(Photo: Riding in the Dust by Jake Stimpson)
THE AFRICAN HEALTHCARE ‘HACKATHON’
The 2016 Kopfadeyemi Challenge is an intense, fun and high energy weekend event. Smart-minded people form teams to brainstorm and develop solutions to the problems of real-life African organisations, businesses and initiatives. At the end of the weekend, the team that presents a solution that best meets the needs of the African healthcare organisation wins the competition.
Participants from across Africa will take part virtually. Teams are ideally 4-6 people and can be a mix of people at the Google Campus London or those from across Africa taking part virtually, either on their own or as part of an innovation hub. Read below to find out more!
What is it?
Typically, a hackathon (a hacker buzzword) is an event where teams of computer programmers collaborate and compete against each other to come up with the best solutions to a defined problem in a very short time frame (~24-72 hours). We instead, are having all kinds of interesting people (not just computer programmers) compete to come up with solutions for African Healthcare initiatives. After a Friday evening kick-off event, teams will have the weekend to work on a challenge that a business/organisation faces in Africa. The team that presents the best solution as determined by expert judges will win the challenge prize and potential seed-funding money.
Individuals and teams of people in Africa will also be taking part.
The Kopfadeyemi Challenge is about more than just thinking up good ideas for leading African healthcare organisations. You’ll experience how to work (or compete!) with colleagues and friends on the Continent as well as dreaming and building, failing and finishing in rapid time. The Kopfadeyemi community is built around opportunities to work with emerging African Healthcare organisations and future leaders on really interesting challenges. Make change happen with your ideas.
Is it for you?
The Kopfadeyemi Challenge is a great and really fun way to use your unique talents to affect positive change in the world. Great ideas push the world forward. And they can come from anywhere. This event will bring together business professionals, students and researchers who are passionate about improving things in Africa and supporting organisations to solve their challenges. You will not be expected to be an expert in the healthcare industry in Africa. You are someone that thinks a little bit different from everyone else and has the ability to solve problems with a little ingenuity. This challenge will bring together smart, talented people from a diversity of backgrounds with a variety of strengths and passions. Techies and non-techies will get involved. Medical and non-medical people are welcome. Community workers, developers, entrepreneurs, artists, educators, business professionals, students, everyday people and more! We’ve learned that teams with people from different backgrounds come up with REALLY great ideas and form relationships that last beyond the weekend.
Our attendees will typically consist of smarter-than-the-average type people; most will have a passion for Africa and there will be a good mix of medical and non-medical type people. At the London end, we will have people with a passing-knowledge of Africa and people from the Diaspora who are well versed in the challenges businesses face in Africa. We will have junior developers looking to improve their skills and senior developer types looking to expand their horizons. We will have students who can stay up the whole weekend thinking and working on ideas, and we will have experienced professionals who can flex their phonebooks and bring strong insights at the drop of a hat.
Do I need to come with a team?
It is not 100% necessary. If you don’t have a team now, don’t worry. We will have team formation processes before things kick off, including opportunities for you to form teams with individuals on the Continent who want to participate and don’t have teams.
I will be in Africa during this competition, can I take part?
Yes! You can sign up and take part virtually. We will have a number of platforms to help facilitate working and communication across different geographies. If you will have good access to internet, you can take part.
What do I need to bring?
You might want to bring your own computer or mobile devices, Google Campus do not provide computers or laptops. We will provide high-speed Wi-Fi, power strips, whiteboards, and plenty of caffeine!
Is this an overnight competition / ‘hackathon’?
No, but it can be if teams really want it to. The competition starts right after the Friday evening kick-off. Google Campus will be open at all times during the weekend and people are welcome to work through the night if they really want to! The complexity of the challenges are unlikely to be so high that people will have to stay up all night(!)
What are the African healthcare organisations, businesses and initatives taking part?
We have an interesting range of organisations taking part. They are important national or sub-regional African organisations working to improve healthcare in Africa. A couple are not-for-profit organisations and a couple will be profit-making businesses. We have lined up organisations that will be interesting, some of which you will have heard of. Further details will be provided to those who register and are selected.
Further details of the event, including schedule and judging process will be provided to those who register and are selected to participate.
Pitch night
If you don’t want to participate but are interested to hear the ideas that come out (or support your family/friends who have participated), purchase your pitch night ticket! Light food and drinks will be provided.
Timetable
Friday
5.30pm: Drinks reception begins at Google Campus London
6.00pm: Webcam streaming goes live
Presentation of challenges and Q&A
7.00pm: Teams form/register to challenges and HACKATHON officially begins!!
10.00pm: Suggested Day 1 end
Saturday
9.00am: Suggested Day 2 start
Short dedicated mini team-workshops on (1) ‘Teamwork’ (2) ‘Purpose/Leadership’ offered throughout the morning
10.30 – 11am: ManyMinds – Lola Oyelayo. Director of Strategy and UX, HEAD Digital Agency
Short dedicated mini team-workshops on (1) Teamwork (2) Purpose/Leadership offered throughout the morning
1.30pm: Challenge Checkpoints – Teams to briefly feedback to wider group on plans
9.30pm: Suggested Day 2 end
Sunday
9.00am: Suggested Day 3 start
9.30am: Short dedicated mini team-workshops on (3) ‘Pitching Successfully’ offered throughout the morning
1.30pm: HACKATHON deadline. Solutions to be handed in
2.00pm: Doors open for Sunday pitch attendees
2.30pm: In-Conversation with our judges, moderated by Belinda Otas [Journalist, M&G Africa]
3.15pm: ¡¡PITCHES TO START!!
5.00pm: Pitches finished
5.15pm: Winners announced… [END]
Many people will apply to participate. Our space at Google Campus can only support a limited number of participants and as much as we’d like to take everyone, it just will not be possible. Sign up now!
Refund Policy: No refunds will be granted within 7 days of the event as food and drink will have already been ordered. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause.
Terms of Participation Agreement: It is our job to provide you with a fun and incredible networking and learning opportunity. The event is intended to be a collaborative forum for sharing, learning, building, and having fun about the challenge of solving problems in Africa. As such, by registering as a participant, you acknowledge that any ideas shared by you or anyone else over the course of the event are contributions to the overall experience and community. As a member of this community, you agree to to be inclusive of any and all people and their ideas. You agree to act professionally, treat everyone with respect, and treat the event facilities with proper care. You agree that you are responsible for any accidents or damages that you cause. You also agree to not hold The Kopfadeyemi Fellowship, The World Economic Forum Global Shapers, or any of the event supporters liable for any loss, damage, injury, or any other unforeseeable incident.
