- Hackers Navigate 48 Hours of Intensive Hacking for AI Solutions
- Judges Provide Feedback on Groundbreaking Experience
- Innovators’ Meetup, Pitch Masterclass, and Pitch Friday Await
The Cameroon International Tech Summit (CITS),in the Grand Nord, reached a significant milestone by organizing, brainstorming, and aggregating solutions aimed at addressing community issues in the Northern Region of Cameroon. This achievement follows 48 hours of intensive hacking involving over 100 participants who successfully developed 18 well-structured solutions, all aligned with the theme “Learning Beyond Walls – Artificial Intelligence powered Education for Cameroon’s North.” With this accomplishment, CITS has effectively addressed challenges across half of the national territory.
As part of CITS’s culture, every innovation week commences with a 48-hour hackathon, designed to provide young tech enthusiasts with a conducive environment to apply their knowledge and receive professional guidance from mentors to address contemporary community issues. The Grand Nord’s 48-hour Hackathon emerged as not only the most exhilarating but also the most challenging, given the increased number of participating teams. Nevertheless, this heightened challenge resulted in success-driven solutions intended to foster regional growth.
Masterclasses to Refine Hackathon Projects
After an intense second day of hacking throughout the night, participants engaged in impactful masterclasses aimed at refining their pitches for presentation. The morning commenced with a masterclass facilitated by Caleb Karawa, Founder of Fahrenheit Pictures/Karawa Inc., and an experienced cinematographer. Karawa led a crash course on “Low-Budget, Organic Marketing Tricks for Startups to Gain Early Traction,” emphasizing leveraging social media, skills, chatbots, and content marketing to garner traction. Through practical examples, participants gained insight into various content types and refined their selection, while also emphasizing the importance of networking as a valuable asset.
The final masterclass, led by Ayuk Etta, CEO of Mountain Hub, focused on “How to Rally the Most Important Resources (People and Money) for Your Startup.” This session provided invaluable guidance on attracting investors and resources critical for startup evolution. Participants were drilled on essential steps to establish their startup and engage with potential investors efficiently, with Etta stressing the importance of being tactical and time-sensitive when pitching to investors. He reminded the participants that Investors don’t have time, so they need not waste it.
Grand Nord Hackathon Pitch Day
The Hackathon Pitch Day, renowned for its intensity and inspiration, marked the culmination of 48 hours of hacking, mentorship, and motivational sessions. Following this period, participants pitched their solutions to a seasoned jury, including representatives from MINPOSTEL Mr. Djonfabe Etiene , who expressed support and commitment to collaborate with participants to further develop their solutions.
The jury, comprising Ayuk Etta, CEO of Mountain Hub and project lead for CITS, Simon Effansa, CEO of Bohikor, Manuella Nouko, Full Stack Senior Software Engineer, and Kizito Nantcha, Experienced Business Growth Consultant, assessed participants on Problem-Solution Fit, Impact/Innovation, Scalability, Market Opportunity, and Team Dynamics. Despite challenges, 18 teams from the Grand North Innovation Week remained resilient, ready to present their solutions.
Following the presentations, jury members provided constructive feedback, identifying pitching errors and suggesting improvements. Each team received tailored insights from Manuella, with a focus on enhancing their solutions, while Kizito emphasized the importance of refining public speaking skills. Ayuk Etta concluded the hackathon by urging participants to reflect on their experiences and uphold their commitment to driving technological innovation in their region.
“I am truly impressed by the remarkable progress witnessed during these few days. Despite coinciding with Ramadan, the hackathon has demonstrated your potential to achieve greatness. Now, it’s not just about envisioning; it’s about execution. Together, let’s harness this potential to propel technology to new heights in our country,”
Remarked Ayuk Etta, CEO of Mountain Hub.
The 48-hour hackathon has brought significant attention to the Grand Nord, marking the beginning of a reflective and decisive phase during the innovation week. Stakeholders and innovators are poised to convene for discussions on the future of the tech ecosystem, with events such as the Innovators’ Meetup, Pitch Masterclass, and Pitch Friday set to follow.
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