role
As the Slovak partner in the consortium, IKReON is the competition’s home base in Slovakia. We spread the word among Slovak high schools, help students and teachers understand how to take part, and support Slovak teams through every stage — all the way to the international final in Warsaw.
In the most recent edition, IKReON brought the challenge to 19 Slovak high schools through direct visits (157, and 68 Slovak students reached the National Stage — with Slovak teams competing through to the final in Warsaw.
Consortium & Support
ENTRE (Poland)
Lead organiser and grant holder — the European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development.
IKReON (Slovakia)
Slovak national partner, bringing the challenge to high schools across Slovakia.
Glafka (Czech Republic)
National partner coordinating the competition in the Czech Republic.
Hungarian Partner
National partner running the competition in Hungary.
Supported by the International Visegrad Fund, with OTP as sponsor. The final jury drew on business professionals and academic experts from four universities, including the Catholic University in Ružomberok.
News & Stories from HSBC
No posts
Gallery
Bring the Challenge to Your School
Teachers, schools and partners — get in touch to learn how Slovak students can take part in the next edition of HSBC.
The project “International High School Business Challenge 2025” (project no. 22520313) is co-financed by the Governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.
