The Gen AI Spark Hackathon, a collaboration between Pointwest and AWS, recently brought together some of the brightest minds from 11 universities.
From groundbreaking ideas to inspiring teamwork, here are some highlights that made this hackathon a success.
Hackathon Kickoff: Where Innovation Meets Competition
Nine teams from eleven universities gathered at the AWS Office in Bonifacio Global City Taguig on May 9 and May 23. Their mission? To create groundbreaking prototypes using generative AI (GenAI) that could change the world.
A Diverse Crowd
We saw a fantastic mix of talent from the University of the Philippines-Diliman and Los Baños, De La Salle University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Technological University of the Philippines, and many more.
These young minds were ready to innovate!
And the Winner Is…
Drumroll, please! The University of the Philippines-Los Baños team, with Albrave Albayda, Ben Bensali, and Angel Naguio, took home the grand prize!
Their 360-degree dashboard and chatbot for HR professionals were pure genius. They bagged PHP 30,000 for their efforts.
Innovative Runner-Ups
Second Place – Hats off to Derek Burias, Paul Ivan Enclonar, and Arrow Paquera from De La Salle University. They created an SMS-based service to deliver crucial info to farmers in local languages, earning them PHP 20,000.
Education Takes the Stage
Third Place – The University of the Philippines-Diliman team, including Sean Caranzo, Petter Sapalo, and Nathaniel Mercado, secured third place with their app that generates exercises for teachers and students. They won PHP 10,000.
What’s the Big Idea?
Pointwest CEO Mitch Gross shared the vision – to inspire students to dive into GenAI and to position the Philippines as a leader in this transformative technology. It’s all about unlocking creativity and productivity.
“GenAI is truly a transformative technology with the potential to boost creativity and productivity, enable personalization, advance scientific discovery, and impact just about every aspect of the way we live, work, and play,” Gross said.
Pointwest’s Mission
Pointwest, a leading Filipino IT and BPM service provider, teamed up with AWS to showcase how GenAI can solve real-world problems. They’re all about turning innovative ideas into reality.
A Strong Partnership
Did you know AWS has been Pointwest’s partner since 2013? This partnership has helped Pointwest deliver top-notch AI, machine learning, and data analytics services across various industries in the Philippines.
“By co-sponsoring this hackathon, AWS and Pointwest seek to demonstrate the impact and value of GenAI through real-world use cases,” Gross explained.
Looking Ahead
For fresh grads and young professionals excited about GenAI and other emerging tech, Pointwest is the place to be. Check out their career and internship opportunities on their website. Who knows? You might be the next innovator in their team!
This hackathon wasn’t just a competition; it was a celebration of innovation and collaboration.
Kudos to Pointwest and AWS for paving the way for these young geniuses!
