First women-only hackathon held in Dubai, with participants from India, China, Middle East

Dubai: The first women-only hackathon here showcased the best of the programmers’ skills to develop an engaging mobile gaming application, with over 40 women - including from India - vying for a USD 5,000 prize. The ‘First Women Only Hackathon’ organised as part of the Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) 2015 Conference & Awards was held at Canadian University of Dubai on January 14-15 with an objective to inspire and empower women to take leadership roles in related industries. Over 40 women worked in teams to design mobile gaming applications showcasing the best of their analytical, coding, and designing skills. The applications developed by the teams will be scrutinised and screened by tech gurus from the Silicon Valley and the winning team will be awarded USD 5,000 prize money. The 2-day session demonstrated the capabilities of women programmers to develop an engaging mobile gaming application. The participants got an opportunity to meet women entrepreneurs and network with experienced professionals to accentuate their familiarity in STEM industries, organisers said. The challenge aspired female technology enthusiasts from the Middle East, India, China, and Africa to explore feasible ideas, develop their team skills, and strengthen their networks. The Meera Kaul Foundation that hosted the hackathon said it encourages women to empower themselves by strengthening their entrepreneurial skills while developing their business acumen through their various mentorship programmes. “Women have a fighting chance to perform to their full potentials in their careers. We would like to use this event as one of the many platforms we provide for women striving for success. With the right motivation and integrity, women can go further than ever. Through this Hackathon we are looking to promote technical co-founders, explore new ideas and incentives, pick up team skills, and strengthen their network of contacts,” said Meera Kaul, founder and chairperson of the Foundation. Women in STEM established a gateway for women to be mentored, to grow, and to succeed in their own aspirations, according to organisers. PTI