Our Hackathon is where tech experts and nonprofit visionaries come together for three days of collaboration, innovation, and learning.
Speakers will share their knowledge with the hackathon participants and inspire them to create amazing projects.
Jorge is the Head of Innovative Finance, Frontier Innovations and Venture Platform at the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, based in Munich, Germany. Leading a team of innovative finance and impact investing specialists and technology experts — including in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, blockchain, web3 and fintech — Jorge is driving the development of new ventures, projects and solutions aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of WFP operations.
Lejjy is a collaborator with the Food Innovation Catalyst - a new project focused on creating a better ecosystem for food and biotechnology startups. He also was co-founder and former CEO of YCombinator backed Cell Ag company, and formally CEO of CULT Food Science focused on advancing biotechnology for a better future. He also serves on the board of New Harvest for the United States and Canada, was a founder of Cellular Agriculture Canada, and of Open Cell Ag. Lejjy sees design and understanding complex systems as more than a simple set of practices, but as a operating principles. They are a base on which new ecosystems can actively better take into account our culture and societal patterns that can be influenced by the development of new technology.
Elizabeth Njoroge, a prominent digital transformation leader and speaker, is renowned for her expertise in digital innovation, diversity, and empowerment. As the International ICT Business Partner at Christian Aid, she plays a pivotal role in integrating technology into development initiatives. Elizabeth also co-chairs the NetHope ICT4D group and serves on NetHope's board, advocating for gender-inclusive digital strategies. In addition to her professional roles, she is a dedicated mentor and coach to young women, guiding them in STEM pathways. Elizabeth founded Kagoto Tech Hubs to expand tech access for women and girls and is a passionate advocate for early education in technology, exemplified by her initiative "Mama My First School."
Tobias is an experienced farmer, data&AI enthusiast, entrepreneur and established leader, focused at developing service-businesses and preparing organizations for the new world ahead of us - more resilient, collaborating, risk-sharing, customer-engaging, circular, social and economically viable. He is Chief Commercial Officer at constellr, a space technology company measuring water and temperature from space. Tobias is also Board Member of several agricultural technology companies, incl. crop.zone and GreenEye Technologies. Previously, Tobias has run a large farm in Ukraine, was member of the global Executive Leadership Team of BASF Agricultural Solutions, CEO of xarvio Digital Farming Solutions and Co-Chair of the supervisory board of ONE Smart Spray.
Kenneth is a creative thinker, global thought leader, business strategist, A Certified Management Consultant, and a dynamic global speaker with practical ways to help people become a better version of themselves. His passion is to use agriculture to end hunger, create wealth and jobs, and drive equitable economic growth in Africa to lift millions out of poverty. He passionately seeks the mental awakening and values reorientation of young people. He is the Managing Director, Agricelerate Global Consulting, a consulting firm that Offers consulting services to agribusinesses looking to expand their operations globally.
Experienced Senior Engineering leader with a demonstrated history of leadership in the financial services and construction industry. Currently leading over 15 high performant software development teams at Capital One’s credit card organization. Skilled in building highly performant software engineering teams and scalable microservices based architecture and platforms. Proven experience in executing on the strategic, technical and product deliverables and roadmap. Served as a judge, panel member, mentor and presented several tech talks. Hands-on software development experience using Scala, Java and working with latest tools, technologies and frameworks with strong experience working with public cloud platforms (AWS), GenAI/ML. Software professional with a Master of Science (MS) focused in Computer Engineering from Rutgers University.
Archie leads partner strategy for Advanced Services and manages partnerships that provide Platforms, Service Integrations, Hardware and Channel. She drives customer success with partner products that are built on AWS Services, to provide customer-centric solutions, and helps them scale across different regions. Archie has 14+ years of technical background with patents in Edge system design and has authored multiple application notes and articles. She has been an invited speaker at various global industry events and mentors’ young entrepreneurs in business strategy. She has had a continued passion in providing solutions as she moved from engineering to more customer focused roles. In her current role, she continues this passion by driving multi-partner Edge-to-Cloud solutions.
Ninad is genAI specialist SA based out of Netherlands, he is leading genAI services like Amazon Bedrock, SageMaker in within EMEA. He works with partners like SIs/GSIs to scale AWS GenAI. Apart from working with AWS, Ninad believes in solving climate change via Tech so working with various climateTech startups as technical advisor.
Mentors guide you through challenges, share their expertise, and help turn ideas into reality.
Has over 17 years of experience in digital products and services in the fields of #marketing, #strategy, and #leadership. Currently building CIRC.om, which focuses on building an operational model supporting the transformation of large organizations into a progressive management model based on the principles of sustainable development, Lean methodologies, and inclusivity.
Holds an MSc in Computer Science with honors from Tel Aviv University and am certified as an AWS Developer and AWS Solution Architect. Expertise includes programming design patterns, UI/UX development, cloud technologies, application servers, databases, and proficiency in languages like Java, Vue.js, React, React Native, and Python. Passionate about environmental and social sustainability, and believe that technology is a powerful means for creating positive global impact.
Passionate and committed customer-centric Product Manager with 10+ years of experience leveraging technology and driving digital transformation for customers and consumers. Experienced in navigating complex, high-performing international environments, implementing innovative IT solutions, and developing scalable digital products to accelerate customer experience, adoption, and satisfaction. Business domain expertise includes Retail, saas, MedTech & Medical Devices, IT, Pharma, and Life Sciences.
I have almost 30 years of software experience, starting with time in a small startup as lead developer, later as the lead software and enterprise architect for a 1000 employee company, and finally working as a Technical Account Manager supporting large financial companies. From a technical point of view, I have deep experience with C++, Java, .NET, Python, Node, and most cloud services on AWS. Eager to help teams In addition to the software experience, I've led political active teams for Sierra Club, engaged in making changes to our energy infrastructure, built environment and regulatory systems for both.
Dynamic consultant and marketer for AI and Web3 startups with a passion for global exploration and a commitment to unlocking the vast potential of newborn ventures. His curiosity drives my innovative approach to technology solutions.
I'm a solutions architect at AWS and have a background as a developer and also some sysadmin. I think I can help teams with a wide variety of AWS services. My specialty being mobile&web development, data analytics, genai and devops.
I tackle complex issues in distributed systems and work on making retail accessible worldwide. I use Amazon's advanced recommendation system to develop new product suggestion methods and am involved in a key project to speed up deliveries, especially for groceries, which should greatly increase Amazon's sales. Before Amazon, I worked at Walmart, focusing on stopping fraudulent seller activities and enhancing search functions using Generative AI. Earlier, at JP Morgan & Chase, I improved banking and investment software using robotics process automation and natural language processing.
Pierre Vigneras has a 25+ years career in the IT industry. He holds a PhD in Distributed Systems, and contributed in research (20+ publications), in engineering (10+ patents) and in academia (lecturer in private and public institutions) and in open-source projects. At Atos/Bull company, he helped building several supercomputers ranked in the Top-10 world-wide. Pierre is currently in the team buiding and operating one of the biggest cloud storage service in the world, Amazon S3.
I am a seasoned engineering leader specializing in the development of large-scale data processing systems, AI infrastructure, and comprehensive data services and platforms. My expertise centers on designing and building scalable, secure, and highly available systems that form the backbone of Amazon's vast array of offerings. In addition to my technical leadership, I am passionate about mentorship, having guided hundreds of engineers both within and outside Amazon. My mentoring philosophy is built on empowering engineers with the skills and confidence to excel in their careers, fostering an environment of continuous learning and professional growth.
Volkan is a senior engineer at AWS. He's had a long and varied career in software, working in NGOs, foundations, public broadcasting, startups and enterprises of all sizes. He's a talented engineer and a dedicated mentor.
Dr. Wafae Bakkali is a data science technical lead with a strong business acumen and 10+ years of experience in multiple business environments and industries. She regularly serves as an AI mentor in Hackathons, Tech and startup events, as well as a speaker in international tech conferences. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the world and learning from its diverse cultures. She traveled to 70+ countries in 6 continents.
I am a solution architect who assists customers in migrating to the cloud. As a member of the Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Technical Community, I help customers implement their machine learning workloads on AWS. My educational background includes a bachelor's degree in computer engineering and graduate studies in computer science with a focus on machine learning.
Offir Inbar is a PhD candidate in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tel Aviv University. His research topics range from building an intersection between AI and environmental challenges to creating water from air. In addition, works on various water and environmental projects, and served as the CEO EWB Tel-Aviv which focuses on providing drinkable water to communities in rural regions in Africa who lack access to safe water. Offir holds an M.Sc. and B.Sc. in Geophysics, both with Cum Laude honors from Tel Aviv University.
Not young enough to be called a Digital Native, nor old enough to be classified as Analogue Veteran. While being more than 30 years in the High-Tech industry, I have taken key roles in various public companies, gained diversified experience and exposure to the two of the most significant sides of the organization - the Business Development & Sales as well as the Operation & Production, while working & interfacing various BODs. During my carrier negotiated and executed some significant M&As. Executive managerial background that embeds the full spectrum of: entrepreneurship , idea, funding, identifying strategic partners, markets & end customer, R&D plans, executing go to market & PR plans, significant M&A experience.
After graduating from the University of Virginia in May 2023, I started at AWS on the ProServe Pubsec team. I have a focus in machine learning and artificial intelligence. After about 8 months on the first team, I was moved to the GenAI Innovation Center at AWS where I have continued to work on various projects to develop end to end solutions.
I am a woman, Brazilian, residing in the Northeast region of Brazil, an area known for its diverse natural and cultural beauty, yet simultaneously recognized as one of the poorest regions in the country. As a social worker specializing in Sustainability and Social Development, my mission is to promote positive impact on social and environmental issues. As a researcher at the Federal University of Bahia, I dedicate myself to analyzing socio-environmental indicators based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as well as regenerative finance. I serve as a mentor in hackathons, such as the Nasa Space Apps Challenge in Salvador, and in programs promoting technology and female entrepreneurship, I believe that new technologies can contribute to a fairer and more sustainable society.
Gabriela Baka specializes in creating digital experiences, boasting over 10 years of international work experience and several prestigious awards, including the KTR, Design Ed Awards, Josef Binder Awards, Projekt Roku, and Red Dot Best of the Best. She has previously worked at renowned institutions such as the American Walker Art Center, German Moby Digg Studio, and Polish Owls Department (Le Polish Bureau). Alongside her professional roles, Gabriela occasionally gives talks, teaches, conducts design workshops, and serves as a jury member. Social impact is a cornerstone of her work. She selectively engages in projects that aim to raise awareness and drive positive change. Among her impactful endeavors are ""Made in Fukushima,"" which explores innovative farming methods in radiated areas, and ""Meltdown Flags,"" a project visualizing the retreat of glaciers worldwide.
Jessica Bagenda is a Ugandan lady and a humanitarian with a passion for reducing food waste and alleviating hunger in her community. Her journey began with the Red Cross, where she gained valuable experience in disaster response and emergency relief efforts, witnessing firsthand the impact of food insecurity on vulnerable populations and development initiates during times of peace. Motivated by a desire to make a tangible difference, Jessica co- founded the Haba Na Haba Food Bank, guided by the belief that every little bit counts in creating positive change. Through innovative programs and partnerships, she has worked tirelessly to address food insecurity while simultaneously tackling the issue of food waste, accessibility of food and zero hunger sustainably At Haba Na Haba, Jessica leads initiatives aimed at supporting small-scale, community-based projects that promote self-reliance and foster development. From establishing community food banks, and gardens to providing education on nutrition and sustainable agriculture, she empowers individuals to take control of their food security while also advocating for policy changes to address systemic issues.
I lead the global team of technical account managers supporting largest and most complex GSI partners for AWS. In my role, I collaborate and provide thought leadership to enable our partners and create solutions to achieve business outcomes across multiple industries and global clients. I have 18+ years of working in tech industry and have expertise in working within mobile/telecom domain and now with cloud computing. I have MBA from UT Austin. I have experience in working with organizations like WFP etc as I was a volunteer during my time with Ericsson.
My name is Tao, a Software Engineering at AWS. I have 8 years of experiences and deep field knowledge in designing & building large scale software systems, data pipelines, complicated website and UI interactions. I can guide teams through requirement ambiguities, designing effective technical solutions, resolving specific technical challenges, and provide consultation for individual career developments.
Adam is a farmer, an AgTech enthusiast and a Food Systems Specialist. Member of the WEF Food Innovators Network, member of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism and a Catalyst 2030. He is a Tedx storyteller and listed on Forbes Africa U30, Top 30 Global Gurus & Top 100 BYM. Adam is purpose driven and committed to SDG2.
I have about 12 Years’ experience in Agriculture development, livelihood and environmental protection projects. I am a professional in the areas of sustainable agriculture and Livestock development, natural resources management and community empowerment across various institution and interventions. The experience is backed with (Bachelors), Educational background in Rural Engineering. In Ripple Effect I occupied different positions such as: Assistant Sustainable Organic Agricultural Officer, Sustainable Organic Agricultural Officer, Agriculture and Environment Advisor and Project Manager for various Ripple Effect Funded projects.
Senior Software Engineer with over 5 years of experience delivering high-quality, scalable software applications from conception to deployment. I have a passion for technology and a commitment to delivering high-quality software applications. My ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, communicate effectively, and adapt to changing requirements has been essential to my success. My biggest superpower is my intuitive people skills, emotional intelligence, and high level of dependency on each venture, and goal I set towards.
Product data science and analytics. Tech mentor for habitat for humanity hackathon when previously working at Booz Allen Hamilton. Mentor and participant of two internal hackathons during my tenure at amazon (Gen AI hackathon and organization specific hackathon).
I am passionate about nutrition because I can contribute to a healthy lifestyle for Ecuadorians. As a student, I have been able to study the local reality regarding eating habits and also gain field experience with the complex problem of chronic child malnutrition, specifically in the Central Highlands of Ecuador. In this regard, I have knowledge of the various factors that affect the proper growth of children in rural areas, and I am happy to be able to contribute with comprehensive solutions for a better future for hundreds of children.
Impact & Sustainability Lead in Glovo Poland. Responsible for building and implementing local strategy, focused on cooperation with NGOs and reducing emissions. Lead local implementation of Glovo Access program and platform, which allowed Glovo to support mutliple NGOs in saving food surplus and delivering over 1 000 000 meals to people in need in Poland. Previously connected with impact-driven work in the startup ecosystem: managing an acceleration for pro-climate startups in foodtech.ac as well as leading marketing for vertical farming startup Listny Cud.
Daniela has more than twelve years of experience in the public, private, social, and academic sectors. At TechnoServe Master in Social Business, passionate about education, rural life, agriculture and the social economy in all its expressions. She has been a volunteer in community projects in some regions of Veracruz and has conducted research on the impact of training farmers on community development. She is currently a Project Specialist at TechnoServe Mexico, focusing her efforts on topics such as regenerative agriculture, water conservation and quality, and digitalization.
Showcase your project to our esteemed panel of judges.
I am currently an independent strategic adviser focused on a mix of strategy, responsible AI, policy, business development, partnerships, and trust & safety for a portfolio of large tech companies and advisory firms. Until 2023, I was Director, Social Impact Products & Partnerships at WhatsApp/ Meta . In this role, they led strategy development and execution for programs and partnerships across areas such as crisis response and preparedness, health, education, policy programs and enabling NGO impact at scale.
I hold a Master's degree in Applied Science and Computer Technology from the prestigious Coimbatore Institute of Technology, India. I have contributed to multiple open-source projects like Mesos Kafka framework [2018], Contributions to funnel/spark-statsd for monitoring mesos cluster to an open-sourced monitoring tool, and Opensource project involving vector-db, entity extractions (indexify). I have given a talk at Cassandra Summit(2023) about "How Netflix Delivers Key-Value and Time-Series Storage at Any Scale".
Jessica is a technology leader with almost twenty years of experience delivering large-scale technical programs and managing teams. Her focus is solving problems whose solution makes the world better. In her over ten years at Amazon, within that focus she has worked in domains ranging from Sustainability to leadership in Amazon's Covid Vaccine Task force, to her current role leading a technology team focused on Amazon's community impact space.
Award-Winning Global Startups Investor, Mentor, Judge, Speaker, Board Advisor and Ecosystem Builder with special focus on smart fundraising, international expansion and impact innovation & investments. Guest lecturer for Jacobs/Synthesis University, USAC Guatemala, ICC Istanbul, MISK Foundation. Board Advisor for WBAF SDGs STI Committee, UnsungHeroes, ImpactTravelLab, Project Baala. International Consultant for SwissEP, ICESCO, UA Seeds of Bravery, Innpulsa-Colombia, DTVH TechPark .
Founder & CEO of Unsung Heroes. Since 2023 they incubated and accelerated over 100 companies from more than 20 countries who want to work with humanitarian organizations worldwide. Radek gathered startup mentors across 43 nations to work together and connect impactful startups with humanitarians and people who live in poverty. Founder of Ideal Bistro and Pureco Natural. Business Angel and Business Mentor.
Over 30 year working in sociak-tech, 12+ years in ICT4D / digital development, I am a passionate and strategic consultant who helps social impact organisations navigate the complex and dynamic landscape where aid/development programming meets digital technologies. I combine practical, implementable and well-researched insights with collaborative and agile approaches to delivery, helping to empower communities and drive social change. I have worked with leading international NGOs, donors, governments, and multi-laterals, such as DIAL (at the UN Foundation), the World Bank, Oxfam, FHI 360, UNICEF and Practical Action (where I now sit on the board), on various projects and initiatives that leverage digital technologies for development.
Experienced Senior Engineering leader with a demonstrated history of leadership in the financial services and construction industry. Currently leading over 15 high performant software development teams at Capital One’s credit card organization. Skilled in building highly performant software engineering teams and scalable microservices based architecture and platforms. Proven experience in executing on the strategic, technical and product deliverables and roadmap. Served as a judge, panel member, mentor and presented several tech talks. Hands-on software development experience using Scala, Java and working with latest tools, technologies and frameworks with strong experience working with public cloud platforms (AWS), GenAI/ML. Software professional with a Master of Science (MS) focused in Computer Engineering from Rutgers University.
Nikolay Lebedev is an Engineering Manager at Paramount, leading the development of advertising services and platforms, as well as video streaming services. With almost a decade of software engineering experience and a strong background in software architecture, he excels in building teams and solving complex problems. Nikolay is an active member of various engineering associations and communities such as IAB, SCTE, and SVTA, demonstrating his commitment to professional development and industry collaboration.
Bala Thekkedath is a Principal Product Manager for High Performance Computing at Amazon Web Services. He manages the ideation, incubation and creation of solutions that can use the extreme scale of computing infrastructure we can bring to bear and bend the curve on large complex global/societal challenges. Bala brings over 30 years of experience in the cloud, telecom and networking industry, and a breadth of experience that spans product management, product marketing, pre/post sales consulting, and engineering roles. He has previously worked at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Ericsson, UTStarcom, and Nokia (Lucent). Bala holds MBA and MS degrees in Technology Management from Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from MS University of Baroda, India.
Troy Etulain is an international digital development expert with more than 25 years’ experience working in or on approximately 50 countries. He has created and implemented dozens of technology programs, including global technology strategies for USAID and UN agencies. Troy extensive experience cultivating and launching successful public-private technology partnerships that have supported humanitarian and development goals. He also is an entrepreneur working to increase affordable internet access globally. Currently Troy is assessing the progress of an ICT4D strategy and developing a multi-year action plan for an agriculture-focused UN agency. He holds an MA in Development Economics from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a BA in English and International Relations from Georgetown University.
Bagenda Joachim Timothy, a native of Uganda, embarked on a journey of academic and humanitarian pursuits. Graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering, his education instilled in him a blend of technical proficiency and holistic problem-solving skills. Transitioning seamlessly from engineering to humanitarianism, Bagenda now serves as the Director of Standards and Resource Development at Haba na Haba Food Bank. Here, he applies his engineering mindset to optimize operations and maximize impact in the fight against food insecurity. Recognizing the critical importance of addressing food waste in achieving food security, Bagenda spearheads research initiatives aimed at its reduction. Through collaboration with experts and the implementation of data-driven approaches, he drives efforts to minimize waste and ensure the efficient allocation of resources.
I am a development practitioner with over10 years’ experience mainstreaming gender and intersecting inequalities in agricultural sector and climate change actions, with an in-depth experience and passion in women economic and social empowerment. I hold a Bachelor Arts degree in Anthropology and I have built a career on enhancing the voice and agency of marginalized populations to realize their potentials.
Kate Krukiel has been working in the international development space for over 20 years with both the private sector and international organizations. She has created and led development projects in the education, agriculture and technology space bringing private sector, NGO’s, Civil Society and International organizations together. She has built teams, strategies and implementation techniques that bridge a variety of demographics promoting sustainability, empathy and equality working across the Middle East and Africa. She is deeply focused on leading teams to deliver impactful, resilient, and effective programmes. Kate is currently living in Kenya, the Director of Consult for Change, working to scale social impact organizations as well as writing a book about her journey of 30+ years of a chronic spine issue. She was most recently the Managing Director of an East African start-up Sera Afrika focusing on data driven policies as well as the General Manager for the UN Digital Solutions Centre incubating solutions to drive efficiencies for back-office services. She spent 12 years at Microsoft managing the UN System and holds a BS in Computer Science. An Angel investor, passionate about social change, she’s also done a TEDx talk on how businesses can give to provide greater impact.
Visionary Head of Engineering | Proficient in Innovative Solutions, Cost Optimization, Project Management, Performance Metrics, Software Development, Agile Methodology, and Crisis Management.
I am a Digital Adoption & Strategy Analyst at Oriental Bank in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where I design and implement strategies that support the adoption of digital products, focusing on market planning, problem-solving, and leveraging a diverse skill set to drive digital transformation initiatives. With over four years of experience at Oriental Bank, I previously served as a Customer Intelligence & Strategy Analyst, specializing in customer experience design and project management. Prior to that role, I was a Business Banking Advisor, gaining comprehensive experience in business banking for SMEs. My career at Oriental has provided me with a deep understanding of customer needs and how technology can be used to fulfill gaps in their experience journey.
Daniela has more than twelve years of experience in the public, private, social, and academic sectors. At TechnoServe she oversees the Inclusive Agriculture and Madre Tierra Programs, develops and leads new alliances with private sector buyers, and manage the M&E strategy. Prior to joining TechnoServe, she was Chief of Staff to the Chief Economist at the Mexican Ministry of Finance, where she managed macroeconmic and public finance activities and projects to ensure their alignment with the Chief Economist, the Undersecretary, and the Minister's objectives. Also, she has experience working at the Ministry of Social Development, the Central Bank of Mexico and Cementos Mexicanos. Daniela holds an MPP from The University of Chicago and a BA in Economics from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.
