The stage is set, and the atmosphere is electric as Haileybury’s annual Pitch Showcase commences. A carefully curated selection of teams from across the campuses are in the spotlight, each given four minutes to pitch a business idea ten months in the making. This event is a testament to the budding entrepreneurial spirit among our students and has quickly become a highlight on the School’s calendar.
Since Term 1, students have been putting their creative thinking caps on and crafting business pitches in the Year 8 entrepreneurship program “Startup”.
Throughout the year, teachers at each campus keep a close eye on the progression of each pitch project, determining the most promising teams to represent their campus at Aikman Hall in November each year.
These young entrepreneurs have their eyes on the coveted $1,000 seed funding prize – a golden ticket to turning their innovative dreams into reality.
Each team have mere minutes to impress a panel of esteemed judges. This year, our judges include Derek Scott, CEO|Principal, Anna Sever, Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning), Simon Terry, a successful entrepreneur and Haileybury Council Member, and Jodie Imam, the CEO and Founder of Tractor Ventures, who has also played a key part in the planning process as a student mentor.
All Year 7-8 students are invited to witness the magic of the Pitch event. It’s an opportunity to celebrate and support the achievements of their peers, and for the Year 7’s, glimpse into what’s in store for next year.
The 2022 champions – Luthara, Mihini, Tahani, and Aiyana from Berwick campus – took some time to tell us about their project “Social and Safe”, a card game designed to impart valuable safety lessons to children of all age groups, focusing on both real-life and online safety.
The concept was a personal one, too, stemming from the shared experience that they all have younger siblings they hope to educate and protect.
Initially, the prospect of pitching on stage and the knowledge that all their classmates would be watching was daunting. However, after dedicating countless hours to practice and summoning a reservoir of courage, they nailed their presentation.
The experience turned out to be nothing short of incredible. Simply being selected to present on behalf of Berwick campus was a big moment for them, let alone expecting to emerge as the winners. “It was an awesome opportunity and a big shock [to win]. An experience we will never forget.” they said.
Off the back of their win, the team was later invited to present at the respected Wade Institute Pitch Competition and secured the People’s Choice Award 2022.
Berwick campus is keeping the entrepreneurial flame well and truly alive, with their student-led Shark Tank-style initiative, held in October. Social and Safe were quick to get involved, and it didn’t take long to prove the strength of their idea – coming out as victors once again. The win earnt the team an additional $200 worth of seed funding.
While Social and Safe have yet to finalise their plans for their combined prize money, their intention is to invest it in the production and further development of their product, something that we are very much looking forward to seeing materialise.
As we move into 2024, the Pitch Showcase will continue to be a staple event at Haileybury. Innovation is at the heart of thriving in an ever-changing world, and who knows, the next big business idea could be hatched right before our eyes!