As I reflect on the work happening across our global partner ecosystem, I continue to be inspired by the creativity and changemaking ability they demonstrate through their work with customers. Customers and communities around the world face significant challenges, and Microsoft’s partners are delivering innovative solutions that will make a real difference. The Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Initiative is designed to accelerate our collective impact by driving progress in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
During the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon 2022 (which ran from September 27 through November 22, 2022), 330 participants from over 50 countries joined in to skill up and unlock new industry solutions around our six challenge areas: gender equality, climate action and sustainability, accessibility and disability inclusion, enabling the nonprofit sector, empowering communities, and an open category. Participants engaged with content from the hackathon skilling library, gaining new knowledge, insights, and technical know-how in each of the challenge areas.
Gender equality theme winner: itracks – Ethnomet Virtual Healthcare Platform
This virtual healthcare platform helps increase access to quality healthcare for women in Nigeria, who may face barriers such as limited healthcare coverage, cost of travel, childcare responsibilities, or safety concerns. Through the platform, patients can connect virtually with a global network of licensed healthcare providers, find providers by area of specialization, and better manage their medical information.
Climate action and sustainability theme winner: ITC Infotech – Impact of ESG on Credit Risk for a Bank
This solution helps banks and their customers further their sustainability agendas by enhancing Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) risk management. Through assessing ESG disclosures, annual reports, press releases, and government websites and documentation, the solution provides a single risk view that embeds an ESG framework within the investment analysis, evaluates impact of ESG-related risks on repayment, and informs mitigation plans.
Accessibility and disability inclusion theme winner: Ilitia – BCR (Braille Character Recognition)
In collaboration with ONCE, the Spanish National Organization of the Blind, Ilitia developed optical character recognition for Braille so that people with sight can read Braille text, enabling students who are blind or with low vision to get real time guidance from their teachers within the classroom. Transcription of Braille, which is currently manual and can take more than two weeks, can now be completed in seconds.
Enabling the nonprofit sector theme winner: Sparc Cooperative – Ibis
Ibis is an open-source communication app that uses real-time translation, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech engines to empower people to communicate in the language that works best for them. Users choose the language and voice they want to use, and Ibis provides the platform for them to engage and connect across language and cultures, increasing access to community spaces, programs, and resources.
Empowering communities theme winner: Microland – Smart Facilities & Sustainability using IoT
This solution enables more holistic management of work sites and common public and community spaces by integrating health, safety, and environmental factors. Leveraging IoT technology, the solution supports real-time monitoring, optimization through data insights, and more effective incident response planning for improved sustainability, employee safety, and community resilience.
Open category theme winner: Innominds – INNTACT - Supply Chain Visibility
Seeking to reduce waste and facilitate more sustainable supply chains, INNTACT helps monitor the transportation of environment-sensitive items such as agricultural produce, food products and biopharmaceuticals. With sensors tracking temperature, humidity, pressure and more, this platform aims to identify gaps and make smart recommendations, hence improving logistics processes.
In addition to these winners, join me in celebrating the following #BuildFor2030 Hackathon 2022 Heroes. You can learn more about their solutions through the linked stories below:
The hackathon was a great opportunity for partners to engage deeply on topics such as responsible AI principles, digital accessibility for the modern workplace, Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability, Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit, and more. I’m proud to see partners using these resources to drive real change, and encourage you to explore further opportunities for social impact and diverse business attestations and learn more about enabling an inclusive economy. And of course, I hope you’ll join in the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Initiative and help realize our collective capacity for innovation and global impact.