Highlight From The FinTech Week Hackathon 2019

The FinTech Week Hackathon 2019 by WHub, DBS and HKECIC took place between 1st — 3rd November.

On the evening of 1st November, excited innovators and disruptors dawned their red T-shirts and filled into Kafnu Hong Kong at the Kerry Hotel. More than 100 participants joined us at the 36-hour FinTech Week Hackathon 2019 organised by WHub and co-sponsored by DBS Bank. Live more, Bank less and HKECIC.

Hackathon kickoff

Day 1 — FinTech Week Hackathon 2019

A presentation by both sponsors describing the problem statements gave participants deeper insights and allowed them to plan their next steps. They also got the chance to find new team members, network with mentors and, ultimately win the opportunity to do a proof of concept.

A delicious dinner prepared by Urban Health Foods and it was down to hustling. With unlimited WiFi for 2 devices per participant, more than 70 stayed overnight munching on snacks, drinking Redbull, and working on their solutions.

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Fun, Food and Figuring out Functions

An early start to day 2 with a refreshing yoga session gave the participants a chance to relax and destress. Mouth-watering baked good from Bite Unite for breakfast and it was back to hustling.

Mentors with expertise in coding, UI/UX, and entrepreneurship supported the participants with advice and insights. Teams took the time to work with mentors to enhance their solutions.

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Gram Milosevic’s coding challenge gave the coders a chance to showcase their capabilities and win amazing goodies. With one level more challenging than the one before, participants were pushed to their limits.

Following an enjoyable lunch by Bread and Beast was Karena Belin’s pitch workshop where the teams got the opportunity to learn hands-on how to pitch and tackle Q&As while presenting their prototypes to judges.

Day 2 ended on a successful note with teams gearing up for the final day and their presentations.

The 36th Hour

With the final hours of the FinTech Week Hackathon 2019 approaching, it was up to the teams to make their best pitches and impress the judges.

After a hearty dim sum brunch, the final presentations began. 15 teams showcased 15 impressive solutions, giving the judges a tough time to choose the best.

Team Sigma

The event ended on a high note with the winners, team Sigma, being awarded HK$25,000 for their mobile application in matching ready millennial clients with investment vehicles that best suit their risk preferences.

Team Brownish

1st runners, team Brownish presented a mind-blowing solution to bring HKECIC’s 50+ years old trade credit insurance system to the cloud.

Team Insignity

2nd runners, team Insignity created a solution that converts text and data to insights. A SaaS tool that enhances daily reporting workflow through Natural Language Processing (NLP).

All participants took home some amazing goodies, and special prizes were given to the winners of the Instagram and Dot Co challenges. For more photos, click here.

Award ceremony with all the winners

On the following week, the award ceremony was held at The Hive Spring where winners shared their experiences, next steps, and also got a chance to have in-depth discussions with the sponsors.

Feedback from judges

I was so excited and inspired by all the speakers when they talk about business and business models, I was fascinated with all the new ideas. I had so many questions and I was very curious. I handed in my card to a lot of teams asking for further discussions regardless of them being winners or not. Maggie Yung, Managing Director, Digital, Innovation, and Payments at DBS Bank.

Hearing from young minds forces us to ask ourselves if we can work differently. Many solutions shocked me, as they were ideas we never thought of. I am excited to stay in touch with the contestants and look forward to upcoming hackathons by WHub. Ralph Lai, Commissioner, Hong Kong Export Credit and Insurance Corporation.

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