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The prize money will help winner Cyrlene Braithwaite develop a prototype for her app to help people with lived experience of sexual abuse

By Katie Hoggan (Communications Officer (Corporate)), Published

The creator of a new app concept to support survivors of sexual abuse won a hackathon aimed at solving some of the biggest social and environmental challenges in the UK.

The Better Space Self-Starter Hackathon took place on Thursday, March 20 and was facilitated by Cambridge Social Ventures.

The one-day event offered aspiring social entrepreneurs the chance to collaborate and develop meaningful solutions to some of the biggest issues impacting society.

Participants gained insights from successful social entrepreneurs

The event was hosted at Better Space- an affordable co-working space and incubator for social enterprise in Islington.

The space is a joint venture between City St George’s, University of London and Islington Council to support the local economy and help Islington residents access enterprising opportunities. Better Space is part of City Ventures, the University’s entrepreneurship education team.

Participants gained insights from successful social entrepreneurs, refined their ideas in expert-led workshops and pitched for the chance to win game-changing prizes.

The hackathon offered participants the chance to network and collaborate

Local Islington residents, City St George’s students and other members of the public pitched their ideas with Cyrlene Braithwaite winning the hackathon.

Cyrlene Braithwaite pitched ‘Don’t Go to Your Grave With It’  and described it as a platform dedicated to empowering survivors of sexual abuse through storytelling, workshops and holistic healing.

The prize for the Hackathon winner included:

  • £1k grant
  • Free access to community co-working space, Better Space, for six months
  • A spot on the Cambridge Social Ventures incubator programme and venture weekend
L to R: Alex Barker, Benédicte Kalombo, Tia Khan

Attendees took part in idea development workshops, listened to talks by successful social entrepreneurs and investors and networked over lunch before pitching their ideas to a panel. Winners were announced at an awards ceremony.

The judging panel included:

  • Alex Barker, Speaker, Author & Network Lead at Be More Pirate
  • Benédicte Kalombo, Founder & Editorial Director at Pin Africa
  • Tia Khan, Technology Transfer and Commercialisation Consultant at City St George’s

On winning the hackathon, Cyrlene said:

It’s more than just a prize - it’s validation that my idea, Don’t Go To Your Grave With It, has real value and the potential to create meaningful change. It reinforces that breaking the silence around sexual abuse is a conversation the world is ready for and that my platform can help survivors find their voice.

Cyrlene pitched her idea to the panel

“This win gives me the resources, connections and confidence to take my idea to the next level. Most importantly, it proves to me that my vision and my purpose matter. It has given me the confidence to realise I can turn this idea into something that truly helps people. I'm so looking forward to the business support and advice to get going in the right way.”

With the £1k prize money, Cyrlene plans to develop a prototype for an application that will enable people to report sexual abuse anonymously and securely, while also collecting critical data to better understand the true scale of the issue.

According to Rape Crisis England & Wales, 5 in 6 women and 4 in 5 men who are raped do not report it to police.

“This means the official statistics are severely underrepresenting reality,” said Cyrlene. This app will not only provide a safe alternative to traditional reporting channels but also help identify key barriers preventing survivors from coming forward,” she said.

Gabriella Kisoi, Community Manager at Better Space and organiser of the hackathon, said:

What made this hackathon so special was seeing local challenges being solved by local people — those who understand the issues firsthand and are best placed to create real and lasting impact. Better Space has truly become a hub for impact-led innovation, not just in Islington but across London. We’re so proud to support this growing community of entrepreneurs and change-makers.

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