The Future City Hackathon reached its final during the Demo Day event on July 26, 2024. This event was a significant moment for the Future City Hackathon participants to present their innovative solutions supporting Jakarta's initiative to become a Global City and an opportunity to announce the competition winners.

Held at the Future City Hub by Jakarta Smart City and Gerakan Nasional (National Movement) 1000 Startup Digital, the event invited eight startups that had undergone mentoring programs with experts in technology, business, global cities, startup investment, and product development. These startups included Libela Care, Medusa Technology, TenangAI, Silang.id, Summarverse.com, Caliana Indonesia, Hellowayang, and Espot. Read on to find out the excitement of the event and the winners.

Also read: Registration Open: Future City Hackathon

Future City Hackathon: Building a Global City Through Synergy 

The Future City Hackathon Demo Day opened with a warm welcome from Andrie Yuswanto, Acting Head of the Jakarta Smart City Implementation Unit (JSC). In his speech, he stated, “Today is an important day as we witness eight innovations and digital solutions that may help Jakarta transform into a global city. We hope today’s presentations will lead to opportunities for relationships between startups and Jakarta Smart City, as well as the National Movement 1000 Digital Startups.”

The event continued with remarks from Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, Head of Ecosystem Development of the National Movement 1000 Digital Startups, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia. Following this, Jakarta Smart City and the National Movement 1000 Digital Startups, represented by the Acting Head of Jakarta Smart City Andrie and Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). 

Moving to the main event, the startup teams presented the digital solutions they had developed. The innovations needed to align with one of the five global city indicators: 1) a well-established and globally connected economy, 2) good and continuous research and innovation capacity, 3) livability, 4) attractive cultural value for visitors, 5) a clean, comfortable, and sustainable environment, 6) intra- and inter-city connectivity. Each team was given twelve minutes to present the problems they wanted to solve, showcase their prototypes and business models, and explain how their solutions could be implemented to address issues and support the global city indicators in Jakarta. The evaluation process for Demo Day was conducted by a competent panel of judges, including Andhika Ajie as Head of the Regional Government Work Plan Subdivision at the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of DKI Jakarta Province, Paul Soegianto as Chief of Group Digital Strategy at Astra, and Andora Michi as Director of Operations at Innovation Factory.

Future City Hackathon Winners Announcement

After a rigorous evaluation process, the winners of the Future City Hackathon were proudly announced. The following startups emerged as the winners:

1. Silang.id (1st place)

Silang.id is engaged in digital innovation to create an inclusive ecosystem for the deaf and their hearing friends. This startup won first place with a digital platform solution designed to overcome communication barriers for the deaf. The services offered by Silang.id’s app include online and offline sign language interpreting, Virtual Reality (VR), video, inclusive assessment, training, workshops, educational video packages, and empowerment services for the deaf, from entrepreneurship and professional workshops to entertainment media production for the deaf.

Silang.id’s platform successfully facilitated better accessibility and full participation in society, making Jakarta more inclusive and friendly for all its citizens. This innovation contributes to the achievement of the third global city indicator (Livability).

1. Summaverse (2nd place)

Summaverse secured second place with a digital learning solution addressing the shortage of educators, irrelevant learning media, and some parents’ difficulty in supervising their children’s learning process. Utilizing an adaptive and professional Large Language Model (LLM), Summaverse developed a platform that can summarize key points from a document, share the document, and facilitate interaction with an intelligent virtual assistant to help students learn independently.

This innovation contributes to increasing interest in research and science and optimizing Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure. Therefore, Summaverse’s innovation aligns with the second (Good and Continuous Research and Innovation Capacity) and sixth (Intra- and Inter-City Connectivity) global city indicators.

1. ESPOT (3rd place)

ESPOT claimed third place with a social sports app platform that inspires a healthier lifestyle through technology. The app was developed to address difficulties in finding exercise buddies, finding and renting available sports venues, and manually collecting and transferring rental fees. Through the ESPOT platform, users can more easily find exercise buddies, including for group sports, find and rent sports venues, and conduct rental fee transactions.

With its innovation, ESPOT simplifies access to sports facilities, supporting the third global city indicator (Livability) by providing convenience services to the public. The event then concluded with an awards ceremony and a group photo session with the startups, Jakarta Smart City, and 1000 Startup Digital.

What Did Participants Say about the Future City Hackathon? 

When asked about his impressions of participating in the Future City Hackathon, Bagja from Silang.id was very happy, not only because his startup won first place but also because of the knowledge gained. “Participating in this event provided a lot of new insights and inspiration. Although we have been operating since 2019 and have gained many insights, this event refreshed and updated information on the current startup and business situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anggoro from Summaverse.com viewed the end of the Future City Hackathon as a new chapter for developing his startup. “The Future City Hackathon was amazing! From the mentors and facilitators to the next steps we will take after this event, everything inspired and provided valuable guidance for our future journey,” he said.

Lastly, Frans from ESPOT highlighted how the mentoring received from various experts critically explored the development of his startup. “The mentorship provided was of high quality. It was very meaningful for our company's development going forward,” he said.

The Future City Hackathon demonstrated how digital innovation plays a crucial role in addressing urban challenges. With the solutions generated, Jakarta is increasingly ready to become a global city that is more comfortable, inclusive, and connected. Congratulations to all the winners and participants who contributed to the success of this event. Let's continue to innovate for a better future for Jakarta. Smart citizens can also take part in building a global city by continuing to use the JAKI app to make Jakarta safer and more comfortable. See you at the Future City Hackathon 2025!