A generation that does not wait for permission. MoonshotX brought young innovators from across Europe to Liberec

Young people today are not waiting for experience, permission or the right moment. They are founding companies, advising governments, reshaping the way we think about sustainability and reforming prison systems. These were the kinds of people brought together by MoonshotX, an international conference that welcomed young innovators from across Europe to the Linserka cultural centre in Liberec — including Liberec-born Yemi A.D. The event was organised by the Regional Development Agency, the Liberec Region and the Moonshot Platform Foundation, and formed part of this year’s Anifilm international festival of animated films.

“The gap between generations is widening — in language, technology and the way we think about the future,” said Yemi A.D., founder of Moonshot Platform, as he opened the event. “Young people today have the tools and the skills to tackle major problems much earlier. Some are perfectly capable of becoming managers at 18. The question is whether older generations will make space for them — or hold them back.”

A generation that is not afraid to fail

While companies often demand ten years of experience, 23-year-old Yasmin Abdu from the United Kingdom is already running an AI project that advises governments and supermarkets. She leads CarbonTrac, a platform that gamifies sustainable food shopping by integrating real-time product impact data into supermarket loyalty apps and motivating customers through rewards. In doing so, it connects consumer behaviour, public health and climate impact.

“I am 23 and I have been told countless times that I am not ready — that it is too much and that I am too inexperienced. I run an AI company and I cannot code. I advise 27 countries on public health without a formal degree. When I first spoke at the UN, I completely messed it up. People wait until they feel ready. But readiness is not a feeling. It is a decision,” says Abdu.

Jethro Tieman from the Netherlands takes a similar approach to uncertainty. His project FarmBiz Africa now reaches millions of farmers across Africa, helping them access information and opportunities they had long been cut off from. His lesson is simple: the biggest barrier is not a lack of ideas, but the fear of starting. This year, Jethro was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

Personal experience as the strongest driver

Many of the projects were sparked by personal experience — and by ordinary frustration that certain problems remain overlooked. Tereza Pivná from Czechia, for example, founded her supplement brand for women after coming up against the limits of today’s approach to women’s health.

“I found out that diagnosing endometriosis takes 13 years on average. Why? Because not enough attention is paid to it. That made me angry. And anger is a great engine for change,” says Pivná. Today, she helps women better understand their own bodies and draws attention to issues that have long been ignored.

An equally powerful social topic was brought forward by Tamara Höfer from Austria, founder of Richtungswechsel, an initiative focused on prison reform. She works with evidence-based approaches that help prisons address staffing shortages, reduce reoffending and improve conditions. In doing so, she directly influences people’s chances of returning to normal life after serving a sentence.

Not a generational takeover, but cooperation

According to Yemi A.D., the answer is not generational conflict, but active support.

“People often say young people are the future. We believe they are the present. We want to give them the chance to shape the world they will inherit — right now. But we are not telling the older generation to leave. We are saying: stand behind someone. Help young people grow faster than you were able to,” he adds.

“We need young people in the region who have ideas, energy and the courage to try new things. And today, the young leaders from Moonshot Platform showed the audience that the future is not shaped only in high politics, but above all by people and communities — through concrete projects and the everyday work of those who decide to change something,” says Edvard Kožušník, Statutory Deputy Governor of the Liberec Region for Economic and Strategic Development.

Liberec as a stop on a European conversation

According to the organisers, the conference was not meant to be just a series of inspiring talks. It was also meant to show that these kinds of debates and projects can happen outside major centres too.

“We wanted to bring people from different parts of Europe to Liberec and show that young people can improve systems even without decades of experience,” says Adam Soltan from the Regional Development Agency.

Moonshot Platform supports young leaders and innovators from different parts of the world. After stops in Canada, Oxford and Texas, this year’s tour ended in Liberec — the hometown of Yemi A.D.