Come and let’s Feed the Future, Hackathon style!
Let us cut to the chase. Global systems are broken, and the corona epidemic only proves it. Business as usual is failing us. In fact, it has been failing us for decades. The corona epidemic has exposed major flaws in our political, economic, and social systems all at once. The verdict is crystal clear: the status quo simply cannot continue. The adage `necessity is the mother of invention` certainly rings true at this pivotal juncture. The window to a new future is wide open and the groundwork of a new world order needs to be laid.
Inspired by the deeds of Hack the Crisis, our small team of young, aspiring entrepreneurs decided we needed to join the effort in remaking global systems. Why not organize a virtual hackathon that tackles the challenges caused by the pandemic? All while maintaining our physical distance and still staying safe. The `What the Quack` hackathon was thus born. It ran from the 3rd to 5th of April 2020, attracted over 200 participants from 22 countries and received significant media attention locally as well as abroad.
Earlier this year Ambitious Africa partnered with What the Quack with the aim of taking advantage of the innovation energy of hackathons to support emerging markets in African countries. To accomplish this goal, Ambitious Africa will soon start organizing online hackathons addressing issues such as agriculture, food security, foodtech, environmental sustainability, collaborative open innovation and ICT-enabled entrepreneurship. These events are not only for the IT-oriented but are for storytellers, artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, thinkers, innovators, people of determination, strategists, business people, problem solvers, and anyone with an imagination to make things better. The African oriented hackathons are scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2020.
But why wait for Fall 2020? the restrictions in travel and trade caused by the Covid-19 epidemic have and will continue to result in severe disruptions and bottlenecks to our food supply chain systems. Most of these disruptions will likely have lasting effects on these systems. Investing in food technology is key to dealing with these disruptions- now and in the future. That is why on the pipeline this month is a Food Tech hackathon. A hackathon that provides a platform for students, food innovators, startup founders and leading industry experts to brainstorm, build and validate new ideas with the potential to transform the food sector. The `Feeding the Future` food tech hackathon is slated for June 26th to 28th 2020. Registration is ongoing so strike while the iron is hot. Participants are invited to offer fresh perspectives on current issues in the food industry. Hackathons always focus on the fun of dealing with a problem and tinkering with solutions. The playful approach, which also includes failure in the meantime, helps to maintain the fun of the events, which usually last several hours.
Ambitious Africa is all about learning by doing. That is why we are partnering with the Feeding the Future Hackathon to increase the quality of exports between the Nordics and African countries. You can get your innovative business idea kicked on June 26th to 28th. Finland has been listed as one of the best in the world for its work in food engineering. Here is your chance to figure out why. So, join today...and later, join us in Fall 2020.
What the Quack? is a hackathon organization tackling challenges facing us both locally and globally.
Foodtechies is a startup ecosystem helping to grow the Finnish and Global FoodTech scene. Our latest effort is the Feeding the Future Hackathon.
FinestNinja connects international talents - we call them Ninjas - with startups in FinestBay Area, the entrepreneurship hub of the Nordics and Baltics.
