The winners of the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon have been announced: they are driving innovation and communal impact.
Microsoft hope to drive revolutionary products and services that promote the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a collection of 17 initiatives aimed at making the world more inclusive, egalitarian, and sustainable by 2030, through the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 project.
Congratulations to the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon winners
More than 900 people from over 65 countries joined the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon community to start innovating and unlocking new industry solutions around five themes: gender equality, climate action and sustainability, digital inclusion and accessibility, enabling the nonprofit sector, and community empowerment.
Gender Equality theme winner: Propelelo
Boomerang, a Propelelo product, promises to offer an AI-powered solution to help mothers return to work while also enabling businesses to establish a more diverse and inclusive workplace. A skills training and professional development programme, as well as an AI-powered coach, are included in the solution.
Climate action and sustainability theme winner: Exakis Nelite
Exakis Nelite’s Sustainable Way of Working aims to provide a solution through Microsoft Teams for individual employees to grow their awareness about the environmental impact of daily digital actions. The solution surfaces consumption patterns coupled with data analytics so that employees can get engaged and help reduce organizational energy consumption
Digital inclusion and accessibility theme winner: Bosch Global Software Technologies (BGSW)
To help youngsters with autism spectrum disorders become more independent and confident, BGSW collaborated with a multi-functional team that included teachers and researchers to develop virtual reality therapy. Their VR Bus Ride solution was tested with a group of young people who planned ahead of time to ride public transportation and then successfully used it on their own for the routes they were studying.
Enabling the nonprofit sector theme winner: Codeblox
Gift, a Codeblox product, attempts to assist NGOs in locating and obtaining donations from local communities. The technology will enable matching and more effective communication between the organisation and prospective contributors at scale by tracking the material, financial, and labour needs of NGOs and integrating a smart chatbot.
Empowering communities theme winner: Steamledge
Allon Fasaha, Steamledge's solution, is a mobile offline and online learning gadget that aims to re-engage out-of-school children in Northern Nigeria's remote rural communities. Their solution is being tested and implemented by local community partners, and it offers an asynchronous and autonomous learning alternative tailored to the specific needs of the area.