Mbassi Japhet, Baha Teddy and Dogmo Remi, all third-year students in the University of Buea, made up the team Steve Jobs, that has gone home with a cash prize of XAF150,000 and other incentives worth more than XAF500,000. They have emerged winners of the 2019 Mobile App Development Hackathon at ActivSpaces after taking four days to build a mobile App for Zoomed.
“We saw witty and tech savvy faces, some of whom have mentored and facilitated other workshops we have attended before the competition… We trembled seeing beautiful code structures, eloquent explanations and engaging demos our peers presented to the judges during the pitching session.
It was even more defeating when we saw Valery Colong give the white sheet to Fergus Assam (CTO at Zuoix) to proclaim the results of the just ended Hackathon.
Our hearts started pounding like a pestle in a mortar, sweaty feet dampened our shoes, the deafening silence in the hall would put a cemetery to shame as Fergus called from bottom to top. Then he stopped abruptly and said calmly, ‘please I am tense, I need a bottle of water to drink’. Then we remembered we were even late for our pitching session; it was likely he wanted to sanction us for the delay.
When he resumed, he asked calmly, where is team Steve Jobs? Hhhhmmm, we knew we had lost to team ‘Elon Musk’ because we were the only two teams remaining before the break. Besides, we knew they did better than us because we were absent during their presentation. But Lo and behold, he finished by proclaiming ‘Steve Jobs is the winner of the 2019 Mobile App Development Hackathon at ActivSpaces powered by ActivSpaces, Leapfrog and Zuoix’.
We could hear them clapping, drumming on the tables, feet hard on the floor in jubilation. Movements were rampant and the noise louder than you would have in a market place. Camera flashes welcomed us from every angle while project manager, Buma Wa Motia and the 6 judges congratulated us with the over-sized cheque.
And that was how our four days of coding, playing and exchange with peers turned us into winners of the Hackathon. We owe our gratitude to the organizers and sponsors of this competition. Apart from the money, we have learned many things we wouldn’t have in the classroom.”
About the sponsor, Zoomed and the prizes to the winner.
ZOOMED, a proprietary project owned by ZUOIX is an SMS location based app which provides clients with the exact location of their devices on a custom based map anytime the app is opened.
‘Steve Jobs’ is entitled to
Cash prize of XAF150,000
A Paid internship
A Free installation of the Zoomed car security system on any car of their choice worth XAF150,000
A Free subscription for a year worth XAF50,000
A day tour round the Zuoix office and presentation of the Zuoix team and company to them
A Possible integration into the Zuoix team
Beach time with Zuoix workers, all paid for.
Some lesson quotes from the Hackathon
“Never underestimate your opponent”, Orock Lawrence, member of team Elon Musk.
“Giving up should never be an option”, Mbassi Japhet, member of Steve Jobs the winning team.
“Every avenue is a learning ground”, Idris Tabi, member of John Skeet team.
“Team spirit makes the dream work”, Buma Wa Motia, Hackathon Project Manager.
Gratitude/Acknowledgement.
The ActivSpaces team is very grateful to all players who ensured the successful hosting and running of the Mobile App Development Hackathon from May 28-31, 2019 at ActivSpaces.
Thank you to our partner, Leapfrog for promoting IT Education in Africa and Cameroon in particular. Leapfrog’s technical and financial support has given techies in the ActivSpaces and Silicon Mountain communities the opportunity to learn and upgrade their skill.
Gratitude to our sponsors, Zoomed and e-nkap who sponsored our two hackathons in the course of the first series of trainings. Their interventions have helped our techies test their skills by competing with peers and learning from each other.
To our judges in Douala and Buea, we are grateful for you honouring us with your time and intellect.
Many thanks to all participants and trainers who have made it a duty to make the Silicon Mountain community a place to find skilled techies. We acknowledge the knowledge gained and shared by the six teams: Nyah Check, Churchill, John Skeet, Honourables, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. A mix of both students and people already in the job market created a balance in the experience levels.
Above all, we thank the management and staff of ActivSpaces for their endless support and ever-welcoming environment open to everyone who took part in the project.
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2 Comments. Leave new
It was an awesome one. Thank you ActivSpaces, Leapfrog and Zuoix for the opportunity.
Thank you Fongoh Martin for taking part. Your input made the competition more exciting and educative.