Future Leaders Business Hackathon

sherloc sparc

A national business challenge connecting students, universities and the SME ecosystem.

The Future Leaders Business Hackathon © (FLBH) is a high-intensity, two-day business challenge designed to give students first-hand experience of what it really means to run a business in today’s volatile, interconnected economy.

Participants are placed in charge of a simulated company and must navigate a series of real-world disruptions - from cashflow pressure and rising costs to hiring constraints and operational shocks -before pitching their decisions to a jury of exited founders, corporate sponsors, investors and local business leaders.

This is not a pitch competition.
It’s a leadership and decision-making challenge.

Why the Future Leaders Business Hackathon(c) exists

At sherloc, we work every day with SME leaders navigating uncertainty, trade-offs and imperfect information.

One thing is clear: there is a growing gap between how business is taught and how businesses actually operate.

The Future Leaders Business Hackathon (c) was created

to close that gap.

It gives students early exposure to:

real decision-making under pressure
financial and operational trade-offs
leadership in uncertain, fast-moving environments

In doing so, it helps build data-driven leadership reflexes that future founders, operators and executives will need throughout their careers.

What students will experience

Over two days, student teams will:

take control of a simulated business
respond to live scenario shocks as they unfold
make strategic decisions with real consequences
work under time pressure as a leadership team
defend their choices to experienced practitioners

The challenge mirrors the reality of running a business - where there are no perfect answers, only informed

trade-offs.

What’s in it for students

Cash prizes (subject to T&Cs)

Paid internship and paid work opportunities

Offered by partner organisations
At the discretion of sponsors
No visa sponsorship provided for non-UK residents

Mentoring and direct exposure

Exited founders
Corporate sponsors
SME leaders, investors and operators

A highly differentiating experience for CVs, interviews

and future ventures

Who can apply

All students are welcome.
Any discipline. Any background.

You can:

apply as an individual (we’ll match you into a team), or
apply as a team of 4–6 students.

Curiosity, teamwork and a willingness to take

on a challenge matter more than prior experience.

How the hackathon works

Apply (solo or as a team)
Attend preparation sessions to understand the challenge and expectations
Compete in the live two-day hackathon
Pitch to a jury of founders, sponsors and business leaders
Attend the award night and ecosystem networking event

University-specific editions

The Future Leaders Business Hackathon (c) runs in partnership with universities. Each institution has its own student cohort, communications and local ecosystem involvement.

Current editions include: