[PRESS RELEASE] Verizon/Unloc Enterprise Challenge Announces Overall Winner

Jamie Bankhead of Konglomerate Games, a Scottish-based technology-led business, is crowned the winner at the London Grand Final 

Unloc Enterprise Challenge Winner holding a big cheque for £10,000 with the managing director of Unloc and Executive director of Global Network Operations at Verizon Business Group

Hayden Taylor, Managing Director, Unloc | Jamie Bankhead, Winner of Unloc Enterprise Challenge, Konglomerate Games | Detlef Eppig Executive Director, Global Network Operations, Verizon Business Group

London, England, February 3 2020 – The winner of the 2019 Verizon/Unloc Enterprise Challenge has been announced. Jamie Bankhead of Konglomerate Games has won the top prize in the tech-entrepreneurship competition for young people across Europe, following a live pitch on 30th January 2020 at Verizon’s office in central London. Jamie’s company specialises in gamified experiences to improve the health and wellbeing of children with long term illnesses.  


Five finalists for the competition were selected from an incredibly competitive field of young entrepreneurs, aged 16-25 and representing 18 Eur
opean countries. The finalists presented their concepts to the judging panel at the London Grand Final, and were reviewed against the competition criteria of viability, technology innovation and sustainability. As the overall winner, Jamie will now be supported with a £10,000 grant from Verizon, and a mentorship and technology package to accelerate his venture. 

Konglomerate Games will use the grant to further develop its video game, Archipelayo, which is designed to help with physiotherapy for children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) – a life limiting genetic disease. Jamie commented on his win: “The Challenge has been a great initiative to be a part of and I am thrilled to have been awarded the winning grant. Gameplay can make physiotherapy fun, enhancing breathing and movement techniques, and making a real difference to children’s lives. We will use this grant to fund the vital analysis of the data we are currently obtaining from our trials to help us further develop our offer.”

 

The panel of judges which selected the overall winner at the Grand Final included: Nicola Brentnall (Chief Executive of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust), Detlef Eppig (Executive Director, Global Network Operations, Verizon Business Group), Dyanne Ierardo (Head of International Human Resources, Verizon), Tony Judd (Managing Director, UK&I, Verizon Business Group) and Kate Robertson (Founder of One Young World).

“Verizon strongly believes that by promoting entrepreneurship we can promote independence, innovation and success”, said Dyanne Ierardo, Verizon’s Head of International Human Resources. “The Verizon team has really enjoyed working on this competition – we were particularly impressed with the quality of ideas that were submitted! We’re looking forward to seeing what Konglomerate Games does next – and indeed, how all the finalists move their ideas forwards. We’d like to thank all the entrants for their passion and commitment to their cause.” 

Additional information

The four other finalists, who will also receive support and a £1,000 grant, are:

  • Nicolas Carmont, 21: Nicolas is the founder of NetZero, a fintech app that lets you track your carbon footprint.
  • Josh Clarke, 23: Josh is founder of Occumi, a platform that helps students to identify, understand, and better articulate the transferable skills that they have developed from their education and work experience.
  • Myles Jardine, 23: Myles is the founder of UK UnifyEd, a one-stop student recruitment, application & scholarship system which helps UK universities attract international students and improve conversion rates, and which helps students find the necessary funding to further their studies.
  • Yanik Nyberg, 24: Yanik is the founder of Seawater Solutions, an agri-tech company that develops approaches which allow degraded farmland to be turned into healthy wetland ecosystems where food is grown using seawater for climate resilience.

 

ABOUT – Unloc

Unloc was founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. The organisation’s mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. The organisation is focused on developing young people’s skills, enhancing their potential and boosting their determination to succeed. Unloc works towards achieving its mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes, including on entrepreneurship and self-employment, in our network of 100+ schools and colleges in the UK and beyond.

 

ABOUT – Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is celebrating its 20th year as one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $131.9 billion in 2019.  The company offers voice, data and video services and solutions on its award winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control. News releases, stories, media contacts and other resources are available at www.verizon.com/about/news/.

 

CONTACT

Hayden Taylor, Unloc

+442392344424

[email protected]

 

Clare Ward, Verizon

+441189053501

[email protected]

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