Extentia Information Technology held the fourth season of X24.2018, a unique ‘Build Marathon’ over 24-hours between August 24-25. Six internal teams competed in a hackathon centered around Data, Intelligence, and Experience (D.I.E.). The theme this year was D.I.E. HARD – featuring real problems from real partners resulting in real solutions. Participants had to develop technology-based applications and go from concept to pitch in a tight timeframe. Season 4 saw the entry of ‘Sergeants, the return of expert coaching, a stressbuster room, and team substitutions.

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About the D.I.E. HARD Theme

The event focused on using Data, Intelligence, and Experience for the teams to develop solutions this year. Every solution had to incorporate Big Data, featuring artificial intelligence with thought given to the customer experience. The participants had access to Extentia’s Techquarium’ (TQ) set of new-age technology devices and every challenge statement came with an attached device. These statements were shared with the teams a half-hour before kick-off. They had to use cutting-edge technology and present their solutions to an evaluation and mentoring panel, combined with a sales pitch. X24 Season 4 presented Extentians with an opportunity to display D.I.E. HARD innovation, technological skills, creative flair, passion, and concepts.

 

The X24 Teams

X24.2018 featured young and enthusiastic teams made up of developers, designers, and sales people. Leading up to the event multiple contests were conducted at Extentia – ‘Face Off’, ‘Jingle 24’, ‘Legothon’, and a video challenge. The winners of the pre-events won benefits for their teams on the event day. A day before the event, the X24 Sergeants arrived at Extentia for the much-awaited ‘house reveal’ – each Sergeant was allocated to a house. During the event, the teams could substitute members and had access to a special coach, as well as a special advisor for a limited window.

 

Challenge Statements at X24.2018

• Discover Your Zone – create a platform that enables users to look for and pick retirement options while keeping several attributes in mind – cost of living, health care system, taxes, and more.

• Ship It – businesses are required to ship items across the globe quickly – the high number of service providers makes it challenging to find the best deal. The goal was to create an application that is an aggregator and offers an easy and efficient way for consumers to compare the offerings of available courier service providers, upload package details, and schedule pick-up/delivery.

• Farmer Connect – availability of farm mechanization technology for small and medium landholding farmers provides them with products, services, and solutions to enable growth. The requirement was to create a platform that encourages farmer and customer engagement.

• Waste to Fuel – to encourage, develop, and run efficient waste-to-energy programs, this platform will facilitate the collection, managing, and distribution of waste to recyclers.

• Quick Buy – when traveling abroad, forex is essential. However, buying it can be time-consuming and cumbersome. This application will offer users an easy and efficient option to buy online forex by letting them look up currency exchange rates, buy multiple currencies, and more.

• Raise It – there is a major need to get funding for start-ups by connecting them with interested parties. This platform will be a collaboration channel between startups and investors.
   

The challenges were linked to Extentia’s customers and partners who attended this year. All the details are on the X24 web site.

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The Sergeants

The fourth season welcomed D.I.E. HARD ‘Sergeants’ – senior representatives from Extentia’s customers and partners. They were product owners who drafted the challenge statements and participated as X24 team members. The Sergeants provided special support to the teams and worked with them for 24 hours to create a real solution that address a real business problem.

 

Code Cops

Season 4 also saw the entry of Code Cops – a team of six Extentians. They had to conduct a complete review of all the teams’ code, before the final pitch to the Gurus.

The Gurus

The X24.2018 Gurus – judges from a variety of industry domains – met on August 25, to evaluate, vote, and pick the winners based on several assigned evaluation criteria. These included a working solution, coding best practices, presentation, and demonstration. Each Guru brought a different perspective to the judging – some were technology focused, while the others had a business or customer perspective.

 

At the awards ceremony, the Gurus spoke of how X24.2018 was the client-focused edition of X24 – this ensured that the teams were more focused, committed, and learned a lot from their peers. According to them, the final step would be to take the developed applications to fruition and complete the X24 circle. They also had a few suggestions for a more intense version of X24 next year.

 

Live Feed and Social Media

A special crew managed a live feed through the entire event – photos, videos, hourly updates, and a busy comments section. The hackathon was also live-tweeted over 24 hours, along with updates on Facebook. Twitter posts were favorited and retweeted extensively using the hashtag ‘#HackathonX24’ and ‘#X24DIEHARD’.

 

Sponsors

Once again, X24 attracted several sponsors who offered generous prizes and support for the teams. This included Amazon, BBC – Benz bakes and cakes, Cafe 1730, Cut and Style, Dario’s Trattoria, Dentalogy, Euriska, Prem's, Kinki, Swig, EZshield, Fitfood, Green Tokri, Harry's, High Spirits, Kwizine, Noodle Canteen, Red Bull, Sassy Spoon, Wicked China, Baraza Bites, Stereo, Turf Up, and Whatta Waffle.

 

'The fourth edition of X24 required the teams to solve real problems drafted by our Sergeants. Working with them was a new experience for the participants. It required them to raise the bar and produce unique solutions,' said Umeed Kothavala, CEO, Extentia. 'Given the close involvement of Sergeants and coaches in the teams, we hope to see even more refined solutions that could go to market. I congratulate the winners of Season 4!'

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View pictures and videos

 

X24 2018 was covered by these publications:
Times of India 1 | Times of India 2 | Hindustan Times | Prabhat (Marathi) | Indian Express | Dataquest

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Look up www.x24.extentia.com to learn more about X24.2018 and past events.

 

To know more about Extentia’s mobile offerings and to schedule demos, please write to inquiries (at) extentia.com, or call +91 20 6728 5200 (India) / +1-408-627-4094 (United States).

 

About Extentia® Information Technology

A global technology and services firm that helps clients transform and realize their digital strategies. With a unique Experience Centric Transformation approach, Extentia’s ground-breaking solutions are in the space of mobile, cloud, and design. The team is differentiated by an emphasis on excellent design skills that they bring to every project. Focused on enterprise mobility, cloud computing, and user experiences, Extentia strives to accomplish and surpass their customers’ business goals. The company’s inclusive work environment and culture inspire team members to be innovative and creative, and to provide clients with an exceptional partnership experience.

www.extentia.com