On Friday 27th February, CeNZ-HighDB were delighted to provide the venue for the START Hackathon at Edinburgh Futures Institute, with the event delivered by START and Skillfluence. Eight groups of students, from seven schools across the region, were tasked with finding an entrepreneurial solution to a real-world issue. These Hackathons are designed to help students
- Practice problem-solving, creativity and resilience
- Connect with Edinburgh’s entrepreneurial community
- Build communication skills and friendships beyond their school
- Gain industry exposure and future career connections
The students worked through creating a company, from deciding on a focus, name, and logo, right through to pitching the product. Ideas ranged from apps to help find healthy eating options, to spaces for socialising in a small town, and a website to help socially anxious young adults connect with others. They were supported by mentors on the day, Mishal Howard-Taylor (Koda Konsult), Liam McColl (FESTAG Codebase, plus a former Hackathon winner), and Sunday Dada (Gemspeaks Multimedia). The pupils all did a fantastic job of presenting their ideas, and some even had working prototypes of the apps.
The winning pitch was chosen by the judges, who for this Hackathon were Claire Wheelan from CodeBase, Ifeanyichukwu Ezinmadu from SymphoMe, and our own Anitha Karthik, representing Thematic Working Group VI.
It was amazing to see how much the students managed to do in just six hours, and how confidently they spoke, in front of the whole room, about their ideas. A huge well done to all involved, but particularly to the students, who attended from Crieff High School, Craigmount High School, The Edinburgh Academy, George Heriot’s School, Inveralmond Community High School, Inverkeithing High School, and Kelso High School.