Our #GreHack events are two-day hackathons held over a weekend, which tasks teams of students to ‘hack’ a challenge or series of challenges set by one of our partners. Our latest hack was with iYTAL, a premium CBD gum brand founded in 2020 by UoG Alumni, Duval Middleton. Their plant-based gum is produced from high-quality industrial hemp plants and they’re committed to revolutionising the CBD chewing gum industry by offering a refreshing and sustainable experience.
Over the two days students were tasked with creating new marketing ideas for the brand to help them with customer loyalty, retaining customers and recruiting brand ambassadors. Students worked in teams on exciting and innovative campaigns utilising AI, social media and traditional marketing methods.
Founder Duval Middleton said of the event “As a proud alumnus of the University of Greenwich and founder of Gumipod Group Ltd, I was thrilled to be part of last weekend's #GreHacks at the Generator, which was an incredible and eye-opening experience due to the amount of innovation and collaboration amongst all the participants.
The depth of talent and creativity among the students was truly remarkable. Their ability to work as cohesive teams, develop strategic solutions, and present with confidence under pressure was impressive. The quality of the pitches and the solutions proposed were a clear indication of the potential future leaders in our midst.”
At the end of the hack students pitched their ideas to Duval along with fellow judge Dr Mazia Yassim, Head of the School for Management and Marketing. The hack is one of four held over the academic year with future partners including Amazon and Peckham Levels gum. The #GreHacks programme is a great way for students to collaborate, gain industry experience and valuable skills to help them with their future careers.
