MONTREAL, Nov. 7, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - More than 300 business, health and technology professionals gathered at Complexe Desjardins last Friday for the Cooperathon 2016 finals, where the hackathon winners were announced. The goal was to showcase their expertise, new digital technology and most importantly, their innovative ideas to find real solutions to challenges facing the sectors of healthcare, fintech, and smart and digital cities.
The Cooperathon is a cooperative marathon that focuses first and foremost on collaboration between project teammates, and with external actors such as public institutions, universities, companies and committed citizens.
The 4-week event was designed and produced by Desjardins Group and Hacking Health, together with Montréal, Smart and Digital City and InnoCité MTL. Participants submitted more than 70 ideas, 43 of which were presented during the semi-finals on October 30. From there, 15 finalists were selected to appear before the Cooperathon jury on November 4.
The event was attended by Dominique Anglade, Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, and Minister responsible for Digital Strategy; Rita de Santis, Minister responsible for Access to Information and the Reform of Democratic Institutions; and Harout Chitilian, Vice-President of Ville de Montréal's Executive Committee and responsible for information technology and smart city.
"The Cooperathon is perfectly in line with Desjardins's mission. In a context of co-creation, the Cooperathon successfully combines innovation with cooperation. Bringing together all these experts can result in the creation of many solutions that could eventually make a difference in people's lives and in community development," said Martin Brunelle, Managing Vice-President, Strategy and Innovation Office at Desjardins Group.
Cooperathon 2016 grand prize
The grand prize, which includes $6,000, support and access to various partner tools and programs, was awarded to #19 - @cœur for developing an application to ensure optimal monitoring of patients with heart problems. In addition, the team will receive a Microsoft BizSpark licence for 2 years and a pass to Startupfest 2017.
Smart City grand prize
Team #95, Société logique, came up with the idea to improve information sharing on active transportation networks that are secure and accessible. The team won $2,000 in addition to support from Smart and Digital City.
Fintech grand prize
Team #22, Just Insuring, created an application that allows clients to take out an insurance policy by indicating what is valuable to them. Clients are then able to request an offer from insurance companies. The team won $3,000, a physical workspace at Ferst Capital Partners' office, the opportunity of being hosted by District 3 in the Fintech D3 program, and 3 consultation hours from Finance Montréal and access to their network.
Health grand prize
Team #10, ALLOS, mon avatar allergique, created a fun application that lets children with food allergies choose an avatar to help them minimize allergic reactions and provide them with access to a medical team in real time. The team was awarded $3,000, participation in Hacking Health Accelerator's "Fast Bootcamp," and a business lunch with managers from Desjardins Insurance in the Desjardins Lab.
To see all the winners and photos of the event, go to Cooperathon 2016.
About Desjardins Group
Desjardins Group is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the sixth largest cooperative financial group in the world, with assets of more than $260 billion. It has been rated one of the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt. To meet the diverse needs of its members and clients, Desjardins offers a full range of products and services to individuals and businesses through its extensive distribution network, online platforms and subsidiaries across Canada. Counted among the world's strongest banks according to The Banker magazine, Desjardins has one of the highest capital ratios and credit ratings in the industry.
About Hacking Health
Hacking Health's mission is to transform healthcare by inviting technology creators, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs, enterprises and institutions to collaborate on realistic, human-centric solutions to front-line problems. Hacking Health is a global movement present in 55 cities, 21 countries across five continents. We aim to break down barriers to innovation in healthcare. Our events are fun, intense, hands-on gatherings focused on action taking, where we constantly explore new ways to interface pioneers across diverse fields in real and meaningful interactions for collaborative innovation in healthcare. The Hacking Health Accelerator was launched and is designed to focus on developing, deploying and investing in healthcare technologies to drive startup creation on a national level and transform healthcare globally.
SOURCE Desjardins Group
(media inquiries only): Annie Josiane Bujold, Public Relations, 514-281-7000 or 1-866-866-7000, ext. 5557646, [email protected]; Isabelle Lusseyran, Head of development, Hacking Health, 1-438-928-4501, [email protected]
Share this article