A group of 17-year-old students working as Sparks DC have launched a district-wide survey to better understand what young people in Derry~Londonderry and Strabane want and how they want to be informed about opportunities in their area. Formerly known as Circle Up, Sparks DC were announced as winners of the Hightop Competition at the TechTides Youth Conference for their idea to create a mobile app to promote access and engagement in initiatives such as theatre, sport, music, e

Something BIG is happening in the North West. Hightop is bringing Patch to the city and region! What’s The Plan? On Saturday 28th March, 35 young people from across Derry, Donegal, Tyrone and the wider region will come together at The AMP Growth Incubator in Derry~Londonderry for something we haven’t seen here before. Why This Matters At Hightop, we believe that young people in the North West do not lack talent, ambition or ideas. What they often lack is visible opportunity

The latest Enterprise Barometer has just been published, and for us at Hightop, the headline is clear: Northern Ireland has the talent, ideas, and ambition, but we must work better together to support, guide and empower the creation, testing, adoption, and scaling of solutions if we want innovation to thrive. Hightop's Founder, Jennifer Neff, was invited by Michael McQuillan, CEO of Enterprise NI, to deliver the keynote speech for the launch of the Enterprise Barometer. Jenn

Hightop was delighted to host TechTides Youth 2025 at North West Regional College’s (NWRC) Foyle Theatre, welcoming over 160 students from schools across the region. The event brought together young innovators to showcase their creativity, ambition, and forward-thinking ideas that are shaping the future of technology and entrepreneurship. Speakers and Panelists The day featured an inspiring lineup of speakers, including: Isabella Leonard – Social Entrepreneur & Co-Founder,

The future of innovation is looking bright in Derry ~ Londonderry and Strabane! Hightop is excited to introduce the young people, aged 15–20, who are leading the way - full of ideas, creativity, and ambition. Through our partnership with TechTides , these young innovators have had the chance to bring their ideas to life and take the first steps toward turning their concepts into reality. Each finalist submitted a short, 90-second video pitch outlining: The challenge or probl

Jennifer Neff, Founder, Hightop, Isabella Leonard, CEO & Co-Founder of MORE, Clare Hamilton, Co-Founder & CEO at The Influencer Hub, and Alastair Cameron, TechTides founder. TechTides Youth will take place on the morning of November 18th at North West Regional College in Derry ~ Londonderry . The event will bring together the next generation of techies, social innovators, and entrepreneurs for a day of engaging talks, hands-on networking, and the chance to win £500 and a pla

We're buzzing to announce that Hightop is helping power the North West's biggest celebration of all things tech as a Gold Sponsor of...

First up in the Hightop Podcast Series! Meet the MORE Team - a bunch of upper 6th students across 4 schools in NI with the BOLD ...

The More Team Meet the disruptors. We first crossed paths with the MORE crew at Catalyst’s Generation Innovation — a bunch of Lower 6th...

I’ve always believed in the power of people and place, I think it is the Derry Girl in me — and believed in technology as a force that...