Impact Hackathon 2020 seeks to support innovative solutions to pressing social challenges

By Patricia B. Mirasol

Impact Hub Manila (IHM) brings back its Impact Hackathon this year in the virtual space to find and support digital innovations for current social challenges.

“Last year, I had a dream: to provide the same support we’ve been doing here and bring that outside,” said Ces Rondario, founder and CEO of IHM, a social impact incubator and network of entrepreneurs and changemakers. “We wanted to find a way to decentralize stuff we were doing here in Manila and contribute to countryside development.”

The second Impact Hackathon aims to find innovations for social challenges amid the pandemic. Set to run from August 17 to 21, the virtual event will concentrate on five themes: climate change, education, food and agriculture, health and wellness, and smart cities.

TIMELINE AND ACTIVITIES

Participating teams are expected to create minimum viable products by the end of the hackathon. Winning ideas will be incubated by IHM and its partners, who will also support the scaling of the projects to ensure impact and sustainability. Winners will take home over US$100,000 worth of prizes, including access to IHM’s incubation program and its global network of experts and entrepreneurs.

Learning sessions will serve as a platform for discussions and network-building among participants, mentors, and partners.

The hackathon will culminate with a festival titled “2050 Fest,” in which experts, industry leaders, and collaborators come together for panel discussions and the announcement of winners.

The timeline is as follows:

July 1 Opening of registration portal

Aug. 17 Opening program

Aug. 18–21 Hackathon proper and learning sessions

Aug. 22–23 Jury deliberation

Aug. 24 “2050 Fest” culmination program

Aug. 25 Announcement of national winners

Teams are advised to have someone who can pitch and effectively tell the story behind their solution.
Malcolm Tan of Technicorum Holdings Pte Ltd., one of this year’s hackathon partners, also suggested looking into international and inclusive solutions. “Don’t be just restricted by geographic location. Look beyond your borders.”

Ms. Rondario shared that they are in talks with telco partners and are looking into providing Internet support for the participants. “We want to make this as accessible as possible.” She also hopes to see more women joining the event.

SOCIAL INNOVATION CATALYST

Impact Hackathon is part of Impact 2050, a multi-year program designed by IHM to create large-scale economic impact through cultivating the Philippine startup and innovation ecosystem.

Partners from Impact Hackathon 2019 like the Quezon City government, Friedrich Naumann Foundation, Asian Development Bank, and KMC will be back to support this year’s hackathon along with new collaborators such as the Office of Senator Francis Pangilinan, iProcure, Unifinity, Salesforce, Technicorum Holdings Pte Ltd., Multisys Technologies Corporation, and TrueDigital among others. Ms. Rondario likewise mentioned the support of the Department of Agriculture, National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the Department of Science and Technology.

For more details, go to impact2050.com. Interested participants can register at impact2050.com/impact-hackathon.