ICE 2026: Fintech
Project Description
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Join us for the Opening Session on 5th Mar 2026 at 16:00 GMT, where we’ll break down all the details you need to know about the hackathon. If you’re registered (or planning to), we highly recommend tuning in!
To grab the webinar link, please register for the event.
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What is ICE?
ICE, also known as Innovation Challenge for Entrepreneurs, is a free, virtual competition on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. It is open to all university students and recent graduates – no matter what subject you study or how tech savvy you are.
What you need to do
Either in a team or on your own, you need to come up with one idea that addresses a real-world problem statement, focused on Fintech. Your idea should aim to provide a creative and novel project or business plan to address the selected problem statement. You should focus on how your idea will immediately impact the issue you choose, and the business strategy which will bring it to life.
What you need to submit
For Phase One, you must create a business model canvas on your idea ready to be submitted for judging, we suggest you record a video to highlight the business idea, although this is not mandatory. You should cover the points below:
- What your idea is - as much detail as possible
- How does it address the problem outlined in the problem statement that you have selected?
- What resources and timeline do you need for your idea?
- How is your idea different from other solutions?
Agenda (All time in GMT):
5th March 16:00: Opening Session + Business Model Canvas Masterclass
6th March 16:00: Drop-In Session
9th March 17:00: Stage 1 submission deadline
12th March 15:00: Stage 1 winners announcement
13th March 16:00: Stage 2 Kick-Off Session
23rd March 15:00: Stage 2 Pitch Presentation
Why participate?
Practise critical thinking, creativity and other skills to solve real-world problems.
Qualify for awards, recognition, and feedback from industry experts and peers.
Generate new artefacts and testimonials to boost your ePortfolio.
Get in front of employers and mentors to unlock career opportunities.
Meet the Organiser
Safa Irfan
OrganiserI'm here to help you make the most of this competition. Reach out for guidance, opportunities or just a quick question!
How you can get involved
Sponsor
Sponsor the challenge and fund rewards.
Express InterestMentor
Mentor teams and share your expertise.
Express InterestJudge
Review and evaluate final submissions.
Express InterestMessage Safa
Send a message directly to the organiser of ICE 2026: Fintech. We'll email you a copy once it's sent.
Become a Sponsor
We invite business organisations to sponsor the competition and connect with the next generation of talent.
Become a Mentor
We invite experienced business professionals to Mentor student teams in this competition in 2-3x 20-minute virtual sessions. Share your expertise to steer and guide the teams to find a solution to the problem (and not give them the solution).
Enter your email below to confirm your interest.
Become a Judge
We invite experienced business professionals to evaluate project outputs from student teams based on pre-defined criteria. Review fresh ideas and prototypes virtually at your own schedule in one or multiple sessions (you may need to commit up to 2 hours over a 3-day window).
Enter your email below to confirm your interest.
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COMPETITION
