Innovators Tackle the Challenges of the Modern World – Programming Marathon Results

About #ideaHACK

In response to local problems caused by COVID-19 and the upcoming challenges of the modern world, the Venture Cafe Warsaw Foundation, Oracle, and Arrow organized #ideaHACK (www.ideahack.org), a 4-day hackathon – an intensive program for creating technological and business solutions with the active participation of leaders from the innovation community. The initiative aimed to create solutions focused on minimizing the social consequences we will face in the new reality.

Winners

Winners and Their Projects

For exactly 4 days, 20 exceptional teams worked intensively on creating innovative solutions that will change the world for the better and ultimately transform into working businesses (startups). The quality of the projects that emerged exceeded our expectations.

“We were impressed by the commitment and creativity of the teams. As a result, 20 prototypes were created that respond to the social needs that exist in the current situation. Together with the #ideaHACK Partners, we plan to support each of them in the further development of their created solution” - says Aureliusz Górski, Managing Director of the Venture Cafe Warsaw Foundation.

The topics addressed by the teams included: senior activity, education, access to fresh food, local community integration, online meetings, mutual information systems, and volunteering. Over 250 people were involved in the initiative, including 160 participants, 40 business and thematic mentors, 50 technology experts from Oracle and Arrow – the #ideaHACK Technology Partners – and a 7-person Jury that did not have an easy task. The heated deliberations ended with the distinction of 12 projects:

  • Seniors – a web application for the daily activation of Seniors through their participation in improving gymnastics, under the watchful eye of a physiotherapist and group supervisor, with the option of communicating with other participants.
  • Volontarius – a platform of aid offers and requests that (automatically) proposes to users offers tailored to their preferences, capabilities, and skills.
  • foodHALL – a virtual marketplace for local food.
  • Silver Generation Community – a platform for virtual meetings of the silver generation community.
  • AirLogistic – a service for managing free portions of warehouse space with a short-term rental option.
  • BliskoNas – a local classifieds portal aimed at seeking and offering help in one's immediate surroundings, building and strengthening neighborly communities, and reinforcing the local.
  • eBarter – a functional mobile barter application that enables quick and safe exchange of goods or services.
  • KORKI – a tutoring app "on demand," enabling an instant connection between an available tutor and a student who needs support.
  • Wombat – an application that searches for and facilitates conducting science experiments using items that can be found at home.
  • Cards That Say – interactive worksheets – development and improvement of individual educational, cognitive, and social skills of students with special educational needs.
  • Live cooking – building relationships by learning to cook from a chosen person from anywhere in the world.
  • HXS meetROOM – streaming with recording, quick editing of recordings, and secure sharing of VOD materials with selected people.
“I am glad I had the opportunity to participate in #ideaHACK as a jury member. In my opinion, the online hackathon format itself worked very well. The organizers proved that by using the right tools, creating new solutions is possible regardless of the situation. A great many interesting applications and solutions were created, dedicated to seniors and other groups facing numerous difficulties” - says Dr. hab. Aleksandra Przegalińska, Leon Koźmiński Academy, #ideaHACK juror.
“We need ideas on how to make life easier, which the pandemic has made harder. We need tools that will support us in today's most important needs – not only in health but also in everyday life, education, and new forms of entrepreneurship capable of taking care of the local, the environment, and the community. #ideaHack showed that the ideas are there, and behind them stand talented people with passion. That is worth supporting!” - says Bogna Świątkowska, founder of the Bęc Zmiana Foundation, #ideaHACK juror. “We proudly engaged our resources to be part of this amazing initiative. Arrow is a company that supports innovation. We work with organizations in over 349 locations and 80 countries to build a better future. That is why I believe that most of these unique solutions created during #ideaHACK will also be promoted beyond Poland” – emphasized Piotr Okal, Development Director at Arrow – #ideaHACK Strategic Partner.

Collaboration in the Virtual World

Collaboration in the Virtual World

The event took place entirely in virtual space, which was a major organizational challenge. Effective collaboration was made possible through the use of the following tools:

  • the Virtual District Hall platform - the world's first online innovation hall, created by the Venture Cafe Warsaw Foundation, where participants completed implementation training and then worked in teams
  • the APEX development environment on the Oracle Autonomous Database Cloud technology platform - the world's first and most technologically advanced autonomous database, which redefines data management by using machine learning and eliminating human error
  • OCI Oracle Cloud Infrastructure - second-generation cloud infrastructure with consistently high performance, based on an unrivaled management and security control mechanism, designed to serve the most important business applications.

Team formation took place via SLACK, one of the most popular communication tools. The group leaders were leading entrepreneurs, scientists, and representatives of the public sector from Poland, the CEE region, and Europe, who supported the programming teams with their knowledge and experience.

“We were very excited to observe the high level of collaboration between experts and scientists along with Oracle engineers from the European region, as well as the way the teams used advanced technology to create ready-made solutions in a simple way. By the end of #ideaHACK, we were positively surprised by the number and maturity of the cloud applications developed in such a short time, most of which can be used immediately in the fight against the negative effects of Covid-19 – and not only in Poland, but in other countries as well, due to their universality” - comments Tomasz Przybyszewski, Regional Director at Oracle.

Success Through Technology

Winning Solutions of #ideaHACK – Projects That Change the World

The unique value of #ideaHACK that distinguished the program from similar initiatives was its model of connecting innovators with representatives of healthcare, science, and the public sector – ultimately increasing the chance of matching ideas to real market needs. That is precisely why seniors, doctors, serial entrepreneurs, and parents appeared among the mentors.

The selection and delivery of Oracle technology based on autonomous and machine learning solutions made it easier for scientists and experts to work independently with advanced IT systems, with a reduced level of technical knowledge required to work with data and the technology itself. This, among other factors, determined the high effectiveness of this initiative, as 90% of teams completed the hackathon with solution prototypes.

“We proved that effective collaboration is possible in the virtual world. Despite difficult conditions, we can never cease it, because it translates into increased social trust and is the best way to exchange knowledge and experience. In short, without collaboration, it is not possible to create innovations, without which we will not be able to repair the effects of the crisis” - concludes Aureliusz Górski, Managing Director of the Venture Cafe Warsaw Foundation.

Organizers: Venture Cafe Warsaw Foundation and Oracle
Technology and Strategic Partners of the event: Arrow, Oracle, Cambridge Innovation Center
Program Partner: Open Innovation House

Summary

The Venture Cafe Warsaw Foundation, together with Oracle and Arrow, organized #ideaHACK, a 4-day online hackathon dedicated to social challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 250 people took part in the initiative, including 160 participants, 40 mentors, and 50 technology experts, who created 20 prototypes – from platforms for seniors, through educational applications, to tools for local exchange of goods. The jury distinguished 12 projects.

The event took place in a virtual space thanks to the Virtual District Hall platform and Oracle technology (including the autonomous APEX database). As many as 90% of teams completed the hackathon with ready prototypes, which confirms the effectiveness of the model of connecting innovators with experts from various sectors. The partners announced further support for the distinguished solutions, including promotion beyond Poland's borders.