DCS students win Sheffield Startup Weekend

12th November 2012

Together with University of Sheffield Enterprise (USE), the Department of Computer Science hosted the first Sheffield Startup Weekend during 9th-11th November. Computer Science students made an excellent contribution, forming part of all top three teams and winning the award for the best user interface design.

The overall winning team developed an innovative hands-free cookbook app. The team included our students Radu Popescu (4th year MComp Computer Science) and Sina Shamshiri (formerly a student of our ITMB programme, now studying for a PhD in the Verification and Testing Group). The team included students from other University of Sheffield departments and was led by Michael White, formerly a student of Sheffield Hallam University.

The second prize winners developed School Dashboard, a web-based platform for discussing schools and comparing their Ofstead reports in an intuitive and consistent way. Robert White and Dominic Wroblewski, both 4th year MComp Computer Science students, implemented the system and walked away with the prize for the best user interface. Finally, our MSc student Jose Alban implemented an iOS app for a new kind of game, 9-in-10 win, which won third place.

The event was opened by Lee Strafford, Sheffield entrepreneur and founder of PlusNet. The judges included Dean Sadler (Tribepad), Chris Murray (Epigenesys) and Jag Goraya (Dotforge). Over the weekend, teams were coached by Guy Brown (DCS), Sara Pates (USE), Rob King (Sheffield Enterprise Programme), Simon Tucker (DCS), Jag Goraya and Steve Maddock (DCS).

Guy Brown of the Department of Computer Science, who co-organised the event with USE, said:

"Our first Sheffield Startup Weekend was a great success; the venue was filled to capacity and the teams generated some excellent business ideas over the weekend. I was particularly pleased that our students made such a strong contribution. The Department of Computer Science has some of the best graduate employment figures in the UK, and it's events like this that demonstrate why - our students have outstanding technical skills, generate innovative ideas and work very well in multidisciplinary teams. I was also delighted that this event included participants from both of the City's universities, together with non-student entrepreneurs and designers. The Sheffield Startup Weekend was a great way to get the pool of talent in the City working together, and I fully expect that it will become a regular event."

The winning team will attend a reception at Google Campus on the 15th November, where they will pitch their idea to a panel of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and other distinguished guests. They will also compete in a Global Startup Battle, involving more than 10,000 participants from around the world. 

For more information about the Sheffield Startup Weekend, click here.