ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Hindsight Ventures is excited to announce "Pamoja Hackathon and Innovation Challenge" an initiative supported by The High Commission of India to Kenya and in partnership with Zoho. Pamoja Hackathon and Innovation Challenge is a first-step in building a robust bilateral startup and innovation corridor between India and Kenya by bringing together the young minds from Kenya to solve for ESG/Sustainability/ Net-Zero.

The program targets enablement of entrepreneurship among the youth from Kenya. The Hackathon and Innovation Challenge aims to identify 10 ideas (5 Hackathon + 5 Innovation Challenge) who will be presenting their innovative solutions at the Demo Day on 15th June, 2023 in Nairobi, KE.

ABOUT HACKATHON &
INNOVATION CHALLENGE

The Pamoja Hackathon and Innovation Challenge is groundbreaking in several ways, as it provides a great opportunity to discover and develop real solutions, with the guidance and mentorship from industry experts and successful entrepreneurs, that will enable participants to quickly turn their ideas into a prototype using the Zoho Creator Platform.

This Hackathon and Innovation Challenge will establish a roadmap to create the future of ESG/Sustainability/ Net-Zero applications sought by the industry, get hands-on experience and have fun with some competition. The program encourages Kenyan innovators, entrepreneurs, developers and maker communities to be creative, visionary and build great prototypes that change the world.

PROGRAM TAKEAWAYS

Entrepreneurship
Bootcamp

10 high-potential founders will be selected for a week-long mentorship bootcamp, that will be delivered by successful founders, industry leaders, domain experts and investors before presenting at the final Demo Day.

Zoho
Credits

All hackathon registrants will also get an exclusive expert-led training on Zoho Creator and learn how this low-code platform can simplify app development.

Demo DayDemo Day

The selected 10 entrepreneurs will be presenting at the “finale”, which will be held as an in-person event in Nairobi, KE on 15th June 2023 suppoted by the High Commission of India to Kenya and in partnership with Zoho, and the participants will be presenting to an audience comprising successful entrepreneurs, industry executives, investors and Government bodies from Kenya.

Winners PrizePrize

Winner of the Innovation Challenge will be awarded an all expenses paid week-long Innovation Ecosystem tour to India. Two prizes of KSH 50,000 and KSH 30,000 will be awarded to 2 Winners of the Hackathon Challenge.

WHO MUST APPLY

Kenyan Youth in the age bracket of 18-30 years old (individual/team) with an innovative idea/solution for the below listed problem statements/focus areas.

Note : Move the cursor on below icons to learn more about each problem statement

Education

How can we prepare the youth for jobs that have not yet been created, tackle societal challenges that we cannot yet imagine, and use technologies that have not yet been invented? How can we equip them to thrive in an interconnected world where they need to understand and appreciate different perspectives and opinions, interact respectfully with each other, and take responsible action toward sustainability and collective well-being? We challenge you to build an EdTech solution for enabling Kenya meet its UN SDG’s.

Financial Services

Solutions that promote green financing options and sustainable investments, supporting ESG reporting of businesses, managing risks, and encouraging sustainable business practices are some of the ways in which this sector can accelerate Kenya’s transition to a green economy.

Agriculture

Solutions that promote carbon sequestration and avoid emissions while improving soil health, Solutions to improve farm connectivity to access carbon markets and carbon financing or Solutions that measure and quantify soil carbon, soil health, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Manufacturing

We want you to reimagine a factory of the future that has sustainability at the core of it, by leveraging digital technologies.

Environment

Plastic and Plastic Waste is deteriorating our environment. Can you devise a digital first solution to tackle this menace?

Supply Chain and Logistics

leveraging data and technology to improve supply chain networks while optimizing for CO2 emission.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Hackathon submissions will be “invite-only”, on the basis of your abstract submission. Under Phase-1, participants are required to submit an outline/brief summary of your idea, and should have an intro, body and conclusion. Your abstract submissions will be evaluated on the basis of:

Quick Tips

  • Be Concise. With a 800 word limit, write only what is necessary, avoiding wordiness
  • Be Clear. Plan your abstract carefully before writing it, and consider parameters such as uniqueness, feasibility, marketability, scalability, and possibility of going from idea to prototype
  • Be Clean. Revise and edit your abstract to ensure that its final presentation is error free.
Submit Here!

Product/Services

Submit a working prototype of your solution that will be built of Zoho Creator Platform.

Zoho Creator is a cloud-based low-code platform that allows users to easily create custom web and mobile applications with minimal coding expertise. It offers a drag-and-drop interface and pre-built templates to simplify app development. To learn more about the platform, visit this page.

We are looking for enterprising Kenyan youth (as individuals or teams) to use technology (Software / Hardware / Software+Hardware), and solve for the above listed focus areas. It is mandatory that applicant should have a registered entity operational for minimum 12 months.

Submit Here!

SELECTION CRITERIA

Novelty of the idea and its design

Impact on market (or society)

Unique and interesting idea considering the resources at Hackathon

How close to “product” is the prototype (or hack)?

How creative are you in implementation?

Bonus points: Functionality and originality

PROGRAM TIMELINES

MEET OUR JURY

SUPPORTED BY

SPONSORS PARTNERS

ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS

FAQs

What is the objective of the Hackathon and Innovation Challenge?

Our objective for organising this Hackathon and Innovation Challenge is to inspire open innovation and create out-of-the-box solutions forESG/Sustainability/ Net-Zero problems. By participating in this hackathon/Innovation Challenge, you can meet and work with new people, come up with innovative ideas, and help develop accelerated technology and infrastructure to support ESG/Sustainability/ Net-Zero.

Do I need to pay any money to register for the Hackathon and Innovation Challenge?

No. You do not have to pay anything to anyone to register yourself for Hackathon or Innovation Challenge.

What is the maximum allowed team size?

Hackathon - 1-4
Innovation Challenge - 1 or above

Is there a limit on the total number of submissions?

The total number of submissions allowed by each participant or team member is 1.

How are the submissions going to be evaluated?

The submissions will be evaluated in real-time. We will first evaluate if your solution is feasible i.e. whether all the constraints of the problem statement are met. Final evaluation will be done by our Jury.

What is Zoho Creator Platform?

Zoho Creator is a cloud-based low-code platform that allows users to easily create custom web and mobile applications with minimal coding expertise. It offers a drag-and-drop interface and pre-built templates to simplify app development. To learn more about the platform, visit this page.