The World Bank partnered with CfP for the Pakistan @100 Hackathon in Islamabad, Feb 1-2, 2019, to imagine innovative and forward-thinking solutions to Pakistan’s social development challenges. The seven thematic areas defined for the hackathon were: Agriculture, Climate Change, Gender Equality, Population, Quality Education, Stunted Growth, Sustainable Cities. The participating teams learned about design thinking, how to pitch, and tools they can use for social good. They received mentoring and input from domain experts in government and local organizations, had opportunities to network, and worked in teams to develop solutions.
Over 150 individuals applied, of which 100 applications were accepted. A total of 77 students and professionals combined participated in the hackathon, forming 27 teams. Over 15 mentors, all industry leaders within the selected thematic areas guided the participants and helped them refine their ideas. Based on the impact, scalability, innovation, and sustainability of the proposed solution, six teams were shortlisted and they presented their final pitches on Feb 9, 2019, at the World Bank office to a seven-member jury. The final jury included Dr. Sania Nishtar (Benazir Income Support Program chairperson), Joanna Reid (Head of DFID Pakistan), Dr. Shahbaz Khan (Managing Director KP Information Technology Board), Parvez Abbasi (Project Director, NIC Islamabad), Naeem Zamindar (former chairman, Pakistan Board of Investment), Cristina Santos (Program Leader, World Bank), and Haroon Sharif (VP R&D at LMKT).
Stipple, a centralized marketplace for freelance designers, won the first prize worth Rs. 150,000; Deaftawk, a sign language interpretation startup, was awarded a second prize worth Rs. 100,000; and AgroLab, a startup that helps farmers make smarter decisions through proprietary reforms, took the third prize of Rs. 50,000.
The event was advertized through a Facebook event, and supported by a large number of outreach and network partners. The official hashtag of the event ‘PakistanAt100’ was trending in Pakistan on both days of the hackathon at different positions amongst the top ten.