HEX Degree Accelerator

On a surface level, the process of translating an idea into a tangible prototype ready for a pitch to investors was demystified. I found strength in my teammates, and that our ability to bounce ideas off of one another and make compromises made our project more well-rounded than if any one of us had tried to do it alone. My perception of innovation has changed to one that embodies this collaborative nature of my experience in the GGC. I learned that doing proper research and seeking the feedback of others is crucial to the success of a business proposal, and the connections one can make from that can last a lifetime.

GGC has taught me that there is nothing impossible to achieve! After setting up a whole company, I realized that entrepreneurship is not for the smartest people! You just have to belive in yourself and not underestimate your ability. This program helped me to see myself in a more positive light, and has encouraged me not to underestimate what I can achieve! It has also boosted my confidence and helped me master my communication skills!

This week has been such a great learning experience. I was hesitant to pitch my ideas but GGC showed me exactly how to do it. My confidence boosted multi-folds as my team won it. What more can one ask for!

GGC helped me realise just how attainable my goals/ambitions in the startup space are. Before I embarked on the challenge, starting a business of my own seemed like a bit of a pipe dream - sure it's a goal of mine, but how can I tangibly achieve it? GGC helped fill in those gaps and gave me so much valuable knowledge in this area. The challenge also helped me realise exactly how much I am capable of achieving when I really challenge myself. 5 days is not a very long time at all, but it feels like we got 5 months' worth of work done in that time which is absolutely incredible. So going forward, if I'm ever in doubt as to whether I'm capable of doing something, I can think back to my experience with GGC as cold, hard proof that I absolutely am capable.

I have learnt how to involve customers and meet their preferences when starting up an innovation. Moreover taking into account the design, market strategy and business model canvas. Also been a team player and improved on my organisational skills. Really appreciate the love and support during the session. It was intense but the team made it lovely and memorable. Thank you all, keep up the good work.

I never really considered a career in startups and mainly wanted to do this for fun, however, after the experience I am strongly considering a career in startups and really learned so much throughout the week and met some fantastic people that I am going to keep in touch with for a very long time!

I thoroughly enjoyed the work that I completed across the week during GGC. I learnt I can work in a team environment and contribute productively to an idea. I also learnt that I have developed leadership qualities during my time at university that helped me work in my team in GGC.

I think I had a great experience over the GGC. Before the GGC I did not know very much about start-ups and entrepreneurship, and I definitely learnt a lot over the week. Also, it was awesome to see from the panelists and mentors the number of opportunities and industries that you can work in.

I have learned more about basic step-by-step to create a start-up & some soft skills like pitching, teamwork, etc. I am also more confident in myself. Before joining HEX, I don't think that I can do well with a random team from different timezone & different regions. However, we have learnt to work together & try our best in what we are doing. Thank you for being so supportive & making HEX one of the most stressful, but exciting & helpful experiences in my winter break!

I learned how to create a startup and business model, something I had never done before. I really enjoyed learning new business skills about marketing and gaining customer perspective through market research. My favourite new skill I learned was how to make a prototype and using user feedback to improve our startup. It was also useful to work with people from different backgrounds and in different time zones, helping me improve my communication skills and helping organise team members into who was best for which task.

Overall. the GGC experience was a definite highlight in my university journey so far. I really enjoyed the aspect of working with people from around the world. The level of organisation for the HEX team made the experience run seamlessly and made it more enjoyable to learn and try new industry tools.

GGC helped me work along people from different cultures and how we can collaborate by sharing ideas. Further, it expanded my knowledge on several tools and technologies that will come handy in future. Meeting industry experts really expanded my perspective and develop better understanding towards many innovative ideas.

I have always want to start my startup but didn't knew how to do it. After I enrolled in HEX GGC program it change my perception. They gave me a platform where i can think, work on my ideas, pitch my ideas, talk to mentors, work with so many people with different time zones, culture . Now I'm more confident and expressive about my startup and can pitch the ideas.

It was a really good insight into how startups are created and what different roles and aspects go into it. I learned that I'm good at leading a team but that communication is key, especially when dealing with a cross-continental team.

GGC gave me the confidence boost I didn’t know I needed. It gave me a chance to go outside my comfort zone by putting an idea out there, and then working with other people on that idea. It helped me believe in my ideas and to have the courage to speak them out loud… and succeed! Moving forward I won’t be intimidated

At the beginning, I was clueless and not sure how it wold go. As I interacted with more people, my team and other mentors, things began to clarify. I had an amazing time gaining new skills, and the confidence levels shooting through the roof. In hindsight, this is an experience I would never forget and would take me to great places. Thank you HEX team for this wonderful opportunity, I would definitely want to see you again and get more involved!

Before starting the GGC I had done group work within university or school which used to always feel a bit sluggish as it would be a specific task done in a specific way. However, by choosing to do this programme on my own initiative and being able to collaborate and create something unique that had value was really exciting! It showed me that if you have an idea you can actually make them come to life if you use the skills taught during the Great Global Challenge :)

During my time at GGC I was able to gain a better understanding of how challenging it may be to have a startup or become an entrepreneur, but, it also taught me how easy it is as well. I always saw this path as something I would never be able to go into since I didn't have much experience, however, all you need really is passion, motivation, and the willingness to try something new (along with some skills). So it is not as difficult as it may seem. Something I learnt, well reinforced further, from this experience is life is always gonna have its challenges but if you keep persisting and not give up, you can achieve more than you think you are capable of. Mistakes are part of learning and becoming better. Thank you so much for making this opportunity amazing! The GGC definitely helped me realise that I can do more than I thought I could.

I have learnt that my own abilities or lack thereof are not a barrier, I can learn new things no matter how hard I perceive them to be and can enlist the help of others to make up for my deficits. I learnt working internationally while it can be exhausting can be very productive. I learnt that I work very hard. This will help because I will place less barriers on myself as reasons why I can’t do something and think innovatively as to how I can make something happen and working with others to do that is okay! Thanks for everything! Best learning experience I have ever had! I feel like I have a new sense of my own capabilities which is far greater than before!

I’ve learnt that anyone can build a great company with the right tools and skills. I never considered it before, but it’s very likely that I’ll explore the idea of startups and innovation for myself one day. This experience taught me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it, it pushed me to work harder than I thought I could. so now I know if I did it once, I can certainly do it again.