Patrik
Holba

Patrik is projectYOU’s link between the world of technology and the development of young people. As a mid-level facilitator, he supports colleagues in delivering programmes and steps in wherever he is needed — sometimes taking care of the technical side, other times leading sessions on young leadership. He understands both how technology works and what people need in order to use it effectively.

He got his own hands-on leadership education as part of the international robotics team The H.E.I.S.T., competing in the FIRST Robotics Competition. One rule from that experience has stayed with him ever since: say yes to opportunities. It was what got him to the US in the first place. And when the team ran out of money, he went around local companies asking whether they would support them. Not a single one did. But the experience of simply having the courage to ask stayed with him far longer than any sponsorship ever could.

The team also had its own motto: team first, robot second. When Patrik’s exchange student status expired and he had to return home, the team faced a choice — buy parts they desperately needed to finish the robot, or pay for Patrik’s flight back. They bought the ticket. That experience reinforced something he still believes in when working with companies and teams today: take care of the people, and the results will follow. It does not work the other way around.

In his free time, Patrik travels and builds his own apps. He enjoys projects that genuinely help someone, not ideas that end up forgotten in a drawer. His next step is studying abroad, where he wants to keep connecting IT and business. In workshops, people are often struck by his age at first — and very soon after, by how much he has already experienced and the energy with which he tells his stories.