MDX Dubai launches inaugural HACKcellence Fest for student change makers with Toshiba and KIOXIA
- Monday, 21 June 2021
Middlesex University Dubai is proud to announce the official launch of the inaugural HACKcellence Fest in partnership with Toshiba Gulf and KIOXIA!
Together, we’re calling on young people from across the world to use humanity’s unresolved challenges as inspiration to innovate, disrupt and change the way our globalised society interacts with industries such as healthcare, mobility, infrastructure and data science. This one-of-a-kind hackathon is a fantastic opportunity for students from 26 countries across the Middle East, Levant, Africa, India or the surrounding region to bring life to their brightest, wildest ideas.
The launch event took place on 16 June 2021 and featured an inspirational and highly informative panel discussion opened by Dr Cedwyn Fernandes. The panelists, all industry trendsetters in areas including sustainability, marketing and telecommunications, shared their own evocative stories of entrepreneurship, and encouraged attendees to explore their creative ideas and seize the opportunity to become an innovator and disrupter in their field and embrace the role of an entrepreneurship during the hackathon.
One major lesson attendees learned is that starting on your entrepreneurial journey when you are a student is the best time to do so, when you can afford to fail and learn from your mistakes.
The speakers were:
- Dr Cedwyn Fernandes, Pro Vice-Chancellor of Middlesex University and Director of Middlesex University Dubai
- Thomas Kolster, Marketing and sustainability expert
- Dr. Martina Olbert, Founder and CEO of Meaning.Global
- Santosh Varghese, Vice President at Toshiba Gulf FZE
- Ivan Fernandes, Promoter and Managing Director at Regent Technologies Limited
Students are invited to submit their hacks until 30 June 2021 for the chance to take part. Those who make it through to the hackathon’s second stage will gain access to exclusive personalised mentoring sessions and workshops over an 8-week period that will provide them with expert guidance and a supportive environment as they bring their idea to fruition.
Participating teams submitting their projects to the HACKcellence Fest are encouraged to think big and use their creativity. Suggested focus areas include but are not limited to Data Storage and Privacy, Robotics and AI, Edge Computing and IOT, Digital Health, Digital Humanism, Sustainability and Infrastructure, Smart Cities, Transport and Mobility, and Education.
We can't wait to discover the amazing ideas and witness the creation of the world’s future change makers that take part in the HACKcellence Fest! Are you one of them? Learn more about how to take part at www.hackcellencefest.com.
