At Hertzian, we believe that building a great company goes hand in hand with supporting a thriving local economy. Cornwall is growing rapidly as a hub for digital, creative, and sustainable talent, but long-term growth requires a continuous influx of fresh perspectives. Supporting emerging developers, founders, and creators isn't just something we thoroughly enjoy; it is essential to building a stronger, more connected technology ecosystem.
Earlier this year, our CEO, Christopher Weavill, served as a judge for Falmouth University's annual Dragons' Den competition,organised by the university's Employability team. Six finalist teams took to the stage after weeks of intense coaching, pitching their businesses to a panel of industry experts and alumni for a slice of a £6,000 prize fund.
Following the event, we were delighted to open our doors and host a two-day initiative at the Hertzian office, welcoming two groups of inspiring students to explore careers, receive mentorship, and gain real-world insights into working in the technology sector.
Our first day focused heavily on creative tech, bringing in a group of talented students from Falmouth University’s Games Academy.
The group included Brandon Bartley, founder of Retconic, alongside fellow Game Development students Ellie Smith and Sam Lloyd, who are currently developing their upcoming mobile title, Paws of Destruction.
While these particular students didn't take home the top prize at the Dragons' Den event, what instantly stood out to Chris was their immense creativity, ambition, and drive. That spark of potential became the foundation for bringing them into the office to offer them direct access to our knowledge, experience, and emerging technologies through two focused breakout tracks:
On the second day of our initiative, the focus shifted from pixels to a circular economy as we welcomed the official first-place winners of the Dragons' Den competition: Charlotte May and Arwen Weston. Charlotte and Arwen, Sustainable Product Design students at Falmouth University, are the brilliant minds behind Kreyon, an innovative, eco-friendly chalk product. Their pitch completely captivated the judging panel, securing them first place and £3,000 in funding to help bring their vision to life. During their time at the Hertzian office, our team sat down with the founders to discuss the practicalities of turning an idea into a sustainable business, including product development, branding, commercialisation, and the resilience required to launch a new venture.
The true highlight across both days was getting an in-depth, hands-on look at the projects these students are actively building, allowing us to see how their ideas have evolved from the pitching stage into meaningful industry products.
Brandon Bartley introduced us to Retconic and its flagship platform, The Game Board. Originally pitched at the Dragons' Den event as Retconic Docs, this platform is an AI-powered workspace for project management and development. It is purpose-built to help creative studios, indie teams, and solo developers organise, scope, and refine their game ideas before entering costly production cycles. By keeping design documentation fluid and intelligent, it addresses the very planning bottlenecks indie developers face daily. The ambition behind the platform stands out as a strong example of how student-led tools can genuinely evolve to change industry workflows.
Learn more here: www.retconic.com
Ellie Smith and Sam Lloyd shared an early look at Paws of Destruction, a highly creative, personality-filled mobile game project that won plenty of fans during campus trials. The game puts players in charge of saving their furniture from a lovable dog that's gone full zoomies. As your energetic four-legged friend tears around the house, you'll need to quickly drag and move furniture out of harm's way before chaos takes over, creating fast-paced, light-hearted gameplay built around timing and reaction. The project demonstrated mature early-stage design thinking.
Play and test the game here: elliesmithgames.itch.io/pawsofdestruction
Charlotte May and Arwen Weston showcased Kreyon, an eco-friendly chalk product made primarily from discarded oyster shells collected from local Cornish restaurants. Inspired by the Cornish word "krey" (meaning "chalk"), the project transforms a local waste stream into a sustainable, creative product, providing an alternative to traditionally sourced chalk. By repurposing oyster shells that would otherwise be discarded, they've created a product that combines sustainability, creativity, and circular design principles while keeping sourcing and production closely connected to Cornwall.
Their website is coming soon: www.kreyon.co.uk
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Our team walked away from both days incredibly inspired by the curiosity and drive of these student innovators. Reflecting on the gaming sessions, Benny Bottalico, who works closely with gaming communities through our PlayerXP platform, shared:
“It was great meeting Ellie and Sam. They brought a prototype of their game, Paws of Destruction, and their passion and determination to bring it to players really stood out. It was exciting to see how much thought they'd already put into the project on the creative and development side of things.”
Reflecting on his conversations with Brandon, David Dixon added:
"What stood out about Brandon was his drive to keep learning and improving. He’s always asking thoughtful questions and looking for ways to take the next step forward. That curiosity and determination are qualities that will take him far, both with Retconic and throughout his career in technology."
Our CTO, Andy Husband, also shared his thoughts on the experience:
"It was great getting to meet the winners and runners-up from Falmouth University's Dragon's Den event. It's clear they're a smart, dedicated, and driven group of young people. I'm looking forward to seeing where they go and what they achieve. I hope they find our advice helpful as they continue on their journey."
For us at Hertzian, initiatives like this go far beyond office visits or corporate presentations. They are about creating real access points between education and industry, where students can ask questions freely, test ideas, and understand what professional development actually looks like in practice.
As David Dixon beautifully put it during our team feedback:
“Hertzian naturally allows people to grow, giving us the space to experiment, find our unique talents, and take real pride in our work.”
That exact same principle applies outwardly as well. We see supporting early talent as part of a long-term mission: building an environment where local ideas can move from concept to reality, and where the next generation of developers and entrepreneurs can gain the confidence and connections they need to progress. As part of that ongoing commitment to regional growth, we will also be opening up a handful of internship opportunities this autumn. These roles will give aspiring professionals the chance to gain hands-on industry experience, receive direct mentorship from our team, and develop their skills in a real-world business environment.
A huge thank you to all the students who joined us over these two days. Your energy, curiosity, and ambition made the experience incredibly rewarding for our entire team, and we're excited to follow your journeys in the years ahead!
Are you an industry professional looking to support local talent, or a student developer looking for insight? Reach out to us, we'd love to hear from you!
