On the weekend, I stepped into Hack Club’s Campfire Hackathon, over 200 high school students deep in a two-day game jam.

The minute I walked into the hub, I noticed something wild:

There were no adults running the room.

The entire hackathon was organised and led by students. No joke. Just young builders shipping ideas, solving problems, and figuring it out together.

The only adult in the room was Helen Cameron from La Trobe University, super lovely, great sense of humour, and genuinely interested in what HEX is building. La Trobe runs innovation sprints of their own, so the alignment felt natural. (And yes, we’re keeping that conversation rolling.)

Why HEX was there

HEX was invited to award the Best Entrepreneur Award, and I took that responsibility seriously.

For two days, I scouted what a true HEX High student looks like. Not just someone who can code. Not just someone who can build.

But someone who embodies:

Bias to action: moves fast, learns faster, doesn’t wait for perfect conditions.

Relentless resourcefulness: finds a way, even when the path isn’t clear.

Conviction-driven: not just passionate, but anchored by belief they won’t compromise on.

And then I found him.

The moment that sealed it

At one point, he was literally standing on a table, rallying votes for his game.

Belief in his idea.

Belief in his team.

Belief that it deserved attention.

That’s founder energy.

Our new HEX High Term 2 scholarship winner embodied all three traits, and more. (And yes, he was happy to be photographed.)

Outcomes from the weekend

The weekend wasn’t just inspiring, it was strategically strong.

• Hack Club will share a Term 2 discount code with students as part of our partnership.
  
• We built relationships with highly aligned young builders.
  
• We identified serious future candidates for HEX High, and beyond.

These are the rooms we want to be in.

Rooms where young people don’t wait for permission to build.

One lesson for next time

Next time, I’m bringing HEX swag to Sydney. 😅

Because if there’s one thing I’m certain of, the future founders are already here. And they’re not waiting around.