Xiaohongshu
Co-Creating the Emerging Economies Hackathon
Author: Yi-Xuen Tan, President, UCL IDEAS Society
Co-creating and running the Emerging Economies Hackathon 2026, as president of UCL IDEA Society with the UCL Students’ Union, was an experience that reminded me why I love building things with people. Not just attending an event, but designing it, shaping the learning journey, and seeing students walk away more confident, curious, and energised than when they arrived.
Partnering with the Students’ Union team made a huge difference. As a student society, we have ideas, energy, and a strong understanding of what students care about – but we don’t always have the scale, reach, or facilitation experience to run something truly cross-faculty and open to everyone. Working with the SU meant we could host a properly resourced, accessible event for a wide range of UCL students, including many who had never encountered social enterprise before. Because the hackathon was free, open, and didn’t require prior experience, it felt genuinely inclusive. Several participants later shared that the introductory workshops were especially valuable because they covered the basics in a way that was welcoming rather than intimidating - perfect for first-timers.
The hackathon itself became a crash course in what social enterprise really means. Before this, I think many of us (including myself) subconsciously equated “social impact” with “non-profit.” Through the event, we explored a much broader spectrum: from charities and NGOs to hybrid models, to for-profit ventures with social missions at their core. We learned that impact and financial sustainability aren’t opposites but can instead reinforce each other. Conversations around reinvesting profits, cross-subsidising services, and operating in complex emerging-economy contexts highlighted just how nuanced social innovation and international development really are. There isn’t one “correct” structure - what matters is whether a model genuinely serves communities and can last. The workshops were a core part of what this partnership enabled. With the SU’s support, we could offer structured, well-designed sessions that broke down complex ideas - from problem framing to social business models - into something practical and hands-on.
Conversations around reinvesting profits, cross-subsidising services, and operating in complex emerging-economy contexts highlighted just how nuanced social innovation and international development really are. There isn’t one “correct” structure - what matters is whether a model genuinely serves communities and can last.
From a skills perspective, the weekend was intense in the best way. Watching teams move from a blank page to a pitched solution in such a short time showed how powerful rapid ideation, prototyping, and collaboration can be. Students had to define problems, challenge assumptions, research quickly, and turn insights into feasible solutions. Confidence visibly grew over the course of the day, especially during pitching, where many were stepping far outside their comfort zones. It was also a lesson in teamwork: negotiating different viewpoints, dividing roles, and playing to different strengths - not to mention learning how to communicate clearly under time pressure. What stood out most was how groups began bonding not just within teams, but across the room, bouncing ideas off one another and learning collectively. Seeing these dynamics emerge in real time was fascinating.
One thing I cared deeply about when planning the event was the culture. I’ve attended many hackathons that are high-pressure and competitive in ways that can feel overwhelming. I wanted to recreate the same energy and sense of purpose, but in a space that also felt safe, supportive, and genuinely fun. In my opening speech, I emphasised taking the challenge seriously, but also that this was a place to experiment, learn, and be bold without fear of getting things “wrong.” With the encouragement and facilitation of the SU team, Ida and Clarissa, that atmosphere truly came to life. Participants later described the environment as positive, low-pressure, and respectful, with constructive critique and a strong sense of unity.
From a skills perspective, the weekend was intense in the best way. Watching teams move from a blank page to a pitched solution in such a short time showed how powerful rapid ideation, prototyping, and collaboration can be.
A unique strength of the event was how the Students’ Union team and our society members worked side by side. While the SU provided structure, facilitation, and learning design, our society members - who were more familiar with the HEADLINE problem statement and its wider context - were embedded across teams throughout the day. This meant participants always had approachable peers to ask questions, sense-check ideas with, and get quick clarifications from, making the experience far less intimidating, especially for those new to hackathons or social impact work. There was a shared sense that everyone in the room genuinely wanted to learn and contribute, driven by a desire to engage with real challenges in emerging economies and to explore how business and social impact can work together.
For me personally, co-creating the hackathon was as much a learning experience as running it. It showed me what it really takes to turn a vision into reality - from navigating logistics and funding constraints, to designing the flow of the day, to creating an environment where people feel both challenged and supported. The process strengthened my organisation, prioritisation, and time-management skills, and gave me valuable experience working in a professional, cross-team setting. Having the opportunity to brief participants on the problem statement and run a short session on what a strong solution and slide deck could look like, using consulting-style frameworks, also stretched my public speaking, structuring, and facilitation skills.
The Emerging Economies Hackathon became a small ecosystem of learning, experimentation, and connection. Co-creating it with the Students’ Union showed me what’s possible when an idea is turned into reality through collaboration, and the value of giving students a space to try, fail, refine, and pitch boldly. It’s an experience I’ll carry forward into whatever I build next.
