Last week we hosted our first 8billionideas Entrepreneurship Conference at Tonbridge School which marked an exciting milestone for us as we brought together a mixed cohort of 62 students between the ages of 11-14.
Day 1: Founders Mindset
Students from The Skinner School, The Judd School, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School, and Weald of Kent Grammar School kicked off the day with ice-breakers including Two Truths and a Lie, Creative Creations, and Networking Bingo. During Creative Creations, teams had to choose three random objects and invent something entirely new under time pressure. Setting students up for what was yet to come, teams brainstormed and refined their 60-second pitches to share with their competitors.
We then welcomed our first guest speaker, Tom Munday, who shared his entrepreneurial journey with three key messages: say yes to opportunities, don't always take the easy path, and stay human. This was the perfect introduction to day’s core sessions; What Makes an Entrepreneur and Disruptive Industries. This is when the students received their conference challenge which was to identify a real-world problem, disrupt an industry, and design a startup solution with both digital and physical prototypes.
By afternoon, teams were developing ideas, refining problem statements, and debating how to differentiate from competitors. A crowdfunding session introduced startup financial realities, including how 8billionideas began. Students shifted from creative thinking to commercial strategy, learning about venture capital, angel investors and equity.
Day 2: From Ideas to Market
Day 2 moved from ideation to creation. Our Meet Your First Customer session had students develop detailed customer profiles because great ideas must serve real people. Marketing Matters covered brand identity, logos, and value propositions through interactive activities analysing what makes campaigns memorable.
In our Concept to Prototype session, students’ bridged theory and action. Students sketched lo-fi designs before building hi-fi prototypes – physical, digital, or both. Ideas transformed from rough sketches to physical models which meant that teams were able to see their products slowly come to life.
Fabienne Hakim closed Day 2 with a talk about the resilience, courage, and bold thinking it took for her to set up her own events company at university.
Day 3: The Showcase
Day 3 centered on communication. In The Art of the Pitch session, students learned presentation structure, from opening hook to problem statement, prototype demo, revenue model, and call to action. Teams refined their slides, practiced delivery, and received feedback during qualifiers.
The conference then culminated in a 8billionideas Dragon's Den showcase. Finalist teams presented to the entire conference. Finalist teams presented to the entire conference at the end of day 3 and demonstrated solutions that moved beyond classroom exercises. These were genuine products addressing real problems, with creative prototypes developed through strong teamwork.
Beyond the pitch decks, prototypes, and problem statements, the real takeaway was belief that entrepreneurship isn't reserved for a specific type of person, background, or pathway. It belongs to anyone with curiosity, resilience, and courage.
David Harkin, CEO of 8billionideas, judged the finals and was impressed by the teamwork, innovation, and passion in each project. The team at 8billionideas was also impressed by the behaviour and collaboration between students across year groups and schools.
Our first Entrepreneurship Conference was a proud moment, showcasing what's possible when schools collaborate and young people are empowered with big ideas. Next up, we can’t wait for our Leadership Conference in May 2026 at Tonbridge School.
If you are interested in finding out about how we can host a conference, at no cost for your school please fill in our enquiry form here.
