Idea Marathon - Mexico

In 2019, we implemented our very first project in Mexico: Mexpact. The Idea Marathon, or Hackafest, was implemented in partnership with Sparkassenstiftung for 3 days in October of 2019 at the grand IBERO university.

The aim of the Hackafest was to provide an opportunity for students and future entrepreneurs to work together on developing solutions for the rural sector through applying functional technologies and digital prototypes.

Notably, the event hosted participants from a diverse range of backgrounds from various universities, companies and organisations. They were put into 13 teams consisting of five members each in order to develop effective, digital prototypes that would facilitate the financial inclusion of rural and farming sectors of Mexico.

The teams received continuous support and mentorship that allowed them to develop and grow stronger ideas and concepts. One of the teams, Agrobein (Agriculture for Good), developed the winning initiative Farmlink – a product that aims to promote direct commerce between farmers and restaurants, thus improving the actual position of small producers in the food chain. The Agrobein team went on to participate in Symbioticon 2019, an internationally renowned hackathon held in Hamburg, Germany that brings together over 200 participants with the common goal of solving problems that affect the most vulnerable, and they won the competition!