Hacking The City: the winners
A few days ago Hacking the City | Design a Circular Future took place, the first Hackathon realized by Tondo - an international non-profit organization operating in the circular economy sector - in collaboration with the Circular Economy Lab of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Cariplo Factory and with the patronage of Fondazione Cariplo.
The hackathon main characters were university students, recent graduates and PhD students from all over Italy, who proposed concrete solutions for the design of the circular city of the future, leaving room for creativity, innovation and passion and facing the current environmental, social and economic challenges.
The event, which was carried out entirely online, was created with the aim of conceiving and supporting innovative and circular projects, involving the main Italian universities and some of the major companies operating in Italy in this field.
"We are very pleased with the success and the innovative proposals developed during Hacking the City - Design a Circular Future. The hackathon proved to be an important opportunity to connect students, universities, companies and individual professionals in favor of sustainable growth and an increasingly cross-cutting impact of the circular economy. It is always a source of optimism to see how passionately and attentively the new generations address the issue of sustainability, highlighting the need to promote a greener and more inclusive world". Comments Carlo Mango, Director of Scientific and Technological Research Area of Fondazione Cariplo and Managing Director of Cariplo Factory.
Eight strategic sectors have been identified, within which the industrial partners have defined one challenge. Specifically: Salvatore Ferragamo for the Consumer Goods area, Esselunga for the Food area, Arup for the Design area, Cisco for the Digital area, Mapei for the Buildings area, IREN for the Energy area, Punch Torino and TO.TEM for the Mobility area, and A2A for the Waste area.
During the two days, in parallel with the working sessions of the students, there were many speeches by university professors, industry experts, members of Tondo, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Fondazione Cariplo, who told about projects and research in progress in the field of Circular Economy.
"The involvement of important universities, industrial partners of high standing and the excellent proposals of the winning teams confirm the interest aroused by Hacking The City and the success of the event" - says Guido de Vecchi, General Manager at Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center. "The re-design of large urban centers from a circular perspective is one of the most imminent challenges that institutions, universities, research centers, businesses and citizens are called to face in order to overcome the pandemic, facilitate the economic recovery and strengthen the construction of a sustainable, inclusive and lasting development. Our CE Lab, our Innovation Center and our Bank are ready to support this virtuous change."
In addition to the industrial partners, some of the main Italian universities have been involved, such as the Politecnico di Bari, the University of Bari, the University of Bologna, the University of Insubria, the Politecnico di Milano School of Management, the University of Genoa, ALMED (Alta Scuola in Media, Comunicazione e Spettacolo), the University of Naples Federico II, the University of Pavia, the University of Pisa, the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo, the University of Siena, the University of Milano-Bicocca, the IUAV University of Venice, the Ca' Foscari University of Venice and the University of Messina.
In addition, the hackathon has seen a strong involvement of other actors who have supported the young participants in the refinement of their projects. Professors, associates of Tondo, teams of experts from Circular Economy Lab, Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Cariplo Factory, ASP (Alta Scuola Politecnica) Alumni Association members and Global Shapers Torino have been tutors and mentors of the young people during the two days. Finally, the Technical Partner of the event was Novanext, while the Job Partner was Job Farm.
"Hacking The City - Design a Circular future - says Francesco Castellano, Founder of Tondo - has been a great success. The students have shown creativity, competence and passion, succeeding in a short time to transform their initial idea into an articulated and implementable proposal. The hackathon proved to be a valid tool to support and expand entrepreneurship and companies that operate in support of the Circular Economy".
At the end of the two days, the finalist teams presented their pitch in front of the jury made up of corporate members that, through an evaluation form, expressed its preference considering eight areas of evaluation: circularity, innovation, relevance, social and environmental impact, economic sustainability, completeness and clarity of the pitch deck, and team composition.
The winning teams, one for each challenge, subsequently presented their brilliant ideas in front of the hackathon audience.
For the Salvatore Ferragamo challenge, the winner was the YourFerragamo team that proposed the creation of an experiential service of personalized repairs in the boutique dedicated to the products of past collections.
Tracciamy, winner of the challenge proposed by Esselunga, identified 4 new tools for greater control of the supply chain, to implement more transparent communication, to increase consumer awareness, and to reduce food waste.
RawBuild wins the ARUP challenge by proposing a Marketplace between builders and building owners to optimize the purchase and use of secondary materials from end-of-life buildings.
For Cisco's challenge, Co-working. Il modo di lavorare del futuro wins, which envisioned the creation of fully sustainable offices, where users not only enjoy a convenient and easy way to use common spaces, but are rewarded when they implement sustainable behaviors, such as recycling.
Mapei's challenge is won by ReBuild, which aims to track, collect and give value to waste from the construction industry, reintroducing it in the form of new products into the world of design, education and sports.
Iren's challenge is won by the SynErgy team, which offers the meeting match functionality, connecting citizens and businesses interested in building an energy community, informing users about available technological solutions and regulatory developments.
Un nodo nella rete, winner of the PUNCH Torino and TO.TEM challenge, proposes the implementation of an in-app gamification system that incentivizes the return of Lynx scooter components, the responsible use of recharging sources, and the contact with partners who are members of a new community of sustainability-minded citizens.
Finally, Circle Right!, winner of A2A's challenge, proposed the creation of a recognition app that promotes reuse, repair, revaluation and recycling of waste through a point system.
The two days of the hackathon represented a moment of enrichment for everyone, from young people to companies, emphasizing the importance of sustainable and circular innovations, a strategic driver for the redesign of the urban context in a more green and inclusive perspective.