AngelHack, one of the world’s largest and most diverse developer ecosystems reaching out to more than 300,000 software developers, today announced the launch of hacksingapore, the nation’s annual flagship hackathon supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), which will begin this May. Partnering with Alibaba Cloud, Meta, VMWare, Mercedes Benz, Heineken, and Trust Bank, the month-long hackathon comprising physical and virtual events will conclude with a finale at Asia’s flagship tech event organized by IMDA – Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG). The winner of the hackathon will clinch the grand prize of SGD50,000.
As bridging the tech skills gap is a national focus, the hackathon aims to infuse aspiring tech talents with skills that tech organizations need, as well as guidance, and drive action to use tech for good. Emerging tech trends such as 5G, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) are expected to influence high demand for workers skilled in these areas in the next three to five years, according to the Jobs Transformation Map (JTM) for the information and communications workforce. hacksingapore will convene trained or aspiring technology professionals from across the island to work on projects using these emerging technologies that can have a meaningful impact on Singaporean lives and communities.
The challenge statements provided to the participants will be guided by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and fall under 3 key blanket themes: financial inclusion, sustainability and digital empowerment. At a granular level, hacksingapore will consist of HackSocials, 2 in-person events for participants to connect and interact with like-minded individuals and learn from tech experts. It will also feature innovation workshops and mentor office hours which will provide participants with greater training and resources to help bring their ideas to fruition. More than 1000 developers in Singapore are expected to join the hackathon. The concept will also travel to other cities in the next phase, such as Saigon, Seoul, Bangalore, and Mexico.
“We are looking forward to doing what we do best at AngelHack as we bring together changemakers, technopreneurs and code creators to devise solutions for pressing real-world problems. The tech industry needs newer approaches to attract, compensate and upskill talents with specialized skills, and a concerted effort is needed to address these areas and lower skills mismatch. Through this annual hackathon exercise, we intend to energize the developer community in Singapore through in-demand skills and mentorship, while creating exciting innovation opportunities for the tech sector through co-creation and collaboration,” says Justin Ng, Head of AngelHack.
With hacksingapore, AngelHack brings together leading technology companies, the public sector, social enterprises and developers all under one roof.
“For Singapore to be on track with its digital transformation roadmap, it is imperative to build a future-ready workforce, which is why having annual events such as hacksingapore plays an important role in advancing talent. We are glad to be part of the kick-off team and this ties in closely with Alibaba Cloud’s longstanding commitment to building a sustainable pool of talents who are well-equipped to handle the digital demands of the now and the future. It is thrilling to be able to support tech enthusiasts and developers at this event and see the creation of innovative and exciting solutions to pressing real-world problems firsthand. The next generation will drive the future of the digital world we live in, and it is important that they have access to the right opportunities and tools to use tech for good,” says Derek Wang, General Manager of Singapore, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence.
“Meta’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. We are proud to support AngelHack’s program and bring Singapore’s developers, designers, and entrepreneurs together to collaborate on ideas that have the potential to help solve some of our biggest social and environmental challenges.” shared Damian Kim, Managing Director, Meta Singapore.
Since it was founded, AngelHack has built a thriving community of 300,000 developers, designers and entrepreneurs, a global network of ambassadors and unparalleled experience of having advised companies on developer relations and running over 550 hackathons in more than 400 cities around the globe. AngelHack ran a pilot for hacksingapore, last year, where developers tackled problems with blockchain, no-code and gaming, as well as TechJam, a companion event to hacksingapore, that brought together tech talents and global tech firms for a day of workshops, panel discussions and fireside chats.
For more information and details on how to participate in this year’s hackathon, please visit: https://hacksingapore.com/
