This year Barclay’s launched their Tech Challenge and invited all universities across the Yorkshire region to compete in their Technology Challenge competition. Each team was asked to solve a specific and unique problem.  The prize for winning the event would be a personalised week of work experience.

The competition was launched in November in Leeds with the final presentations taking place in December. This gave each team roughly 3 weeks to design and develop a business case and prototype of their tech solution.

To support the competition Barclays also worked with one of their business partners CallCredit, a credit referencing company. At the launch each team were provided with mentors from each organisation to support the development process and give them vital feedback to hone their solution. This gave the students an authentic learning experience working closely with clients and industry experts.

A team from Sheffield Hallam’s Department of Computing was created. The team comprised of students studying Business and ICT plus Adam Dawson from Web Systems Design. The quickly-assembled team had to pull their complementary skills together to create a very effective team to beat their rivals.  Some of the key tasks covered in the challenge were: Ideation; business planning; development costing; pricing strategy; market development; product design. And of course they had to create the all-important pitch for the banking ‘Dragons’.

The pitching event was a nerve jangling experience, which comprised of their opponents, judges, mentors and Barclay’s staff. Our team went last and this added to the tension. After a slight hitch with the clicker they got under way. Professionally dressed and ready for any eventuality the team delivered a comprehensive and thorough pitch. The questioning from the Dragons was tough and probing, but they remained calm and were able to eloquently respond. I sensed they probably had to think on their feet a couple of times, to justify some of their ideas!

After twenty minutes of deliberation by the judges, our team came out on top as the eventual winners. Each team member receiving £100 Amazon Voucher and the chance to explore a new career path next year with either company. 

Who knows…it might even lead to a graduate job offer!

The Champions:

The Winning Product: