Beyond the Pitch: How IdeaPOP! Is Teaching Students to Build Social Innovation That Works
[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] When the SEED Foundation began reviewing applications for IdeaPOP! 2026, a pattern emerged almost immediately. Across more than a hundred submissions from Hong Kong secondary school students, artificial intelligence featured in nearly every proposal. That observation raised a more important question than whether students…
The SEED Foundation noticed that the majority of applications for IdeaPOP! 2026, a social innovation competition for Hong Kong secondary school students, featured artificial intelligence. This raised questions about whether the students were learning to use AI responsibly and how to build lasting ideas beyond the competition stage.
In its fifth year, IdeaPOP! is sponsored by Citi and runs from January to July each year, transforming students from ideation to a final presentation focused on addressing pressing social issues with sustainable, impact-driven solutions. Throughout the competition, students participate in stages such as mentoring sessions, pitching rounds, and critiques, with an emphasis on refining their problem definitions, feasibility, and relevance.
The process often involves pivots and adaptations, mirroring real entrepreneurship. This year, teams tackled education, elderly care, disability inclusion, and mental wellness, with one winning team using AI to convert study material into melodies for better retention. Post-pitch, students engage in real-world learning through AI Day events at Citi’s Hong Kong office, learning about AI applications in professional settings and human-centered design.
Over 3,000 students have participated, generating 750 technology-based solutions, highlighting the programme's impact in preparing future talent for responsible AI innovation.
Written by urgent.news from SCMP Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
