Urban Wizards Wins Tech Hub Civic Hackathon 2024 + Event Highlights

The 2024 Tech Hub Hackathon, presented by CITY Furniture, Office Depot and FPL, brought together some of South Florida’s tech enthusiasts, students and new graduates, and community leaders for a high-energy, 24-hour event dedicated to solving real-world problems. This year’s theme, “Civic Hacking: Uniting South Florida Cities,” highlighted the power of technology to address challenges facing local municipalities. 

A Hackathon is an overnight event where participants form teams, vet ideas, create a project, then present their work to an expert panel of judges. Civic Hacking is a collaborative approach to problem-solving that uses technology to positively impact society. Civic hackers use a variety of skills and resources, including code, open data sets, and the talents of their local community, to create innovative solutions to challenges in their neighborhoods, cities, states, and country. The goal is to encourage participation in civic life, especially in urban areas. Through civic hacking, people with diverse skill sets—developers, engineers, designers, and project managers—come together to create innovative solutions that serve their communities.

Fourteen teams competed for a chance to win over $7500 in cash and prizes. From waste management to transportation, smart city initiatives, and cybersecurity, the teams worked on projects and then pitched those project ideas to a panel of judges. The event not only fosters innovation but also gives participants the opportunity to connect with other tech professionals, build new skills, and make a real impact.

Check out our winners below!

1st Place: Urban Wizards

• Award: $2,500
• Solution: “Wise Waste” – AI-powered Smart Trash Collection system
• Team Members: Ryan Young, Shashank Mishra, Kislay Sharma, Juan Zuluaga, Hector Martinez, Giovanni Castellana
• See Video Presentation
• See Github

The winning team, Urban Wizards, developed an AI-powered Smart Trash Collection system designed to optimize waste collection in urban areas. Their innovative solution aimed to improve the efficiency of trash pickup routes, reducing costs and environmental impact. In a touching gesture, Urban Wizards donated half of their prize money to CITY Furniture’s Pink Pumpkins campaign, supporting breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society.

2nd Place: Treellionaires

• Award: $1,500
• Solution: “Treellionaires” – a solution to identify key areas in need of tree canopies
• Team Members: Ashley Martinez, Joelle Johnson, Trevor Drummond, Norman Ortiz, Aikerim Belispayeva, Moses Nandi
• See Video Presentation
• See Github

The second-place team, Treeillionaires, tackled the issue of sustainable urban planning by creating a solution to identify key areas in need of tree canopies. Their project aimed to promote greener, more livable cities by increasing tree coverage in urban spaces.

3rd Place: Fantastic Five

• Award: $1,000
• Solution: “Support Squad” – supporting those with homelessness in finding resources
• Team Members: Chamara Spence, Jonae Davidson, Charlene Gilbert, Yanheng Chen, Angelo milonas
• See Video Presentation
• See Github

The third-place team, Fantastic Five, took on homelessness with a platform that provided real-time updates on available resources, including shelters, meals, and services. Their solution addressed the struggles of homeless individuals facing fluctuating weather conditions, food insecurity, and limited communication accessibility.

There were also a couple additional prizes such as React Miami tickets and gift cards. A team sponsored by Nova Southeastern University’s College of Engineering, Team SharkSec, won tickets for their entire team to attend the 2-day React Miami conference which is a value of over $2,500. This was awarded to the team with the best web app for their solution (doesn’t have to be in React) that stood out to our judges as well-designed and fully responsive. Check it out here.

One final award was given to Team Byte Brigade which was made of three high school students supported by one amazing tech professional. The judges wanted to award the team with $50 gift cards each for their ability to present, use humor, and create a solid project at their first hackathon ever. It’s nerve-wracking and they did a superb job! Watch their pitch here.

This year’s Hackathon was not only a celebration of creativity and technical skill but also an inspiring reminder of how technology can be harnessed to improve the lives of South Florida’s residents. The projects created during the Hackathon reflect the potential for civic hacking to drive positive change in our local South Florida communities. As participants pushed their limits, built something cool, and made lasting connections, it became clear that events like this play a critical role in growing South Florida’s tech community. The Tech Hub Hackathon was a truly memorable weekend where tech and innovation met community impact head-on, creating lasting solutions for a better tomorrow.

The 2024 Hackathon featured a panel of esteemed judges, including Jason Hill of Owwll, Sreedhar Allani of ODP Corporation, Anita Patel of Minerva Tec Group, and Michelle Bakels of G2i who brought their expertise to guide and evaluate the projects. In addition to the incredible teams, key community partners such as CITY Furniture, The ODP Corporation (Office Depot), and NextEra Energy (FPL) played crucial roles in the event’s success, further illustrating the importance of collaboration between local businesses, technologists, and education systems.

Thank you to Adam & Joe’s Eatery in Ft. Lauderdale for providing a healthy and filling lunch for our hackers on Sunday, The Adacemy for providing swag bags, and Charleston Coffee for much needed coffee Sunday morning. Huge shoutout to our team sponsors: The Academy, NSU Engineering, and Tech Hub Foundation.

Congratulations to all those who pitched! Click the following links to view: Project Submissions and Event Photo Album.