Participants at this year’s annual hackathon – hosted by Stellenbosch University’s (SU) InnovUS and LaunchLab – had 40 hours to complete a single data technology challenge. This is according to Nadine Price, operations manager at LaunchLab, and one of the event’s hosts.
The annual hackathon, which took place from 16 to 18 August, first began when Entersekt, a financial authentication company, approached SU LaunchLab and proposed a hackathon as a talent recruitment process, said Brandon Paschal, manager of SU LaunchLab. The first hackathon was hosted in 2018, said Price.
“The problem was really interesting,” said Emma Sharratt, a Stellenbosch University electrical engineering masters student who was part of the team that came first at SU LaunchLab’s annual hackathon where participants were required to tackle cost management problems on cloud platforms. From back left: Divan van der Bank, Retief Louw, front: Dgibrilly Mutabazi, Emma Sharratt, Kharendwe Makhani, Kabelo Maphutha. PHOTO: Supplied/Ignus Dreyer
This year, nine teams with 49 participants in total took part in one challenge, said Price. The challenge was open to all SU students, she said.
Team Apollo with Emma Sharratt, Divan van der Bank, Retief Louw, Dgibrilly Mutabazi, Kharendwe Makhani, and Kabelo Maphutha, all SU engineering students at different levels of studying, won the grand prize of R7 500.
A single challenge
The event had one sponsor this year as opposed to its usual 2 to 5 sponsors, said Price. Therefore only one challenge had been set this year. Where previous year’s hackathons sometimes combined financial and data technology challenges, this year’s hackathon required participants to complete a data technology challenge within 40 hours, she said.
Stellenbosch University’s InnovUS and the SU LaunchLab hosted 49 participants at this year’s annual hackathon, according to Nadine Price, operations and community officer at LaunchLab. PHOTO: Abigail Baard
The challenges that are presented always revolve around a “real-world problem that the sponsors are currently experiencing within their company or a project they are working on,” said Price. This adds “real value to […] sponsors and their companies”.
At this year’s hackathon, participants were required to tackle cost management problems on cloud platforms, and pitch how they would take their solution to the market, said Jacques du Toit, one of the founders of Spatialedge, a software company based in Stellenbosch and the sponsor of this year’s challenge.
At this years annual Hackathon, hosted by Stellenbosch University’s (SU) InnovUS and SU LaunchLab, participants were required to tackle cost management problems on cloud platforms, and pitch how they would take their solutions to the market, said Jacques du Toit, one of the founders of Spatialedge, a software company based in Stellenbosch and the sponsor of this years hackathon. PHOTO: Abigail Baard
“The problem was really interesting,” said Emma Sharrat, a masters student in electrical engineering at SU, and a member of the winning team. She said it was especially great to work on a problem that was relevant to the industry.
The team that came first in Stellenbosch University’s InnovUS and SU LaunchLab’s annual hackathon won R7 500, according to Nadine Price, operations and community officer at LaunchLab. “I feel very excited, I think the team worked well together,” said Retief Louw, a member of the team that came first. VIDEO: Abigail Baard