DraperU, hackathon, university program

Blockchain Project OrbitEco wins Draper University HEROthon

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On July 7th, MouseBelt Blockchain Accelerator had the pleasure of participating in another Draper University HEROthon. Back in April we sponsored and judged their first public hackathon. This most recent hackathon was American themed and participants were asked to incorporate an aspect of America or freedom into their projects. This is in line with one of the core values that Draper University students live by: “I will promote freedom at all costs”.

The public was invited to join Draper University entrepreneurs in hacking and pitching within 40 hours. They were encouraged to incorporate next-generation technology such as AI, machine learning, IoT, blockchain, big data or incorporate hardware to solve a big problem in the world. Teams had the chance to pitch to Draper U Ventures and Draper Associates.

Winning teams received prizes such as tickets to Startup Bus (the legendary annual tech entrepreneurship boot camp - on buses!), day passes to Hero City, free gameplay at Hero Hangout VR Arcade, and scholarships to Draper University. MouseBelt also awarded a BTC prize of $1,000 USD to the first-place team: OrbitEco.

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The OrbitEco team consisted of Belinda Wong, Alexis Gros, Thibaut Manceau, Falah Alanazi, Sulaiman Altureman, Abdulrahman Almannaa. The product is a platform which connects travelers to WiFi access via local businesses. The product uses blockchain control and issue the OEC tokens to incentivize businesses to share their WiFi. Stores can use OEC to push ads. The OrbitEco recommendation system will give travelers the geo-based ads based on their profile and personal preferences.

Here are some quotes from the team about their experience at the HEROthon:

"This is my first time to join the hackathon. I was a product manager at telecom. I thought hackathon is only for skillful coder not for people with a marketing background. But the whole fascinating experience in HEROthon changes my mind. Now I think hackathon is for everyone who wants to make a cool thing. Everybody can find their own fit in the activity."
- Belinda Wong

"The hackathon was a great experience where we had the chance to meet 150 talented people from all around the world. The hackathon gave me the chance to learn more about Java. The interesting thing in our team was all of us came from outside U.S (Saudi, France, and Taiwan ) to learn more about entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley. I would like to thank both Draper U and MouseBelt for this great opportunity."
-Falah Alanazi

Getting involved with events like this is part of our University Program mission to support blockchain education and entrepreneurship. Interested in having us participate in your next hackathon or other events? Contact us at universities@mousebelt.com

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About MouseBelt Team

MouseBelt is an ecosystem promoting blockchain innovation by supporting hands-on development of the emerging projects and leaders in the industry. Startups. Builders. Community.