2nd Annual Meeting of the Minds Hackathon sponsored by Qualcomm: Revitalizing Richmond
Who will you meet?
Cities are innovating, companies are pivoting, and start-ups are growing. Like you, every urban practitioner has a remarkable story of insight and challenge from the past year.
Meet these peers and discuss the future of cities in the new Meeting of the Minds Executive Cohort Program. Replace boring virtual summits with facilitated, online, small-group discussions where you can make real connections with extraordinary, like-minded people.
Although Richmond, CA is only 16 miles northeast of the thriving city of San Francisco, the city has been largely cut off from the region’s vibrant economic and technological trends for decades. With a strong potential for future growth and a population keen on bolstering the economy and transforming the urban landscape, Richmond serves as the ideal gathering spot for this year’s Meeting of the Minds summit.
From October 20 to 22, Richmond will play host to 400-plus industry leaders, thought starters, policy makers, and innovators for this year’s Meeting of the Minds Summit: two and a half days of intense immersion in thought leadership and cross-sector development.
In conjunction with this year’s summit, from October 17 to 18, Qualcomm, with support from Microsoft and AT&T, is sponsoring the 2nd annual Meeting of the Minds Hackathon, with a focus on urban innovation. The goal? Develop a solution to improve the livability, sustainability, and overall connectedness of Richmond, CA that both the mayor’s office and citizens can use every day.
This is the first Hackathon ever organized in Richmond, and it will be structured to provide the greatest economic impact on the city. This year’s hack will offer two separate tracks—the Civic Engagement Hack and Industrial IoT Hack—for teams and individual developers to participate in, with an overall focus on delivering innovative ideas that can benefit Richmond and surrounding communities.
This two-track approach is a unique aspect of this hackathon:
Civic Engagement Hack
Teams of one to five hackers are tasked with developing a citizen-facing app for use cases in transportation, energy/water conservation, and public safety. “Hack Kits” containing the new DragonBoard 410c development kit will be made available to a limited number of teams participating in the Civic Hack. Winners will present their app to the Meeting of the Minds conference in front of an international audience of city leaders from Fortune 500 companies, governments, and NGOs, and will receive a $5,000 cash prize.
Industrial IoT Hack
Corporate teams are being organized in advance of the event and tasked with developing a working proof of concept that demonstrates a potential solution to a relevant local problem in Richmond, with a focus on smart cities and industrial and environment impact. The industrial hack teams have been working directly with the City of Richmond, leveraging data that is captured daily in and around the city. They’ll develop a working example of a solution that could be immediately utilized by the city of Richmond to make a positive impact on the lives of its citizens. Not only will the Industrial hackathon help promote urban revitalization in Richmond, but a $5,000 prize will also be donated to a local Richmond non-profit on behalf of the winning team on stage at Meeting of the Minds.
Conclusion
Richmond’s time for revitalization is now, and with the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Minds Hackathon, we hope to spur collaboration among leading developers to contribute innovative ideas that will create more jobs and implement smarter and more sustainable policies, in a city that persistently provides industrial and cultural contributions to the greater Bay Area. It’s a crucial time for Richmond in its urban revitalization journey, and we hope this Hackathon will provide guidance and goodwill toward further economic development.
Have a great idea or simply want to hone your skills and collaborate with others to develop innovate solutions for the city of Richmond? Register for the hack today!
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