This year, our Xperts actively took part in a unique Hackathon in Hanover. As part of the Akkodis Group Nordics Hackathon, organised by frobese GmbH, four teams came together to develop ideas for a good cause: EPOS CAT GmbH, frobese GmbH Informatikservices, IT Sonix Custom Development GmbH, and a remotely connected team from Norway (RD Data Respons). The goal? To create innovative IT solutions that could provide sustainable support to the Hannover association: Serve the City.
The Hackathon began with an inspiring talk by Stefan Rose, who detailed the challenges faced by the organisation. Serve the City organises social initiatives such as BBQ evenings for the homeless or Christmas events for children in need. However, it is still not well known in Hanover and struggles to secure long-term donations. The organisation also faces operational hurdles due to a small number of staff. These challenges formed the basis of the Hackathon's tasks.
Our five-member team chose to focus on increasing donation revenue. After an intensive brainstorming session, they came up with the concept of the "Cup Challenge". In this playful competition, companies would donate a certain amount to Serve the City for every cup of coffee consumed. The companies would report their coffee consumption via email, and our specially developed application would automatically retrieve, process, and display these figures in a ranking. This solution ensures fairness, as it does not disclose how much each company donates per cup. To make the challenge more engaging, our Xperts designed a "Golden Cup" as a travelling trophy to be awarded annually to the company with the highest coffee count. The cup drew smiles from participants during the Hackathon and left a lasting impression.
Within 24 hours, our Xperts implemented the entire application—from design and frontend development to backend functionality. The team's strong spirit shone through, with tasks clearly divided and everyone giving their best. The evening also offered a chance to connect with other teams over pizza and casual conversations before heading into the final phase.
At the end of the Hackathon, all teams presented their results to a jury. Our team impressed with an innovative and technically sophisticated solution. While the victory ultimately went to EPOS CAT GmbH, everyone emerged as winners—thanks to the outstanding organisation and the valuable experiences gained.
We extend our gratitude to frobese GmbH and the Akkodis Group Nordics for the excellent organisation and for allowing us to be part of this inspiring event. The Hackathon not only showcased how much can be achieved in a short time but also highlighted the vital role IT can play in supporting charitable causes.