YYC Hacks 2022 hackathon

As Calgary continues to grow and change at an incredibly rapid pace, challenges are inevitable and range from localized issues such as the energy sector boom/bust cycles to issues spanning across continents like climate change and global health emergencies. To those in the tech industry, challenges create opportunities.

The first annual YYC Hacks hackathon to promote coding and software development as a rewarding and attractive career provided individuals within tech with an opportunity to generate solutions that support the rejuvenations of Calgary’s downtown.

The challenges presented focused on the economy, inclusivity, supporting local businesses and security.

With more than 100 competitors registered, teams were formed and tasked with creating a minimum viable product (MVP) in the form of a web/mobile app or clickable prototype that offered a solution to one of the four presented issues.

As part of our business support program, the Green Line team is always looking for innovative and creative ways to better manage construction impacts and support businesses. Because of this, we were eager to present the Hackathon’s participants with the challenge of using technology to improve how businesses along the Green Line alignment operate, communicate with their customers and continue to grow and thrive during construction.

To show our support for the Hackathon and Calgary’s tech community, three members of the Green Line team attended the third and final day of the YYC Hacks 2022 Hackathon on July 24^th.

While at the event, we had the opportunity to chat with various participants including Tumi Fabiyi, a high school student excited to expand her software knowledge and eventually start a career in tech. We also interviewed various event organizers and sponsors including Serene Yew, founder of Pixeltreee, Jeannie Adams, founder and CEO of ReTrain Canada and S01ve Cyber Solutions, Heidi Brandley, director of workforce development at Manpower Alberta and lastly Ryan Fairweather, project manager and UX designer at Pixeltree.

The Green Line team was honoured to be a part of this year’s Hackathon. We walked away feeling both inspired and motivated by Calgary’s emerging tech talent and we can’t wait to see how the ideas presented and the professionals behind them continue to grow and progress in the coming years.

For more information on the YYC Hacks 2022 Hackathon event, check out the website here!