Var Group Hackathon with University of Naples Federico II
The University of Naples Federico II and a select group of students from DEMI recently participated in the 10th Var Group Hackathon, held at the Palacongresso in Rimini, Italy. The event, titled “Orchestrating Intelligence and Tech to Empower Innovation,” was part of the international Zing Convention, inspiring young minds and guiding companies toward more agile, efficient, and sustainable ways of working.
The Italian participants were selected through Start’Ship and included members from teams who previously won the Hybrid Pitch Competition (WP3) and the SExCEO Hackathon (WP4). Five Start’Ship students formed the “DEMI Federico II” team to tackle the “UnipolTech” challenge, ultimately ranking 4th out of 17 international teams. Their project stood out for its originality, creativity, and potential impact.
The hackathon emphasized merging human skills and creativity with process optimization and advanced technologies including AI and blockchain, challenging participants to develop innovative solutions for real business problems proposed by participating companies.
Over three intensive days, the students demonstrated strong capabilities honed through their Start’Ship experience. The event also provided valuable opportunities for both teachers and students to share the Start’Ship journey and showcase the added value of the partnership.
Inspiration at TakeOffAntwerp Event with Student Entrepreneurs
Recently Start’Ship project partners Hilde Hoefnagels from AP Hogeschool Antwerpen and Anne Sophie Flipo from Eurasanté, had the opportunity to present at the event to an audience of innovative and inspired students – a perfect example of the knowledge-sharing that sits at the heart of the Start’Ship project.
They spoke at an event organised by TakeOff Antwerp, focused on international entrepreneurship experience.
TakeOff Antwerp’s mission resonates strongly with our own: to inspire, activate and support young people on their entrepreneurial journey. They’ve created a comprehensive framework that maps Antwerp’s entire entrepreneurial landscape, offering students a ‘one-stop shop’ for entrepreneurial advice and support while helping teachers, researchers, staff and youth workers develop entrepreneurial skills within their own environments.
Start’Ship Partners Gather in Antwerp for Final Project Meeting
The Start’Ship partner meeting in late October marked a significant milestone for the Start’Ship partnership as everyone came together in Antwerp, Belgium for the final project meeting.
Brilliantly hosted by AP Hogeschool Antwerpen, partners from across Europe – Italy, Ireland, France, Latvia, and Portugal – gathered to reflect on our collective achievements and celebrate the legacy we’re building for student entrepreneurship.
Learning from Antwerp’s Success Story
One of the meeting’s highlights was a presentation from Isabelle De Ridder, Director of the Antwerp University Association, who shared the remarkable growth story of student entrepreneurship in the region. The numbers speak for themselves: from just 50 students ten years ago to over 1,300 students today, Antwerp now has the biggest concentration of student entrepreneurship in all of Flanders.
This growth hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the result of a strong ecosystem that includes dedicated support services like SINC (Students for Innovation & Cooperation), backing from the City of Antwerp, and collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce Antwerp-Waasland. The integration of entrepreneurship across universities and the focus on student success stories demonstrate how young talent is truly shaping the future of the region.
Reflection and Forward Momentum
While this may have been our last formal partner meeting, partners used the time to reflect on everything we’ve achieved together across our regions. The meeting wasn’t just about looking back – it was about ensuring the sustainability of what we’ve built. The tools, networks, and knowledge created through Start’Ship are designed to support student entrepreneurs well beyond the project’s official end date.
The energy and innovations we witnessed at TakeOff Antwerp left us buzzing with ideas and reinforced why this work matters. Student entrepreneurship isn’t just about business creation – it’s about empowering the next generation with the skills, confidence and networks they need to turn their ideas into reality.
The Start’Ship Legacy Continues
Though this chapter of Start’Ship is drawing to a close in February 2026, the impact continues. The partnerships forged, the resources developed, and the communities strengthened will keep supporting student entrepreneurs across Europe for years to come.
We’re grateful to AP Hogeschool Antwerpen for their outstanding hospitality and to all our partners for their dedication, collaboration and shared vision. Together, we’ve built something that will outlast the project itself – and that’s the true measure of success.
Synergy Enter CBL & Start’Ship
On 29 and 30 September the final conference of the KA2 project Enter CBL – Challenge based learning in entrepreneurship education, took place in Leuven. The overall aim of ENTER-CBL project is, on the one hand, to create entrepreneurship course to students from four different European universities, developed based on an innovative CBL Methodology for Entrepreneurship Education, and on the other hand, to develop and to provide training, materials, and best practices in relation to CBL framework.
We discovered the two projects are almost complementary with CBL focusing more on teachers and Startship focusing more on students. We had interesting conversations with representatives of the various partners in this project (Businet, WSB University, Romanian-American University, Istanbul Aydin University, Polytechnic Institute of Porto). It was striking to see how the Enter CBL-consortium faced similar obstacles as we did. Clearly the Startship project was more hands-on and practical, whereas Enter CBL offered a more theoretical frame. The interest to collaborate on a new project has certainly risen.
Since the large network of Businet is one of the partners and AP UAS is a member of Businet, we will have also the occasion to present and disseminate our project during the next Busines meeting in Sofia, as well.
Upcoming Start’Ship Opportunities
Mark your calendars for November 14–15, 2025! Hibster des Possibles, an immersive 48-hour innovation bootcamp, celebrates its 10th anniversary at the HUB in Lille, bringing together over 100 students and industry partners from the health, food, ageing, and sport sectors.
Launched by Eurasanté in 2016, this unique program connects interdisciplinary student teams with real-world challenges from companies and project leaders across the Hauts-de-France region. Participants will collaborate intensively using creativity tools and collective intelligence methods, supported by coaches and experts, culminating in final pitches before a jury.
The event also features Job’Hibster, a dynamic job-dating session offering direct recruitment opportunities, plus a masterclass and networking cocktail. With projects ranging from connected health devices to inclusive sport-health solutions, Hibster exemplifies the spirit of innovation and collaboration that Start’Ship promotes. Participants can continue their entrepreneurial journey through Start’Ship’s online training modules, available in five languages across our partner universities.
