Sheraa hackathon spurs creativity in sustainability

Sheraa hackathon spurs creativity in sustainability

SHARJAH, 22nd May, 2023 (WAM) – More than 300 innovative ideas to combat food waste were showcased by 150 young participants at the "Sustainability Hackathon" held over the weekend. The event, organised by the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) in collaboration with the Information and Communication Technology Fund (ICT Fund) and powered by BEEAH Education, aimed to address sustainability in line with the UAE's Year of Sustainability and the upcoming COP 28 summit.

The hackathon focused on developing sustainable solutions for food waste, with BEEAH Education as the challenge partner, inspiring young entrepreneurs to think creatively and contribute to a more sustainable world. From the initial 10 finalist groups, four teams were chosen to advance in the competition, receiving expert guidance, mentorship, and the opportunity to present their prototypes to industry leaders.

The intensive weekend bootcamp aimed to instill design thinking principles in Emirati youth, enabling them to tackle complex challenges and generate innovative solutions through experimentation and validation.

Sheraa pledged ongoing support to the hackathon winners, including access to mentorship, validation bootcamps, summer incubation programmes, and community-building initiatives, all geared towards helping them bring their solutions to fruition and launch successful ventures.

Najla Al Midfa, CEO of Sheraa, emphasised the importance of sustainability and