Hello World!
The Scottish Students Startup Summit: Is starting your own games business right for YOU?
11 Chapel Lane, Glasgow, G11 6EW
Information
Hello World! Scottish Students Startup Summit is the essential one-day event for Scotland's future tech and games founders and freelancers.
New research shows a 279% boom in games graduates in the last 10 years. With competition growing and the global games market facing more uncertainty in 2026, it's the perfect time to consider developing and publishing your own game - and asking the question:
Is starting my own games business right for me?
Hello World! is here to help.
Join 200 students and recent grads at the University of Glasgow, for hands-on Workshops (funding, pitching, monetisation, & market validation), facilitated "Find-a-Co-founder" networking, and 1:1 Mentoring in our Innovation Centre.
Hello World! Startup Summit: Programme
09:30 – 10:00: Registration and Coffee (ARC Atrium)
Arrive at the University of Glasgow ARC to collect your badge, grab a coffee, and meet your fellow delegates.
10:00 – 10:10: Opening Remarks: The Honest Architect
Brian Baglow, Director of the Scottish Games Network, sets the stage by explaining the Honest Architect approach - why building sustainable commercial scaffolding is the key to surviving and thriving in the current games industry.
10:10 – 10:35: Founder Lightning Talks
Five rapid-fire, five-minute stories from successful Scottish studio leads. No polished PR decks here - just the raw truth on how they started, why they took the leap, and what worked (and crucially, what did not) as they built their businesses.
Confirmed Speakers: Elena Höge, Jason Wagner, Stuart Muckley, Ella Romanos, and TBC.
10:35 – 11:00: Founder Q&A
A facilitated deep dive where the morning speakers answer your questions on the realities of running an indie studio.
11:00 – 11:45: Monetisation Masterclass
Industry veteran Oscar Clarke delivers a masterclass on revenue design and sustainable business models for 2026.
11:45 – 12:45: Networking Lunch and the Living Lab Exhibition
Lunch is provided in the Atrium. This is also the time to explore the Living Lab, where local indie studios will be demoing work-in-progress titles, and regional business support organisations will be on hand to signpost resources.
12:45 – 15:15: Practical Workshop Rotations
Delegates will rotate through three 45-minute interactive workshops led by some of the most respected names in the UK games industry.
Workshop A: The Professional Pitch - Led by Gina Jackson (Pitchify), this session focuses on moving from creative passion to communicating business value and ROI to partners.
Workshop B: Funding and Finance - Led by Ella Romanos (Arcanix/Fundamentally Games), this rotation covers the commercial anatomy of a studio, investment readiness, and navigating the UK funding landscape.
Workshop C: The Greenlight Lab (Market Validation) - Led by Gary Penn (Denki), this is a commercial sanity check for your game ideas, focusing on market data and the fail fast philosophy.
Parallel Track: Office Hours Drop-In Mentorship
Running alongside the workshops in the Atrium, this zone offers 1-on-1 access to game studio founders & mentors for specific business or career advice.
15:15 – 15:45: Coffee and Final Networking
A final chance to connect with speakers, mentors, and fellow participants.
15:45 – 16:30: Closing Keynote and SGN Roadmap
A summary of the day’s findings and a look at the support available through the Scottish Games Network as you take your next steps.
Supported by the Scottish Government Ecosystem Fund, we offer free travel and remote participation to ensure everyone can build their startup future.
An event by Scottish Games Week