July 8, 2024
PreparationTech's pilot program for the 2023-2024 school year wrapped up last Friday (July 5, 2024).
Thirty plus high school students visited Adyen for a second time to learn about how payment platforms work and how AI is being used to help Adyen serve customers such as Spotify, McDonalds, Booking.com, KLM and many more.
Rather than focus on talks and speed-dating, we invited the students to participate in an ideathon, team-based brainstorming sessions during which they came up with new ideas on how retailers can target the youth market using data collected via ’s payment platform. Students pitched their ideas after a pitch training session given by Adyen sales managers.
The winning team pitched a global summer sales campaign on Amazon featuring clothing and merch based on the Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake rap feud. Honestly, all the students deserved a prize. They pitched in English (their native language is Dutch), they worked in teams with students from another school who they did not know, and they had to apply what they learned about Adyen's technology.
Next year, exciting developments ahead. Stay tuned and if you're a tech company interested in inspiring high school students and making the tech pipeline more diverse and inclusive, reach out!