Nanan Academy Victoria Students Showcase Their Work at Kidovate 2026

On April 11, 2026, Nanan Academy students in Victoria, BC, Canada, took part in the Kidovate 2026 event, where they presented an arcade machine they designed and built. The event was a proud moment for our students, as they had the opportunity to share their work with the public and demonstrate their project.

Kidovate is a youth entrepreneurship event run by the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria. Every year, middle school and high school students on Vancouver Island get a table at a public market and present their own products and services to real customers. The event was held at the Bay Centre in Victoria.

At the trade show, Nanan Academy students showcased their custom-built arcade machine called Retrocade. This project combined technical, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship skills. The arcade machine was powered by a Raspberry Pi 5 and ran an emulator capable of playing retro games. The students also ported their own original games onto the system, giving the public a chance to experience not only classic-style gaming, but also games created by the students themselves. The team also built a custom button interface, demonstrating the practical engineering skills developed throughout the project.

Their hard work was recognized at the event when they won the Innovation and Creativity Award. This was a great achievement, and a reflection of the time, effort, and problem solving that went into the project.

Zlatan Fazlagić, Nanan Academy Co-Founder and Instructor of the Victoria branch, reflected on the experience: “What I love most about this project is that every single student found their place to shine. Each one left their fingerprint on something that none of them could have built alone, and I hope that is something they carry with them.”

We are very proud of our Victoria students for their success at Kidovate 2026. Their work on Retrocade reflects the learning that builds creativity, confidence, and character.