Meet the Inspiring Speakers at TechTides Youth
- vanessamcgeehan0
- Nov 6
- 5 min read
Updated: Nov 7
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 place on the Hightop Accelerator Programme.
Teachers, schools, and youth leaders across Derry & Strabane are already securing tickets to help their students explore what’s possible in tech and innovation.
Why Young People Will Love TechTides Youth
Designed for 15–20 year olds in the Derry~Londonderry and Strabane area, the event offers a unique chance to:
Hear from young professionals and entrepreneurs who’ve recently entered the tech industry.
See relatable, real-life examples of successful pathways into tech.
Explore exciting local and global career opportunities in fields like AI, app development, and digital entrepreneurship.
Ask questions, network, and be learn more on ow they can pursue careers in the STEM and tech industry.
Meet the Speakers
Isabella Leonard – Social Entrepreneur & Co-Founder, MORE
Isabella co-founded MORE, a movement putting social impact at the heart of entrepreneurship. She’s passionate about proving that young people can build businesses that matter — ones that tackle real-world problems while creating opportunities for others.
Ava McGurk – 6x Award-Winning Innovator & Co-Founder, ReCreo
At just 17, Ava is already a six-time BT Young Scientist winner and co-founder of ReCreo, a platform reinventing therapy planning with smart tech. She’s showing how psychology and innovation can change lives — and she’s only getting started.
Clare Hamilton – Tech Entrepreneur & Co-Founder, The Influencer Hub
Clare is the co-founder of The Influencer Hub, a fast-growing platform helping creators and brands connect in smarter ways.
A former NWRC student with a background in computer science, she has been recognised with multiple prestigious awards, including the Student Award Invent 2025 and the accolade highlighted below, celebrating her achievements and potential in tech and entrepreneurship. Clare is turning influencer marketing into something authentic, efficient, and future-ready.
David McGuckin – AI Entrepreneur & Co-Founder, Opinly
David is the co-founder of Opinly, an AI-powered platform shaking up digital marketing. He recently led a successful funding round and is scaling Opinly fast — giving ambitious marketers the kind of tools usually reserved for the big players.
Josh McCamley & Zach Johnston – Game-Makers & Co-Founders, Mad Moon Studios
Josh and Zach are the creative duo behind Mad Moon Studios, an indie game company from Belfast. They’re building SOL DRIFT, a high-speed arcade flight game, proving you don’t need a huge team to make waves in gaming.
Hear how two young founders turned their love of gaming into a real studio — and how you could too.
John McElhone - Co-Founder and CEO of Americal Rail (A CropSafe Company)
John is Co-founder and CEO of American Rail (a CropSafe company), creating a nationwide rail sensor network that turns U.S. freight into real-time market data for commodity trading.
He founded CropSafe in Northern Ireland, grew it to San Francisco, and delivered software to thousands of farms across the country. In 2023 he became a Thiel Fellow, investor Peter Thiel’s program which funds young founders to leave school and build companies instead; joining an alumni network that has generated over $500B in value through firms like Figma, Scale AI and Ethereum.
Meet the Panelists
Jennifer Neff - Coordinator, TechTides Youth
Jennifer is an award-winning entrepreneur, creator of HighTop and co-founder of Elemental Software — a tech company built from a spark of an idea and grew into one of Ireland and the UK’s most recognised social impact tech success stories.
Passionate about unlocking potential in young people, Jennifer leads TechTides Youth with the same energy and vision that has powered her own journey. She’s here to remind every young person in the room: you don’t need permission to start — just build it.
Aoife Heaney - Event Manager, Tech Tides Youth
Aoife is the powerhouse behind The AMP’s biggest events — the one who turns ideas into seamless experiences that connect people, stories, and opportunity. With a background in business support programmes and creative event design, Aoife brings warmth, precision, and a deep passion for showcasing
local talent. At TechTides Youth, she’s the organiser-in-chief — making sure every speaker, volunteer, and student feels part of something bigger. Her superpower? Making complex events look effortless while keeping the energy high and the vibes good.
Dylan McNee - Technical Analyst, Alchemy
Dylan recently graduated in Business Information Technology from Queen’s University Belfast. During his studies, he completed a placement year with Alchemy
Technology Services, becoming an ACE-certified developer in Guidewire PolicyCenter.
After graduating, he rejoined Alchemy as a Technical Analyst, where he is part of a team
developing the policy administration system for a European insurer. Dylan is passionate
about building a career in technology and about encouraging young people in the north-
west and beyond to explore the opportunities the industry has to offer.
Deirbhile Leonard- Graduate Software Engineer at Allstate NI
Deirbhile is a recent graduate software engineer at Allstate, who studied Computer Science at Magee, with experience in full stack development and AI. She works on building scalable, innovative solutions and is passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems.
Becca Cooke - Junior Software Developer, AVEVA
At AVEVA Becca works on the AIM (Asset Information Management) product, focusing on the Document Rendering Service, which helps convert and display documents. Previously, she also worked on AIM’s data pipeline, helping collect, process, and organise data.
Empowering the Next Generation of Social Entrepreneurs
Hightop is partnering with TechTides Youth to host a business idea competition. The closing date has now passed, and we’re excited to see the winner announced live at TechTides Youth on November 18th.
The winning team will receive £500 and a place on the Hightop Accelerator Programme, starting in January 2026 for six months. This programme will provide guidance, support, and the tools to help young people turn their ideas into real projects.
As the Gold Sponsor of TechTides, Hightop is proud to help give young people the resources, opportunities, and support to explore careers in tech and entrepreneurship. Founded by award-winning entrepreneur Jennifer Neff, Hightop is her newest venture, dedicated to helping the next generation turn bold ideas into into movements that matter.
Secure your tickets today and join us at TechTides Youth - https://techtides.co
Learn more about the Hightop Accelerator Programme - https://www.hightophub.com
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