December 8, 2020
From December 3-6, around 200 participants from around the world developed solutions to economic problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the 48 For The Future online hackathon organized by the U.S. Embassies in Copenhagen, Riga, Tallinn, and Vilnius, Garage 48, and Startup Wise Guys.
37 finalist teams submitted their demos for review by a jury of organizers and experts. The jury selected Gambit by team Recovery Companion, a mobile phone app that logs users’ food consumption and energy, sleep, and activity levels to identify potential food intolerances and makes eating recommendations based on those patterns, as the top submission. The team was composed of members from Estonia and Australia.
Overall, more than 600 people from 70 countries and 27 U.S. states applied to participate in the 48 For The Future hackathon, 119 of them were from Estonia. More than 270 ideas were submitted to the competition. The teams were supported by 70 mentors with a range of expertise from 21 time zones. Many of the ideas were directed at the health, education, and travel industries.
“The teams participating in this event were very driven to achieve their visions. The results were impressive and provide an excellent example of what is possible when people with the right mix of skills come together and work hard toward a common goal,” said Mari Hanikat, CEO of Garage48, after the event.
“Each year around this time, the U.S. State Department showcases the importance of innovation to our economy during National Entrepreneurship Month. The pandemic adds urgency to that message, as innovation will be a key driver of post-crisis global economic recovery,” said Brian Roraff, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn. “The teams that participated in this event really delivered, and the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn was proud to be a part of it.”
The top 7 teams will have an opportunity to join an online pre-accelerator program by Startup Wise Guys starting in January 2021. Numerous other partners contributed to the hackathon communications and supported with mentors: AmCham Estonia, AmCham Latvia, University of Lynchburg, Microsoft, Google for Startups, Haridus- ja Noorteamet, Education Nation, Visit Estonia, Invest Estonia, Proekspert, Kickstart Aalborg, Copenhagen Capacity, Innovation Centre Denmark, sTARTUp Day, SPI, AI Startup Incubator, Medicon Valley Alliance, SPOCK, and Atlantic Link.
