This is where startups and entrepreneurs are born!

We have concluded the second Simonyi Hackathon of the semester. This time it was an opportunity for international students to shine with their hungarian colleagues, and it comes without saying, that they lived up to the challenge.

With over 40 students from across 6 faculties of the University of Pécs, an atmosphere of creativity and entrepreneurships was created, in which the teams were operating for 2 days.

Just like in the Hungarian Hackathon, topics were selected from the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which presented students with interesting and relevant problems to work on. Students had to develop their projects in the following topics:

Sustainability and Sustainable Energy

Community Education

Mental Health

The students went through a challenging and intensive 2 days, as they had to develop their projects from scratch, from the problem seeking and ideation phase, up until pitching MVPs to the professional judges. Of course a couple of coffee and pizza breaks made their work a bit easier. They also had the valuable assistance of mentors and our corporate partners, who helped them shape and polish their projects.

We were delighted to see how the cross-cultural diversity of each team shined through the projects, highlighting the importance of varied perspectives in collaborative work.

We can proudly announce, that we have once again concluded a successful Hackathon, thanks to everyone involved. Students have managed to develop valuable concepts in their projects, showcasing their insight, youthful resourcefulness and amazing creativity. We congratulate every participating student!

We would like to express our greatest appreciation towards our collaborating partners, both alumni and corporate, whose professional, educational and material contribution made this event a truly wonderful and valuable experience. Thank you!

Our collaborating partners:

• Concentrix, Holcim
• interimPRO
• Katica Tanya
• LifeCraft Academy
• Pannon Cégcsoport
• PTE Kutatáshasznosítási és Technológiatranszfer Főosztály

Awarded teams:

1. Place: Team 4 (EcoChic)

· Mentor: Tóth-Pajor Ákos

· Project description: EcoChic is an exclusive truck store offering unique, specialty and one-of-a-kind garments can be purchased on this transparent truck, that is appropriate for roadshows and the creators can work inside of it. This unique shopping experience comes in form of workshops as well.

2. Place: Team 6 (ExploreU)

· Mentor: Kovács Balázs

· Project description: ExploreU is a platform that connects university students with the same interest and mindset via dynamic groups where diverse minds connect over shared passions and goals. Users can discover events and activities that they can enjoy while making lifelong friendships. Value creation includes finding friends, anonymity, helping in mentoring and assignments, finding career opportunities, furthermore, sharing the same interest and ideas. For businesses it is an advertisement opportunity in which sponsorships and partnerships with educational institutions or brands can be established, online courses, workshops, event ticketing and merchandise sales are also part of the activities.

3. Place: Team 2 (Sustainabite)  

· Mentor: Deák Máté

· Project description: Sustainabite is a surface where users can purchase quality surplus food at reduced prices, donate local food surplus to their community, or even empower sustianability by making surplus food accessible.The platform connects restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores and local farmers with low-moderate income families, local communities and donation centres, charity organizations and sponsors.

Special recognition

Team 5 (ECOfit)

o Mentor: Lányi Beatrix

o Project description: ECOfit is a platform-based solution connecting sustainable shops with customers, including donation and charity options. Users can sell used items on a gamified way and products can be transported in an eco-friendly manner, while there are also exclusive options available with a premium status.

Team 4 (EcoChic)

· Mentor: Tóth-Pajor Ákos

· Project description: EcoChic is an exclusive truck store offering unique, specialty and one-of-a-kind garments can be purchased on this transparent truck, that is appropriate for roadshows and the creators can work inside of it. This unique shopping experience comes in form of workshops as well.

Team 6 (ExploreU)

· Mentor: Kovács Balázs

· Project description: ExploreU is a platform that connects university students with the same interest and mindset via dynamic groups where diverse minds connect over shared passions and goals. Users can discover events and activities that they can enjoy while making lifelong friendships. Value creation includes finding friends, anonymity, helping in mentoring and assignments, finding career opportunities, furthermore, sharing the same interest and ideas. For businesses it is an advertisement opportunity in which sponsorships and partnerships with educational institutions or brands can be established, online courses, workshops, event ticketing and merchandise sales are also part of the activities.

Team 8 (Focus Up)

o Mentor: Putzer Petra

o Project description: Focus Up is an AI-powered task management and scheduling application with functions including focus timer, distraction blocker, progress tracking, motivation and wellbeing tools. For premium members, seamless integration and effortless connectivity is available, moreover, flow state monitoring with physical sensors and smart watches are also included.