Hosted by Defy in partnership with ATÖLYE and supported by Defy’s sister company, Beko, Hack the Normal an online hackathon has announced the winning innovations.
The hackathon aimed to facilitate and showcase ideas for products and services that could improve life in Africa
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Hack the Normal attracted over 1 000 applicants from 52 countries worldwide together with 294 mentors. From this, the hackathon selected several teams with product concepts in various stages of development.
Between 5 and 7 March, the teams worked on each of their ideas. During the hackathon, each contestant worked on several elements such as product prototyping and storytelling with the help of industry experts. The event also included keynote speakers and panel discussions.
“Our core goal is to improve the quality of life for all Africans: from our employees, to our loyal customers and to those who, like us, believe in the betterment of society, the environment and the continent, CEO of Defy Appliances, Evren Albas said in a statement.
Hack the Normal hackathon category winners
In the Sustainable Living category, the winner was the DSP – Biogas, a durable cooker that uses biogas to warm food items. Second place went to shoe-making initiative Shoeciety while Third Place went to the volunteer finding platform, Assistant Volunteer.
In the Financial Solutions category, product subscription model Africa Xaas took first place. In second place was Remit2Africa, a web solution that collects and compares remittances for people and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). Third Place went to Boku, a blockchain platform for local businesses.
In the Healthy Living category, Industrio, a water transport solution for rural communities, took first place. Industrio was followed by food delivery service GreenGlow in second place followed by hospital patient feedback app Borafya in third.
First Place winners received a cash prize of $5 000. Second place winners received $3 000 and third place winners got $2 000.
The winning teams will also have the chance to work with Defy to further their projects. Defy will also provide promotional support and access to customers through their channels with the ultimate aim of incorporating the projects into the company’s ecosystem.
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Feature image: Marvin Meyer via Unsplash
