Speed-dating with businesses at the UG Impact Challenge

Good ideas were at the heart of the event in the House of Connections last week. During the Speeddate Event of the UG Impact Challenge, students were paired with partners from the business community and other organisations to pitch their ideas. An inside look from the event floor.

Text: Jelle Posthuma

At the House of Connections on the Grote Markt, Hans Heijnen watches with a satisfied expression. ‘There's a great energy here’, he says. Heijnen is one of the founders of Soapbox, the organisation responsible for organising the UG Impact Challenge, in collaboration with the Schools for Science & Society and Innokite. ‘You could compare this part of the event to the TV show The Best Idea in the Netherlands (Het Beste Idee van Nederland),’ he explains. ‘During speed-dating sessions, students pitch their creative ideas to our partners from businesses and other organisations.’

According to Heijnen, it's exciting to see how two worlds collide during the speed-dates. ‘Students often have their own ideas. For example, they might come up with a concept for a drone that delivers pizzas. Someone from industry can refine that idea based on their own expertise, suggesting that such a drone could also be used in a storage warehouse. In this way, students' creativity meets the practical knowledge from industry.’

The themes of the Jantina Tammes School, Rudolf Agricola School and Wubbo Ockels School are at the heart of the UG Impact Challenge. The Challenge offers students a chance to turn their innovative ideas into impactful business plans. Participants are up for winning prizes, including the Ideation Award of €1,500, the Advanced Award of €2,500 and the Audience Award of €1,000.

Fraudulent contracts

At one of the speed-dating tables, four students stand, clearly excited. They are eager to develop an AI tool called FairSight, which scans contracts and provides a ‘risk score.’ With this artificial intelligence, they aim to ‘democratise’ legal protection. The idea seems to resonate perfectly with their own experiences as students.

‘In my first year in Groningen, I lived in three different places,’ says team member Csanad Paszti, an Artificial Intelligence student at the UG. ‘My first rental contract was fraudulent, but I only found that out much later. Everything was in Dutch, and because of the room shortage in Groningen, I had to accept something.’

Milan Magyar and Andrei Nita are also driving an innovation in student housing with their start-up, All About Student Housing. During his first year, Magyar had to move four times due to the housing shortage in Groningen. After this frustrating experience, he decided to start creating content on social media, including street interviews where he asks students about their rent. ‘That went completely viral,’ says Magyar.

Meanwhile, the students have around 9,000 followers on their social media accounts and are working on an e-book with tips and tricks on finding housing. The next step is to build a platform, where students can find rooms in a safe way. Now the monopoly still lies with Kamernet. ‘We want to establish a reliable platform where people do not have to pay upfront,’ says Nita. ‘Many students are victims of scammers on the existing platforms.’

Useful advice and networking

Alica Haywood, a student of Global Responsibility & Leadership, also draws on personal experiences as a key inspiration for her idea – though in a completely different way. With AutiMelody, she aims to develop an app that uses music as a universal language to enhance communication between caregivers and individuals with intellectual disabilities. Melodies are linked to specific actions. The idea stemmed from the time her mother would play melodies on the piano to communicate with her sister.

Today, Haywood is mainly looking for networking opportunities and advice. ‘I notice that the people I speak to at the event have a huge network. The Impact Challenge provides new opportunities for me.' Emma Trip Fabara and Anouk Zonneveld, both studying at University College Groningen, agree. With their company ECUA, they bring ethically sourced, eco-friendly clothing from Ecuador to the Netherlands.

Sustainably produced clothing is gaining popularity; take the example of a Patagonia jacket – who doesn’t want one? But as Zonneveld points out, ‘On a DUO study grant, I can’t afford that.’ That’s why ECUA focuses on making its clothing as affordable as possible. However, affordability isn’t even the most important aspect; the two students emphasise. What truly sets their clothing apart is the direct connection with local Ecuadorian artisans who craft the garments. ‘There’s a lot of interest,’ they say. ‘The clothes we brought back from Ecuador sold out in no time.’

Giving something back

During their speed-dating session, the two students are speaking with Rolf Vermeij, who works at Nobian, a company focused on producing basic chemicals. Vermeij offers them useful advice. ‘It's interesting to brainstorm with students,’ he says. ‘When I just arrived here, I was talking to students about an AI tool for legal contracts. I'd like to connect them with our legal department so they can spend an hour, relaxed and informal, discussing potential collaborations.’

Sustainability is a key focus for Nobian, Vermeij continues. He explains that the company's production process is highly energy-intensive. That's why students with energy solutions particularly catch his interest. However, Vermeij does not expect a ready-made solution to the energy problem this afternoon. ‘For me, it's mostly about inspiration, about the creative and innovative ideas from students.’ Hans Heijnen from Soapbox agrees. ‘Companies often want to give something back to society. At the same time, it's a great way for them to connect with top talent. These are all intrinsically motivated students.’

After the speed dates, the finalists of the UG Impact Challenge will be selected in the coming weeks. The Grand Finale will take place on 8 May in the Academiegebouw. For many UG Impact Challenge participants, the event is just the beginning. Innokite, the university's incubator and accelerator, provides the community, network, and structured support to turn ideas into real impact.

Through the incubator hub on Zernike campus, participants can continue developing their ideas alongside mentors, peers and even meet potential investors. One new track being developed, the Impact Entrepreneurship Burst, focuses on translating innovative ideas into sustainable businesses that create meaningful change, aligning perfectly with the spirit of the UG Impact Challenge.