BASSETERRE, St. Kitts and Nevis – The results are in for the first ever OECS Business Solutions Think Tank and Hackathon 13 -15 August spearheaded by the ECCB, Quintessence Consulting and eCaribbean Ltd. Team Montserrat took the top prize for its application Digicrops which would allow farmers to sell their produce online.
After less than 48 hours of brainstorming, idea formulation and coding with guidance from mentors representing the top echelons of the OECS private and public sector IT community, the eleven teams comprising IT students, teachers, and other IT technocrats as well as entrepreneurs and thought leaders from across the eight countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) demoed their prototype applications to a panel consisting of 13 judges from the ECCU.
Each team had to present their business hack on the final day and Montserrat was the only one with a work prototype. See it here at http://digicrops.com.
The judges had their work cut out for them as they evaluated the prototypes against four categories:
1. User Experience and Design
2. Innovation
3. Impact Potential and Sustainability, and
4. Sharing Resource/Collaboration
WINNERS
First prize went to DigiCrops, Montserrat. The team amassed a total of 179 points.
Digicrops is an online marketplace for farmers to sell their goods to buyers. Farmers can take a picture of their produce insert the required info and then it will be viewed by buyers who can purchase the produce.
The objective is to simplify the process of selling vegetables and other crops in the Caribbean by connecting farmers directly to buyers. The data analysis and other statistical support that will be provided to farmers to create added value that has the potential to enhance the planning and competiveness of farmers who use the app.
The team is comprised of 5 members: Dr. Samuel Joseph; Manish Valechha; Jhovan Daniel; Dexter Small and Enver Browne and Mentors: Sharmaine Francois and Felicia Linch.
The team will be awarded with a XCD$3,500 prize fund for the continuing development of their product, provided by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank
Second prize went to CLink (Caribbean Link), Antigua and Barbuda. The team amassed a total of 139 points.
CLink is a one stop marketplace for Caribbean businesses and consumers to link up with each other and the wider world.
The application seeks to address the many varying challenges and pressures facing SMEs (small and medium enterprises) within the OECS and across the wider Caribbean, particularly inter-island trade.
The team is comprised of 6 members: Elijah James, Julianne Jarvis, Rawle Punter, Dirk Agard, Garrick Stevens and St. Claire Henry and Mentor: Telojo ‘Telly’ Valerie Onu.
The team will be awarded with a XCD$2,500 prize fund for the continuing development of their product, provided by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
Third prize went to EdConnector.ai, Anguilla. The team amassed a total of 138 points.
EdConnector.ai is a mobile chat application that allows teachers to engage in direct dialogue with the parents of their students. Teachers can update parents on the learning progress of their student children, identify areas requiring improvement and notify parents of any issues related to the child’s academic life at the school.
The team is comprised of 6 members: Rebecca Haskins, Danielle Henry, Khonn Hazell- Fleming, Kenvis Gumbs, Jose Vanterpool and Christoph Pradel and Mentor: Ardin Richardson.
The team will be awarded with a XCD$1,000 prize fund or the continuing development of their product, provided by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.
BUSINESS ACCELERATION
In addition to the prize awards, the ECCB, Quintessence Consulting and eCaribbean Ltd. will work with the mentors and judges to provide support to all the eleven teams to catalyse the development of their prototype applications into viable products. The event organisers will also serve as catalysts to support the formation of an e-forum for the participants and encourage their participation in other hackathons outside of the OECS region. These initiatives are expected to support and nurture participants’ prowess in application development.
The prize giving ceremony will take place at the end of September 2015.
JUDGES
Anguilla
· Larry Franklyn Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Utilities
Antigua and Barbuda
· Hewlette Fearon, Technical Research Officer and Project Administrator, Ministry of Telecommunications, Science and Technology
Commonwealth of Dominica
· Marie Marlon, Business Development Officer, OECS, Competitive Business Unit, CBU,
· Jean Pierre, Director of ICT Unit, Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica
Grenada
· Christian Chu Fook, IT Professional and Engineer
·Chad Fraser, IT Professional, Government of Grenada
Montserrat
· Denzil West, IT Director, Government of Montserrat
· Peter White, Border Security, Government of Montserrat
Saint Lucia
· Ian Mitchell, President, ICT Association
· Robin Schouten, Entrepreneur and IT Professional
St. Kitts and Nevis
· Peter Chevozerov, Manager, Peter KN
· Christopher Herbert, PS & Director, IT Department, Government of St. Kitts and Nevis
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
· Michael John, Owner and Manager, Computec Computer Services,
· Ellsworth John, Director, Regional Integration and Diaspora Unit, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
ORGANISERS
About the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB)
To maintain the stability of the EC dollar and the integrity of the banking system in order to facilitate the balanced growth and development of member states.
The Bank aspires to be:
· The leading institution for economic policy advice
· A model for management in the ECCU
· An advocate for the ECCU’s regionalization initiatives
Quintessence Consulting Inc.
Quintessence Consulting Inc. also operating under the brand Diginnovate, is a global strategic, transaction advisory and innovative management consulting services and venture advisory firm focused on providing strategic business, transformation operations, and technology, outsourcing and capital solutions for its clients in order to capitalize on their unrealized and true market value.
e-Caribbean Limited.
e-Caribbean Limited is a media development and management company with over seven years’ experience in the interactive and creative media industry. While we provide a number of solutions, our primary offerings entail web site development, web hosting, management and marketing.
Mr. Russel Williams
Mr. Russel Williams, Consultant, IT Facility is an IT Professional and Consultant for more than 20 years and a business owner since 1998 in developed and developing markets.
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Hackathon Portal : http://oecsthinktankhackathon.devpost.com/
