The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Latvia, Garage48 and the leading Latvian mobile operator LMT join forces to boost entrepreneurship and innovation in the field of mobility across Europe at the Future of Mobility hackathon - 48h developing marathon to turn your world-changing idea into prototype.
The Hackathon will take place on the 19th to 21st of February 2019 in Riga at LMT Headquarters. Experts of various backgrounds will come together to brainstorm and develop viable prototypes within 48 hours. The main attendant profile is composed of - but not limited to - developers, data scientists, engineers, designers, product managers, marketers, visionaries and experts in the fields of transportation, logistics, urban planning and more.
Mr. Govert Jan Bijl de Vroe, Ambassador at the Netherlands’ Embassy in Riga is excited by the prospect of having the hackathon on the future of mobility. “Mobility concerns us all, Latvian and Dutch people alike. The hackathon will give us a chance to learn and innovate side by side. The best brains from both countries will tackle problems and find solutions together. That is what smart mobility is all about!” explained the Ambassador. “And all this is a worthy follow-up to the State visit to Latvia of King Willem-Alexander last June. Smart Mobility and Sustainable Logistics were highlighted by the King’s presence at a well-attended seminar.”
Given the contributing trends and elements, the hackathon aims to create new smart solutions for making transport and logistics and mobility more efficient and sustainable, supported by new cooperation opportunities between The Netherlands and the Baltics.
Juris Binde, the President of Latvian Mobile Telephone, says: “We are entering the era of 4G and 5G enabled smart mobility, which will allow for advanced real-time traffic management based on big data analytics, connected vehicle solutions for faster, safer and cleaner mobility, and new mobility as a service models. We hope that the hackathon will create new start-up success stories in the field of mobility.” Garage48 is known for its start-up success stories, such as the yongest youngest Estonian unicorn startup Taxify, a participant of a Garage48 hackathon in 2013.
“In Garage48, we have a solid experience in organizing global hackathons and empowering promising startups to deliver results within a short, yet efficient period of time. I believe the Future of Mobility Hackathon will lay the foundations for a new era in mobility and will be discussed widely in many upcoming tech conferences, including TechChill,” explained Mari Hanikat, CEO of Garage48. “Organized right before TechChill, this hackathon will serve as a kick-off event to boost interest, cultivate the startup ecosystem and enable new venture entrepreneurs offering breakthrough ideas,” she added.
On the 19th to 21st of February 2019 at LMT Headquarters the participants will have the chance to pitch their own, independent ideas, as well as focus on solving given challenges of existing corporates. All ideas are expected to be focused on four major trends in the field of mobility: alternative mobility, navigation and innovative use of traffic data, mobility as a service, and smart urban logistics.
All participants will get a chance to present their idea on Tuesday evening in a 90-sec pitch format. The teams will be formed on spot, on the first day of the hackathon and will have 48 hours to transform their ideas into a working prototype. Each team will be supported by top-notch local and international mentors. The prototypes will be presented at the finale on Thursday and the best teams will receive rewarding prizes that will enable them to develop their ideas even further.