He came to life on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. House of Culture in Teplice entrepreneurial spirit – took place here 1st Annual Podkrušnohorský Fair of Fictitious Companies, which showed that entrepreneurship can be learned in an enterprising, interesting, and practical way. The event was organized by Innovation Center of the Ústí Region (ICUK) in cooperation with Hotel School, Business Academy and Teplice Secondary Technical School, and more than 20 fictitious companies consisting of school students from the Ústí nad Labem region participated.
The fair was not just about presenting projects – it was a day-long festival of entrepreneurship, creativity, business skills and teamwork. The school fictitious companies that participated in the fair competed in 6 categories: best slogan and logo, company flyer, video spot, stand, salesperson in English and best "elevator pitch in English", i.e. a quick presentation with the aim of convincing the jury to buy one of the company's products. In addition, the top innovative company was awarded, i.e. the company that receives the most points in total from the individual competitions.
Three passionate people are behind the organization of the fair: Daniel Trnka, manager of educational activities of ICUK, Miroslava Pribylova, teacher from the Business Academy and Secondary School Teplice, and Alena Jonakova, teacher at Libouchec Elementary School. Their cooperation shows how important the connectivity of regional institutions, schools and innovative partners is. “Teaching fictitious companies connects economic theory with practice,” Miroslava Přibylová says, “Students develop teamwork, business acumen, and presentation skills. Students’ own initiative and responsibility for the functioning of the entire company play a key role. This practical approach allows students to gain valuable experience and prepare for the real world of work.”
The competitive atmosphere was also supported by an expert jury consisting of entrepreneurs, mentors, creatives and practitionersThey evaluated not only the overall impression, but also specific aspects – slogan, logo, business model or presentation ability. And the result? Surprisingly balanced. "The students demonstrated excellent preparation, imagination and confident presentation. Some of the companies would definitely have a chance to survive in the real world," Daniel Trnka evaluated fictitious companies.
The fair was also an inspiration for further development ICUK educational programs. "Our goal is to support schools in developing entrepreneurship and gradually connect fictitious companies with real companies from the region," added Daniel Trnka. For next year, the organizers plan to expand the evaluation categories, provide more space for networking, and actively involve business experts. International participation of fictitious companies, for example from Slovakia, is also a highlight.
“I was thrilled to see how the entrepreneurship and creativity of high school students grew during the fair. Young people have incredible potential, and when given the opportunity and space, they can bring truly valuable and innovative ideas. This fair showed that entrepreneurship is not just about creating a company, but also about the ability to think, create and collaborate on real projects,” Alena Jonáková said
The event enjoyed great interest and excellent feedback not only from teachers but also from the students themselves: "...I learned to cooperate more with others.“, “…the hardest part was making sure everyone did what they were supposed to do“, “…I found myself in marketing, I really enjoy it.". The students left with the feeling that their work had meaning – and that is exactly what The main goal of ICUK educational activities:
to strengthen young people's self-confidence, develop their skills and show that Every good idea has a chance to grow into something bigger.
The event was funded by the RUR project - Region to University, University of the Region, registration number CZ.10.02.01/00/22_002/0000210.
