Two innovative apps that combine technology with community-driven solutions took top honors at a recent hackathon in Quezon City, signaling the growing role of AI-driven tools in addressing everyday challenges.
The winning projects, BetterBee and EcoCycle, were announced during the event hosted at High Grounds Café on November 3 by the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) Hub Philippines.
The hackathon centered around Caffeine AI, a platform that lets users build apps simply by chatting with artificial intelligence. This is what organizers call the “self-writing internet,” where app development does not run on traditional coding.
BetterBee, developed by Team Ascent, transforms habit tracking into a social and gamified activity. The app encourages users to join group challenges, offer peer support, and gain rewards that drive long-term positive habits.
Meanwhile, EcoCycle by Team Arron aims to improve waste management in underserved urban communities through a data-driven system. Users earn EcoCoins, blockchain-based tokens redeemable for essentials, by properly segregating and recycling waste, incentivizing sustainable behavior.
These two applications rose above a hundred prototypes from which six finalists were picked based on a range of practical and creative solutions in front of a panel of judges.
Overall, the hackathon attracted over 350 participants, from students and entrepreneurs to IT professionals and government representatives.
Nelson Lumbres, ICP Hub Philippines co-founder, said the platform’s inclusive nature means “apps that actually work, built not just by developers but by everyone.”
Moreover, the event also did a live demo showing how an Instagram-like app could be built through natural language conversation with Caffeine AI, underlining the platform’s potential to democratize app creation.
Caffeine AI runs on the Internet Computer, a decentralized platform aiming to make app creation accessible to a wide range of users beyond developers.
The platform is developed by the Dfinity Foundation, a blockchain technology company based in Switzerland. The ICP Hub Philippines serves as regional ambassador for the Internet Computer ecosystem to promote and build community adoption.
