Ulster Bank Hackathon 2020 goes virtual – and global

The Ulster Bank Hackathon, in partnership with start-up hub Dogpatch Labs, gets underway next weekend (25th, 26th, 27th September 2020), and for the first time ever will be solely online, with coders, data scientists, designers, entrepreneurs and staff coming together virtually to collaborate and disrupt the future of banking.

Now in its fifth year, the Ulster Bank Hackathon is one of Ireland’s most established Hackathons and has a reputation for attracting some of the best and brightest minds.

This year, in line with health restrictions, it has been given a new dimension and will take place virtually, with teams focusing on focusing on Climate, Smart Data, and Financial Confidence and Education. The event will be officially opened by Ulster Bank’s CEO Jane Howard, who will also deliver the closing remarks on Sunday.

How it works

Up to 100 ‘hackers’ will virtually gather on Friday evening for the Hackathon’s Digital Marketplace of Ideas, where their pre-recorded idea pitch video will be played before they team up for 54 hours of collaboration on ideas that will ultimately form the next generation of banking.

Each team will pitch their final idea on Sunday afternoon to a panel of experts including Ulster Bank Chief Technology and Information Officer, Sheamus Causer, Managing Director Ulster Bank Commercial Banking Division Eddie Cullen, Head of Innovation and Solutions delivery at NatWest Group, Naresh Vyas, Managing Director Dogpatch Labs, Patrick Walsh and Principal at Sure Valley Ventures, Isabelle O’Keeffe.

The winner will be announced that evening and will take home the top prize worth €1,500.

Start-Up

In order to harness the full spirit of innovation for our customers, Ulster Bank has a separate category for staff who have a great idea they want to bring to life and the winners of that category go forward into the Bank’s intrapreneurship programme, Start-Up.

The programme, which won the top prize at the inaugural Deloitte Financial Services innovation awards in 2019, creates an environment to nurture the entrepreneurial culture that exists within the bank. It gives people the time, space and resources to develop their skills as entrepreneurs while creating real solutions to benefit our customers.

Sheamus Causer, Chief Technology and Information Officer, Ulster Bank said:

“The Ulster Bank Hackathon has a reputation for creating an exciting, disruptive, safe space for some of the best minds to come together and test their ideas and dreams using technology they wouldn’t otherwise have access to, all with the same end goal in mind – how can we change things for our customers for the better?

The landscape for financial services is changing every day and that brings a huge opportunity for customers. We want to be at the forefront of that, collaborating with and working shoulder-to-shoulder with the fintech community. The Ulster Bank Hackathon allows us to do just that and we are really looking forward to seeing what comes out of this year’s event.”

To register online for the Ulster Bank Hackathon 2020 or for more information visit: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/ulster-bank-hackathon-2020-dogpatch-labs-tickets-119063394819.