StartUp Factory Weekend Hackathon (QAA 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) #FEEUK

Objective:

•        Stimulate creativity and innovation among student participants.
•        Enhance teamwork and collaboration skills through interdisciplinary projects.
•        Develop problem-solving abilities by tackling real-world challenges.
•        Provide mentorship and guidance to nurture entrepreneurial mindset.
•        Foster networking opportunities with industry professionals and fellow students.
•        Cultivate presentation and pitching skills through a final project showcase.

Introduction: 

The StartUp Factory weekend is designed to inspire creativity, foster innovation, and cultivate essential business skills. This immersive experience offers participants a unique opportunity to ideate, develop business models, and showcase their entrepreneurial prowess in a thrilling pitching competition. With a focus on themes such as creativity, interpersonal skills, leadership, critical analysis, and opportunity recognition, this hackathon promises to be a transformative journey for aspiring entrepreneurs and business enthusiasts alike.

Activity: 

50 students from across the 4 Colleges at the University of Glasgow (undergraduate and postgraduate) were selected, through an application process, to take part in the StartUp Factory Weekend. 130 students registered to take part, but numbers were restricted by the University as it was one of our first in-person activities post Covid. The purpose of the application process was to ensure a good mix of disciplines and experiences, with a strong emphasis on following the university’s Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) strategy. The selected students initially met on Friday afternoon, with the first session beginning at 16:00 in the Student Representative Council’s Halls (John McIntyre Building), where the event was hosted. 

• On arrival, the students were placed into teams that had been carefully constructed by the Enterprise team prior to the event taking place.
• As this was a team building experience, any team that came pre-built was split up, and any team not willing to work within the provided space for the majority of the event were invited to leave, as one of the key objectives of the event was also to create opportunities for networking.
• Each student received a branded t-shirt to commemorate taking part in the event.
• Guest presentations by industry leaders and educators from Glasgow were organised throughout sessions on Friday and Saturday and covered topics including the Business Model Canvas, Ideation, Design Thinking and how to create a good pitch. Two of our startups from the Student Enterprise Incubator also came along to give insights into their entrepreneurial journey and what drove them to take the entrepreneurial path.
• The session on Friday ran from 16:00 until 22:30. On Saturday the participants arrived at 08:00 and stayed until 20:00, and on Sunday they arrived at 08:30 and stayed until 16:00.
• Each team was provided with flip charts, post-it notes, pens, tea/coffee/water/soft drinks, snacks, and there were a number of business mentors available to each team throughout the event. In addition to the structured sessions, the teams were given plenty of time to work on developing their ideas and their final pitches and additional break out spaces were provided to help facilitate that.
• All main meals during these timeframes were provided through external catering services.
• At 14:00 on Sunday we began our pitching competition with each team being asked to pitch their business idea in under 3 minutes. There were cash prizes for the top 3 pitches.
• The judging panel consisted of leader from the Scottish startup support ecosystem.
• After deliberation, the winning teams were announced at 16:00 on Sunday and were awarded their cash prizes and certificates.
• All of the participating students received certificates to mark completing the event. 

Feedback:

“Didn’t know what to expect but learned so much and had a great time meeting new people”. Adele Lu, ASBS

“Excited to have come second it the pitching competition! We really want to take our idea forward now”. Team Athena Straw

“I have already been working on a business idea, but it was good to have the opportunity to brainstorm with other likeminded students”. Charlie Greener, Theria

Resources: 

• Flip charts
• Pen drives
• Pens
• Sharpies
• Post-it notes
• Meals
• Snacks
• Soft drinks, coffee, tea, and water
• Tables and chairs
• Space for 50 students
• Additional break-out spaces for specific teamwork
• Guest speakers
• External Judges
• Internet access
• Computer, projector, and screen
• Promotional t-shirts with StartUp Factory and University of Glasgow branding for all participants
• Prize money for the best pitches – 1st Prize - £1000, 2nd Prize - £500 and 3rd Prize - £250  

Pictures or images:

References:

• BURNS, P. (2023) New Venture Creation. S.l.: Bloomsbury. 
• Knapp, J. (2021) Sprint: How to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days. London: Penguin Books. 
• Lewrick, M. et al. (2018) The design thinking playbook: Mindful digital transformation of teams, products, services, businesses and ecosystems. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 
• Ries, E. (2019) The lean startup: How constant innovation creates radically successful businesses. London: Portfolio Penguin.