WATCH: IoT Hackathon Looks to ‘Energize’ Economy
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowMore than 350 participants and dozens of companies are taking part in this weekend’s 24-hour AT&T Internet of Things Civic Hackathon. AT&T Indiana President Bill Soards says teams will have 24 hours to develop IoT technology designed to "energize Indiana’s economy." He says the event at Launch Fishers will marry Indiana’s legacy economy of agriculture, manufacturing and logistics with the state’s rapidly-growing tech strength. Participants will be competing for $10,000 in cash and prizes.
This year’s turnout is nearly double that of last year, when teams worked to develop devices to help combat Indiana’s meth problem. This year, Soards says the event will focus on advancing the industries that have been the strengths of Indiana’s economy for 200 years by connecting devices that haven’t been connected historically.
Representatives from 50 companies that are part of Indiana’s growing Internet of Things space will serve as onsite mentors to help teams with their projects. Award categories include Best IoT App Overall, Best Agriculture Innovation, Best Manufacturing Innovation, Best Transportation/Logistics Innovation and Best Smart City Hack. Companies taking part include Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM), Angie’s List Inc. (NYSE: ANGI) and California-based Genesys, which recently acquired Indianapolis-based Interactive Intelligence Inc. (Nasdaq: ININ).
The event begins Friday evening with speakers including Governor Eric Holcomb, Senator Todd Young and representatives from organizations including the Indiana Manufacturers Association, AgriNovus and Conexus Indiana. Three-minute presentations by teams to describe their applications will begin Saturday evening at 6:00.
You can find more information on the event by clicking here.