Hi-Tech Park hosts the finals of the Space Hackathon with MTS

The finals of Space Hackathon with MTS took place in Hi-Tech Park. Three days of the event were filled with intensive teamwork, creativity and innovation.

The Startup Center of the Belarusian State University, the Secretariat of Hi-Tech Park Supervisory Board, the Mobile TeleSystems company and the youth entrepreneurial community StartUp Space BSU organized the event.

About 150 people - students, undergraduates and graduate students of the Belarusian universities, who registered for the hackathon, were split up into 33 teams. The competition consisted of several stages. In addition to independent work, the organizers prepared a series of master classes and lectures to help participants learn the latest technologies and development methods, as well as the secrets of product presentation to customers and investors. Speakers were leading experts from various spheres of IT and telecommunications, who shared insights and experience accumulated over the years of work in the industry.

Over three days, the participants had to develop an application to improve the interaction between MTS and its customers. The teams created products that allowed the company's employees to organize their own work schedule, plan vacations, communicate with colleagues, increase motivation, and more. During the preparation the young people were inspired by the company's already existing solutions, managed to analyze the work of the MTS call center and found a way to combine disparate applications into one ecosystem.

Summarizing the results of the competition, Kirill Zalessky, Deputy Head of the Secretariat of Hi-Tech Park Supervisory Board, said, «Most of the teams coped with the task perfectly. The participants needed not only web development and UX/UI design skills, but also management skills and the ability to present their product. The format of teamwork justifies itself in the best possible way. We saw not just prototypes, but ready-made solutions that can be used».

Addressing the finalists, Kirill Zalessky emphasized, «Our task is to give the young people an opportunity to develop a competitive product. First of all, we are looking for those solutions that will be in demand in the domestic market of the Republic of Belarus at the enterprises of the real sector and that will help our country to advance in the digital transformation of our economy. All of you are part of a big movement, which we will only build up, giving you the opportunity to self-realize. The doors of the Hi-Tech Park, our business incubator and startup center are always open for you. The future is in your hands». 

Nikolay Bulash, Deputy General Director for Commercial Affairs of MTS, noted that this is already the second hackathon held by MTS to find innovative solutions together with talented young people. «Based on the results of the last hackathon, we are already implementing the concept proposed by the winner,» Bulash emphasized.

During the finals, the teams offered their vision of solutions to such issues as staff turnover, preventing burnout, increasing motivation, encouraging competitive spirit and stimulating employees, analyzing work and promoting the company in social networks.

The jury members, which also included Alexander Zhuk, Head of the International Relations Department of the Belarusian State University, noted the high level of project design, as well as their focus on the target audience. They gave recommendations for the future.

The winner's diploma of Space Hackathon with MTS was awarded to Anton Kosenko's team (students of BSU, BSUIR, BSEU). They developed a mobile application, where they took into account all the difficulties faced by call center employees on a daily basis, simplifying the process of their work by gamification.

The Hi-Tech Park award went to Evgeniya Volosovich's team (students of BSUIR and BSU), who presented to the jury the MTS Synergy application - an integrated platform with gamification elements to improve communication and increase the involvement of employees at all levels of the MTS call center. «The hackathon, which we hold together with BSU and MTS, is not just a competition, it is a request from the business, which needs your solutions, your brains and your creativity. It is designed to identify young talented teams,» said Kirill Zalessky.

Summarizing the results of the hackathon, Vladimir Kozyr, CEO of Mobile TeleSystems, emphasized, «This is a great platform where you get experience in producing something new, creative, show your skills in developing new products. Today you were able to make yourselves known by showing innovative approaches to solving complex problems. You have become more visible to the companies where you will work tomorrow. By participating in these events, you have already become a part of history - the history of our company, and the history of the entire startup movement in our country».