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Sonny R representing his app to a panel. Photo Supplied: St Patrick’s College
Mackay student Sonny R has taken his innovative finance startup to the national stage, representing the region at the Grand Final of the 2026 Future Anything Challenge in Brisbane on Monday.
The St Patrick’s College Year 10 student secured his place in the finals after winning the semi-final People’s Choice Award for his startup concept, Quantum Finance.
Competing against more than 10,000 students from over 100 participating schools globally, Sonny's achievement highlights the hard work and dedication behind his project.
Developed as part of St Patrick’s Year 10 Economics and Business curriculum, Quantum Finance features an AI assistant, CORA, designed to help users manage their entire financial portfolio. From stocks and cryptocurrency to bank accounts and credit cards, the platform brings everything together in one place.
"I'm going down to Brisbane for the Future Anything Challenge to get assistance and funding to build the proper app, get the AI perfect and sort of launch it on a full scale," Sonny said.
Ahead of the event, Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson visited the campus to inspect the app and show his support for the young entrepreneur as he prepared to pitch for a share of more than $150,000 in seed funding.
"I think what I've seen, and I've only seen a small snapshot of it, this could have been a professional program presented by any commercial organisation in Australia," Mayor Williamson said.
"Sure. He recognises there's some roadblocks they've got to get around. But wow, to have this developed by a 16-year-old of that level here in Mackay."
Humanities Head of Department Diana Bailey praised the months of dedication behind the project, highlighting how St Patrick’s hands-on learning framework empowers students to turn classroom concepts into practical solutions.
"His passion was flawless in his presentation and then the hard work that he's put in with his classroom teacher to take it to where it is now,” Mrs Bailey said.
"There's been after schools, lunchtimes, and obviously Sonny's own personal time put into this in the last six months to get it to where it is."
Sonny pitched live before an expert judging panel at Brisbane's Thomas Dixon Centre on Monday night.
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