Coopathon 3.0
Decoding from {I} to {We}
PRESS RELEASE
Coopathon 3.0 Kickstarted With A Bang!
The third edition of Coopathon – the Cooperative Hackathon started on 11th December (Friday), on a virtual platform, Airmeet and will be live until 14th December (Monday). It aims to identify and solve contemporary problems and pressing challenges in the social and service sectors.
This is the first time a cooperative hackathon is being organized as a fully online event and that too for an international audience. Coopathon 3.0 also brings a diverse pool of partners and mentors to provide pre, during, and post-event support, mentorship, and industry-connect for the participants to develop successful solutions. More information about the event can be accessed on the website http://coopathon.coop.
Over 80+ entries were received from 12 countries and 41 teams were shortlisted to participate in the 72-hour hackathon. Out of these, six teams will be selected for the final live pitch, top three teams will be declared as winners and will be awarded three prizes (US $3,000, US $2,000, and US $1,500). The first and second prizes are being sponsored by IFFCO and the third prize by the ICA Domus Trust.
Mr. Balu Iyer, Regional Director, ICA-AP, inaugurated the event with his welcome address. He highlighted the key components that the Coopathon 3.0 focuses on – the youth, technology, and the transition from “I” to “We”. He also briefly talked about the challenges that we are facing today due to the COVID 19 pandemic, and how, through Coopathon 3.0 we are trying to address them. Concluding his address, he acknowledged that the virtual nature of the event has widened its reach, thanked the keynote speaker, the mentors, the partners, the judges, prize sponsors, and the organizing team, and wished all the best to all the participants. He did not forget to mention the new terms and platform he has learnt about during Coopathon 3.0 planning!
The inauguration ceremony was graced by Mr. Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Managing Director, National Cooperative Development Corporation as the keynote speaker. NCDC is championing start-up cooperatives among youth, pioneering support for health cooperatives, and forming new cooperatives in line with government’s vision to double farmers income. He appreciated ICA-AP and said that it has magnificently provided a platform to harness the wills and aspirations of the youth. He also offered to support the successful India-based projects emerging out of Coopathon 3.0.
Coopathon 3.0 is being organized with the support of nine partner organisations from six countries, which are namely: The India Farmer Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), TinkerHub Foundation, The Malaysian National Cooperative Movement (ANGKASA), Indonesian Consortium for Cooperatives Innovation (ICCI), Indonesian Cooperative Management Institute (IKOPIN), Incubator.coop, KODI, Mondragon Team Academy, Korea, and Travelling University.
The event also features 13 mentors from nine countries (Australia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Philippines, Spain, and the USA) bringing onboard experience from diverse fields to add value to the prototype-building process.
The representative from our partner organisations and the mentors also encouraged the participants with their opening remarks. The ceremony was followed by a walkthrough and an ice-breaking session facilitated by Mr. Mehar Moosa, Co-founder, TinkerHub Foundation. Later, the participants engaged with their single point of contacts (SPOCs) and mentors to start building their proposed projects.
The Judges for COOPATHON 3.0 are Ms. Amaia García Fernández, Mondragon Team Academy, currently in China leading with her team Travelling University; Mr. Jack Sim, Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) Hub, founder of the Restroom Association of Singapore, the World Toilet Organization, and the World Toilet Day initiative; and Mr. Tarun Bhargava, Chairperson International Cooperative Entrepreneurship Think Tank and Joint General IFFCO.
At the closing ceremony, we are expecting a representative from the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, Republic of Indonesia.
The Opening Ceremony can be watched on YouTube .
For more information, please contact Mr. Ganesh Gopal (ganesh.gopal@icaap.coop), Programme Officer, ICA-AP and Ms. Shivali Sarna (Shivali.sarna@icaap.coop), Communication and Membership Development Officer, ICA-AP.
