Canon Middle East (CME), a leader in imaging products and solutions, recently partnered with Dubai-based in5, an integrated innovation platform launched by Tecom Group, to hold the `The Dubai Hackathon’.

The event was held at the In5 Innovation Center, and brought together technology developers and designers from several countries to present ground-breaking ideas to promote the ICT sector, said a statement.

Decode Dubai Hackathon offers the ideal platform for technopreneurs to compete, build and develop exciting mobile applications and win exciting prizes, it said.

The event comes under the purpose of finding disruptive solutions in the printing industry with the main objective of finding a solution to offer convenience and efficiency for all printing requirements, it added.

Canon Middle East has invested in supporting the startup ecosystem and this project is first of the many initiatives to originate. The intense competition helped get talent under one platform at the In5 Innovation Center.

A total of 21 teams consisting of 68 individuals took part in the competition. Mentors from Canon, as well from in5 briefed the contestants on the theme. The expected outcome from the contestants was to create a new innovative idea for a solution or application which will help support the printing industry.

Rohit Jayakaran and Ahmad Shabbir from ‘On the Go Team’ delivered a promising idea which won them the first prize.

The second prize was won by Prince Virgil Gesty Coching and Mehrad Yaghmai from ‘Open Print Team’ who presented their innovative idea of focusing on print services and how they can replace printers.  

Anurag Agrawal, managing director, Canon Middle East, said: “We are inspired by the impressive work of the contestants at the event and congratulate the winners and all the participants for their path-breaking ideas.”

“We are very proud of this new collaboration with in5, which has allowed contestants to come up with new ideas. Today, hackathons build vital bridges between large organisations and innovative tech businesses that benefit the market,” he said.

“Our participation in the event also complements our guiding corporate philosophy – Kyosei, which means living and working together for the common good, and which we abide by for all our plans and activities in the region,” he added.

The contestants were asked to present their innovative ideas for developing them into applications that can be delivered in the market and potentially contribute to a positive impact in the world, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service