And for our next trick…all about TechBoost 25 and our winners, TeamBirdAI

For six months every year at Vodafone in the UK, members of our youth community come together in teams to collaborate on solutions for real business problems. Apprentices and graduates navigate stakeholder expectations on their own - no managers or colleagues to fall back on - to ultimately present a prototype to a panel of senior experts.

As always, TechBoost 2025 resulted in some truly impressive and creative products. Here to tell us about it, and what developing the winning entry ‘MEC AI Service Innovation’ taught its creators, are the people who brought it to life - get inspired!

Jake (Techboost Organiser)

TechBoost is a unique opportunity. Our graduates and apprentices get exposed to unparalleled levels of responsibility and accountability across all facets of a project. They encounter concurrent and perhaps conflicting stakeholder expectations which they must navigate independently, as their own experts.

It’s a microcosm of the wider business as far as the skills and values that we preach. It promotes our Spirit behaviours and focus on Customer, Simplicity, Growth and Purpose. It is a true test of character and ingenuity, teasing participants with a glimpse of life beyond their respective youth schemes, and enhancing not only their technical development skills but soft skills that can’t just be ‘taught’. 

Jindong (Team BirdsAI Sponsor)

Sponsoring this program each year allows me to cultivate a mindset of innovation, flourish AI skill development for enterprise, and inspire teams to push beyond their comfort zones. Observing them thrive, tackle challenges head-on, and deliver breakthrough solutions makes it all worthwhile.   

Once I’d identified a suitable project proposal, I gave the team full freedom to define, problem-solve, and resolve it all by themselves. I do this every year, and each time, my team’s collaborative spirit and determination to make breakthroughs and win the event is truly inspiring. I was so impressed with TeamBirdAI’s ability to blend Vodafone’s network assets with cutting-edge AI technology for both business growth and social good. They demonstrated agility, fast learning ability, and a customer-oriented mindset which ensured their ultimate solution was both innovative and practical.

Fiona (Team BirdAI Coach)

I love working with our young talents. Every year, their passion and fresh perspectives in TechBoost projects inspire me. They approach problems with curiosity and creativity, and it’s a joy to support them in turning ideas into real solutions. Being a TechBoost coach means learning alongside them, and that’s what makes it so rewarding. 

What stood out to me most about my team this year was their strong sense of organisation - each member knew their role and goals clearly. Their active participation in weekly meetings, sharing updates and blockers, showed how much they cared. As a coach, it was wonderful to see every voice contributing to the project’s growth. That kind of teamwork is what makes these journeys so special. 

And finally, the people of the hour: Team BirdsAI!

James (Team BirdsAI - Data Platform Lead)

I loved being part of TechBoost. I really enjoyed discussing the problem statement with an area of the business that I have not had exposure to, and appreciated learning about a brand new subject area that is very much on the forefront of technology within the Telco industry. Felt good to win!

Sandra (Team BirdsAI - Data & Processing)

What I enjoyed most about being part of the MEC AI Service Innovation team was the strong sense of collaboration and teamwork. It was a genuinely enjoyable and fun experience. I gained practical experience with cloud technologies and had the chance to experiment with different AI models, which really deepened my learning. I also appreciated the exposure to wider teams across the organisation and the incredible opportunity to present our work in front of inspiring leaders at Techboost and the Global Hackfest semifinals. It was both a personal and professional highlight!

Laison (Team BirdsAI - Technical Project Manager)

Our MEC AI Service Innovation solution was actually a pivot from our original plans. Throughout our three-month TechBoost experience, we encountered business uncertainties regarding MEC (AWS Wavelength), so we pivoted our project narrative to focus on Mobile Private Networks (MPN) while continuing to develop and deliver our objectives. This strategic decision proved successful! We maintained our momentum and kept the team cohesive while achieving our goals. A great experience that I’d recommend to anyone.

Bakhtawar (Team BirdsAI - Data Analytics)

There were plenty of challenges our team faced this year. The first major one was deciding on the idea itself! Then we encountered several technical hurdles along the way. But our shared resilience really strengthened our bond - not only did it enable us to overcome all the obstacles together, but it also brought us closer as a team. I’m really proud of the product we came up with, as well as how we got there through great collaboration and support for each other.

Radina (Team BirdsAI - Edge Solution Lead)

Being a part of Team BirdAI has been incredibly enriching and contributed greatly to my professional growth. Alongside the technical skills I gained, such as Python development and model deployment, my tech stack was significantly enhanced. I also developed valuable soft skills and methods of working, including agile methodologies, pair programming, and debugging, and created fun demo videos and presentations, which added a creative dimension to my learning experience.

Jack (Team BirdsAI - AI & Process Lead)

TechBoost was such a great learning experience for me. I was on a multi-talented team, where everyone came from a different background, and each provided a unique differentiated skill to the table. Learning how to leverage these varied skills to build the most effective team unit was a great experience and has set us all up well for working on future projects. 

Radhica (Team BirdsAI - Edge Solution)

Our MEC Service AI Innovation project gave me the opportunity to learn various new skills, especially working with the Raspberry Pi, which was a first for me. It was a great hands-on way to understand how AI can run on lightweight hardware. It also gave me the chance to deepen my understanding of real-time systems and how different components like object detection and data handling fit together - and our supportive and skilled team made the whole experience even more rewarding!