South Africa-based manufacturer of home appliances Defy, has announced will be hosting the ‘Hack The Normal’, online hackathon from March 5th to 7th, 2021.
According to the company, the initiative aims to explore how technology can be leveraged for sustainable living and economic development in Africa.
Supported by Defy sister company Beko, hackathon participants will have the opportunity to develop new products, services and business models with commercialisation potential to address one of the following challenge areas: financial solutions, sustainable living and healthy living.
In addition, over the three-day hackathon, participants will be trained in a myriad of areas ranging from problem discovery and solution development, to prototyping and storytelling. They will also get the chance to refine their ideas with the help of expert coaches and mentors from the fields of business, technology, and design. According Defy, projects that meet its impact, applicability and commercialisation criteria will be selected for further development.
“We invite people from across multiple disciplines to come together to innovate new solutions to ensure a sustainable life in Africa, stimulate economic growth and improve the state of our world,” said Evren Albaş, CEO, Defy Appliances.
Applications close on February 28th , 2021 and will be accepted from both individuals and teams that have ideas or projects which address the hackathon’s challenges. Successful participants will be notified on March 3rd, 2021 via email.
