On Friday, over 50 pupils from Aberdeen Grammar School, Arbroath Academy, Dyce Academy, Forfar Academy, Lochside Academy, and Oldmachar Academy attended the START Hackathon at ONE Tech Hub, delivered in partnership with Skillfluence, Startup Grind Scotland, and DYW North East.
In just a few hours, these outstanding pupils identified real-world problems, developed innovative startup ideas, and pitched them to judges and peers. The creativity and confidence on display was truly inspiring.
A core part of START’s mission is to connect young people to the entrepreneurial ecosystem, so it was fantastic to have startup founders and industry experts offer their support on the day.
Huge thank you to our mentors, Fraser Graham, Caroline Laurenson, Oluwaseun Franklin Olabode, Thomas Smith, and Brayden Sutherland for enriching the pupils’ learning experience.
Massive thank you also to Dr Jeanette Forbes OBE, MUniv, Hon DBA, FRSA, Edward Obi Chartered FCIPD, MIRP, TechIOSH, Denis Pinto, and Romana Richards for judging on the day.
And, of course, thank you to Oga Chan and David Rush at Skillfluence, Diane Munro at DYW North East, and Carolyn Diack from ONE Tech Hub for organising such a brilliant event!
We’re so excited to see the enthusiasm that young people, educators, and industry experts have for real-world entrepreneurial learning in the North East, and we’re already exploring how we can expand our programme there next session. So, if you’re a school leader or business leader in the North East, please get in touch!