Appery.io Participates in the Black Girls CODE & GM Hackathon

 

In October 2020, the Appery.io platform was selected as the primary technology stack for the Reimagining Black Futures virtual hackathon organized by Black Girls CODE(BGC) and General Motors (GM).

The hackathon’s theme revolved around Afrofuturism — a concept that merges African culture and history with elements of science fiction. Several high-profile guests attended the event, including renowned historian Tyree Boyd-Pates and New York Times Magazine culture writers Jenna Wortham and Kimberly Drew.

Over the course of three days, #futuretechbosses from the Bay Area, Detroit, and New York City developed social justice-focused application concepts and software platforms. 

Prior to the hackathon, Alexander Ancipov from the Appery.io team held a series of workshops to teach the participants how to use the app builder. During the event, Alexander answered the girls’ questions via email, Slack, and the hackathon forum and helped them solve technical challenges.

When the pitch day arrived, the students presented their ideas to a panel of judges from several IT companies. The winning project was Rooted — a mobile application that connects Black professionals with HR specialists from technology companies in Silicon Valley. Apps like Rooted could potentially help Black youth fill the 1.4 million computing jobs created in the United States in 2020.

Appery.io is thrilled to have been part of the hackathon and is looking forward to collaborating with BGC in the future. We strongly encourage our colleagues from the IT industry to take a leadership role in gender and racial equity.

Global Developer Community Unites for Appery.io COVID-19 Hackathon

In these times of uncertainty and unrest, individuals and businesses around the world are finding new and unique ways of working and living. While many are able to adjust with ease to the challenges of COVID-19, others are not so able to adjust easily. Social distancing measures can cause ripple effects in mental health. Economies are trending downward, forcing many to rethink their financial strategies. The elderly and other vulnerable groups need enhanced support and protection.

However, the current state of technology and collaboration provides hope that we will find solutions to these new challenges. Plus, with many people in the tech field able to work remotely, innovation doesn’t have to stop. At Appery.io, we recognize that the time is right for developers to bring their ideas to life—to find ways that we can work together to help our global community.

That’s why we are hosting the Appery.io COVID-19 Virtual Hackathon where we are encouraging developers from all over the world to build digital solutions that solve some of the challenges posed by the Coronavirus pandemic. The Appery.io COVID-19 Virtual Hackathon has already started with final submissions due May 6, 2020, by 11:59pm PDT (GMT -7). A panel of experts will judge the submissions, with up to $1,000 in cash prizes awarded. A virtual ceremony will be hosted on May 10, 2020 to recognize the finalists.

Using Appery.io, a low-code application development platform used by nearly 500,000 developers worldwide, participants will be challenged to build applications that help groups and businesses most impacted by COVID-19. Projects should focus on areas like healthcare, mental health, assistance for the elderly or vulnerable, improving remote work, financial stability, or maintaining a sense of community. Developers are free to be as innovative and unique as possible with minimal restrictions on application type or theme.

Participants are welcome to register and submit their applications until May 6, 2020 to get final projects in. Submissions will be judged by a panel of experts according to a range of relevant criteria. Prizes will be awarded as follows:

  • 1st $1,000 and an Appery.io Annual Pro Subscription
  • 2nd $500 and an Appery.io Annual Pro Subscription
  • 3rd $250 and an Appery.io Annual Pro Subscription

For more information on how to get started, FAQ’s and guidelines please visit: (https://covid.appery.io/

We look forward to seeing what participants create and have no doubts that we will be inspired. In this time of distance, isolation, and uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to find ways to connect with, support, and provide hope for each other. Thanks to technology, it’s possible. Happy hacking!