Amid the isolation and innumerable problems imposed by the Covid-19, the entrepreneurial universe seeks not to sit still and provide creative solutions to difficulties.
A manifestation of the phenomenon are the calls on line (hackathon, workshop and virtual meetings) to devise and create collectively solutions to problems unleashed by the pandemic. These are proposals designed and launched from institutions or groups in the entrepreneurial world, owners of a special gymnastics to work collectively and very familiar with agile tools that allow ideas to be quickly converted into prototypes (design thinking, sprint, among others.).
However, the calls are open and are capturing the record of those interested in participating in all kinds of fields, beyond the entrepreneurial ecosystem and linked to technology.
The same phenomenon was replicated in three recent and independent cases, which only in hours and with limited dissemination managed to capture the interest of a total of almost 500 very diverse enrollees.
Its about hackathon #lohackeamosentretodos (LHET) organized yesterday and today by three companies nationwide to devise and develop functional prototypes that help solve the challenges of the pandemic and mandatory social quarantine. Another is the first workshop of the open virtual innovation cycle called the Quarantine Challenge, carried out between yesterday and today by the School of Innovation with the support of various actors including The voice (see From Córdoba …). And finally, # HackCovid19AR, the hackathon promoted by the Fide incubator (from the UNC, UTN and the Municipality) with open registration until April 2.
Common objectives
With their differences, everyone is looking for something similar: managing to design, in a short time, through the cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration of volunteers, solutions to urgent challenges posed by the pandemic. And leave that collective knowledge in a state of feasible prototypes available on line, so that institutions or companies can use or implement them.
Similar initiatives are being carried out in Europe in the context of this crisis. From Fide, they cited as an example the hackathon on line from Estonia, where more than 96 ideas to face the pandemic crisis were obtained and 27 work teams were formed. That’s where Coronabot, a virtual assistant who answers questions about the virus, and NotAlone, a quarantined emotional and mental support platform, were born.
“We imagined something from 30 to 50 people. With more than 250 written down and 70 institutions supporting us, we are amazed by the response ”, clarified the promoters of the LHET. They should have stopped registration, but they promise more similar activities; for this they invite to sign up on the web: (https://lohackeamosentretodos.com/).
Luciano Crisafulli, director of Innovation for the Municipality of Córdoba, also said he was surprised by the response to the event launched by Fide together with other UNC offices. “We spread only through our networks and in one day we had 160 registered, impressive,” he revealed. This activity is the local chapter of other similar ones in Uruguay and Costa Rica. It intends to integrate on line Interdisciplinary teams of volunteers to work on solutions for access and management of public information, logistics, hardware, mobility and warning systems. Applications are received at https://www.hackcovid-19.uy/.
From Córdoba, a call that is still open
“Among the people who are participating, there are not only technology workers. We have owners of restaurant chains that should have closed, gyms, architects, designers and more. ” This is how Hernán Virgolini, founder of the School of Innovation, describes the profile of the 30 people who carry out the first two-day workshop online (ends today) of the Quarantine Challenge cycle. Another 50 volunteers were on the waiting list for the next one, a response triggered in a few hours that surprised the organizers. “People want to help and don’t know how. He feels that respecting the quarantine is not enough, ”said Virgolini.
The activity is coordinated by the School in collaboration with experts and entrepreneurs from Córdoba; in order to help organizations and companies working against the clock to overcome the challenge posed by the Coronavirus.
Along with Uvitec, The voice, Hatch Agency and Mural as main partners, the workshops seek to generate a reservoir of prototypes with proven viability that can be quickly implemented. For the participants, the benefit is twofold: helping, networking and training in the use of agile and innovative methodologies.
More information: activatemos.com.ar; Escuela@innovacion.com.ar.
The original text of this article was published on 03/24/2020 in our printed edition.
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