In her free time, she participates in Nexteria’s leadership program. Her start-up Benly is working on creating a more sustainable, accessible, and efficient way to exchange business cards and contacts. Despite her school and work responsibilities, she found time to share her story with us.
Do you remember your first experience with IT? How old were you at the time, and who introduced you to it?
My first experience with IT dates back to my childhood, when I was about four years old. My uncle brought a PlayStation 1 from the UK for my older brother, and we played “Crash Bandicoot” together. Even then, I knew that gaming would become my new hobby. Later, my elementary school principal introduced me to IT by recommending the Aj Ty v IT program and the Scratch Match competition, along with workshops organized by Aj Ty v IT for girls. I checked out your website and immediately signed up for one!
What motivated you to wake up early to attend the Scratchathon? When did you wake up, and how long did it take you to get there?
What motivated me was the fact that we hadn’t yet started learning programming in school, and I wanted to be the one who already knew at least the basics. I was also excited because it was my first trip to Bratislava, as I live in Nováky, which is three hours away by train.
I planned the entire trip myself – from finding the information and registering to organizing the journey. I simply told my mom that we were going to Bratislava. She supported me, took a day off work, and we set off together. We woke up at 3:30 a.m. to make it to Bratislava on time.
Do you remember your first real project in Scratch? What was it about, and what did you learn from it?
After attending a workshop by Aj Ty v IT, I started focusing more on Scratch and eventually signed up for the Scratch Match competition. My first projects were:
Animal Farm – This was a simple animation with a farming theme, telling the story of a lost chick. Through small tasks, its family worked to rescue it. At the time, it was very challenging for me and took weeks of work. Today, I could complete it in just a few minutes. In this project, I learned basic loops, if and else statements, sounds, and text fields. When the results came in, I didn’t even make it to the top three. I was quite disappointed and even considered giving up.
Then came the next Scratch Match competition, but it was also during the COVID pandemic, and I had nothing to do at home. I decided to give it another try, even though I didn’t expect to win. I just wanted to give it a shot and worked on the project whenever I had free time.
A Day Without Coronavirus – I created a simulation of daily life during the pandemic. It was an interactive story where players made decisions about how they would spend their day (RPG style). It included various levels, such as choosing what to pack in your bag to stay safe from the virus, going to the store, hitting the gym, or getting back to your apartment.
In this project, I learned how to design my own graphics, use variables, and apply mathematical functions. What I learned from this project still forms a fundamental part of my programming skills in languages like C++ and C#. With this project, I secured second place, which motivated me to dive deeper into programming and design.
When did you come up with the idea to start your own business, and what were your entrepreneurial beginnings like?
When I was 16, I saw an Erasmus program opportunity in Luxembourg on Facebook. I applied and got selected. I bought my own plane tickets and packed my things. Even though I was nervous, I’m glad I took the risk. I had the chance to spend three weeks with people from around the world who had experience in IT and entrepreneurship.
As part of the Erasmus program, we were tasked with preparing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to solve an environmental issue. It was there that I learned the basics of entrepreneurship. I brought what I learned back to Slovakia and introduced this mindset to my classmates.
The idea for my business emerged two years ago at a 3D printing conference in Prague. A businessman approached my teacher, asking for his business card. My teacher replied that he didn’t use business cards because people often lose them. Instead, he started dictating his contact information, which took about ten minutes due to corrections.
I suggested creating something unique for him. I used a plain white RFID card, like the ones used for access control, and encoded his basic contact information onto it. I then covered it with a sticker, but it looked terrible.
Later, we started using UV printing to create custom designs with portraits. After testing prototypes and validating our idea, we founded our company, Benly, with the help of an investor.
We entered various competitions, such as the SOČ (Student Professional Activities) and the Technical Olympiad, where we won nearly everything we could. This success led us to the Alpha program at the Web Summit in Lisbon, where we were selected as the youngest participants.
How do you manage to balance school, running your startup, and working on new projects?
It’s challenging. Mornings are for school, afternoons for Nexteria (a leadership program), and evenings for the startup. Even though it might not look like it, school is my top priority because I believe everyone should finish high school properly.
Even though my calendar is booked a month in advance with various activities, I make an effort to find time to rest to avoid burnout.
What skills would you like to improve in the near future, and why?
I definitely want to improve my communication skills since they are often the foundation of success. Even though I’m an extrovert, I feel I still have room to grow in both personal and online communication.
From a technical perspective, I want to enhance my design and project management skills and deepen my knowledge in AI. In the near future, there’s a chance that AI, being faster and more cost-efficient, will replace some parts of human labor. It’s crucial to educate ourselves in this field, and those who know how to leverage AI will have the upper hand.
What tools and programs do you regularly use in your work? Do you have any favorites?
I use many tools, and both my team and I strive to adapt to new technologies, often switching from one program to another. Currently, I work with:
- Video editing: CapCut (a highly underrated program)
- Personal planning: Google Calendar, Notion
- Communication: Slack, Discord
- Favorite tool: ChatGPT
- Project planning: Asana/Trello
- Design: Figma, Canva
- Web development: Visual Studio, WordPress, Lyssna
What message would you give to girls who want to enter the world of technology but don’t know where to start?
Whenever someone asks me this question, I always direct them to Aj Ty v IT because that’s where I started.
If they’re still in elementary school, I recommend joining a computer or IT club where their teacher can support and guide them toward an IT career.
For high school students, I suggest exploring the Growni platform, where they can find numerous IT workshops, mentors with industry experience, and internships that can inspire and advance them in the IT field.
I’m particularly excited about a project that will launch soon – “Digitálna Strelka”. It addresses this exact issue. Based on a test, it will guide users on which IT career path to take. Absolutely amazing!
