Standard Bank inaugural UniHack a resounding success
Standard Bank recently hosted its first ever UniHackathon event in Cape Town. The event, in its first iteration, is an extension of the previously held Group Kuunda Disrupt Hackathon, targeted at selected graduates, and designed to expose customer-centric, innovative solutions to everyday challenges. The intention is also to expand the growing technology footprint of Standard Bank in Cape Town.
“Globally, hackathons are a way for aspirant technicians and diverse groupings to develop and sharpen their skills for solutioning and innovation, at Standard Bank we embrace the spirit of this approach,” says Jörg Fischer, Standard Bank Group Chief Information Officer.
The event ran over two days and consisted of eight teams with five members in each team. Each team was asked to develop innovative ways to respond to various challenges that are applicable to financial services and broader society. Teams were allocated 18 hours to develop their solutions which were judged upon completion of the presenting their proof of concept to the diverse judging panel.
“We are immensely proud of all our participating teams; they embodied the spirit we want the UniHack to inspire and proved their ability to develop innovative solutions under pressure” adds Mr Fischer.
Prizes were awarded for the top three teams. The team that came first created a solution called Kuunda Jobs which sought to reduce unemployment by creating micro-jobs, similar to an e-service for talent. The second placed team created a solution related to how to assist students to pay off their loans faster. The third team designed a farming application related to the category reducing unemployment in the agricultural sector by bridging the gap between the farmer and buyer. The solution also offers delivery services in rural areas and townships, E-bike delivery service, and farmers can advertise their products and delivery to residents. It also includes a home language translation feature.
“We look forward to hosting future iterations of this event and playing our part in the development and growth of the future leaders, innovators and disruptors of this continent which we call home,” concludes Mr Fischer.
You can access a video of the UniHack here.