The Ekos Hackathon: Hands in the Forest provided learnings and memorable moments for its 32 selected participants. It was four intense days of knowledge exchange, open innovation, and prototyping in the heart of the Amazon. For a group of participants, the experience was enriched by winning the title of champion of the edition.
Marcela Porto is an economics student living in São Paulo. Luiza Voll is an advertising professional from Minas Gerais. Paulo Paciência, also from São Paulo, and José Neto, from Belém, are Production Engineering students. Made up of people with little experience in innovation marathons, the group focused on a good idea and the integration of diverse experiences and backgrounds to present the winning project of the Ekos Hackathon.
“The experience was really cool, a very rich debate, which provided this contact with nature and with super creative people. We ended up building a very interesting network. Each one in their area, each with a different perspective, it was really nice,” summarizes Paulo.
Winning Idea
The challenge was to point out solutions that connect Nature and the Amazon to people's daily lives. Despite not knowing each other before the event, the members of the Magical Backyard Project found in their common interest in cultivation and planting the starting point for the winning proposal. “All four of us like to plant and have gone through various situations doing that; we thought a lot like users, and I believe that’s why we found a good solution,” explains Luiza.
The winning idea was to offer a seed subscription service aimed at people interested in planting. “The seed selection is curated by local communities, and to add technology to the project, the subscriber also receives a moisture sensor that helps identify the right moment to cultivate,” highlights Marcela.
“We seek to see technology not as an end, but as a means to promote contact with nature; we are concerned about not replacing nature with something artificial or concentrating the entire experience solely on technology,” adds José Neto.
The result received the best evaluation from the jury, which considered not only the delivery of the prototype but also other aspects related to the project. “I think a major differentiator of Natura's Hackathon is that it does not focus on technology for technology's sake. Besides creating the prototype, we had to focus on the business model, the user, and economic viability. It was a much bigger challenge,” emphasizes José Neto.
Inspiration from the Forest
As part of the Hackathon program, participants had a day of visiting the Moju Community. The immersion had a significant impact on the guests. “The way we were received, how the children showed curiosity, climbed trees, and scaled. I feel we had a very rich contact with nature, with the essence of things; I was quite moved,” recalls Paulo.
Luiza even mentions that the insight for the project may have emerged there. “We were eating some fruits, and I asked the children where I could throw away the seeds. They replied that I should keep them. Only now do I realize how this connects with our project,” she says.
After intense days, the winning group has already left Pará but will meet again for a visit to Natura's factory in Cajamar, where they will present their project to innovation executives.
After that, our winners have a new challenge ahead: to think about what projects they can carry out with the 3D printers awarded as a prize to all team members. José Neto promises that his will stay in Belém and contribute to the creation of more collaborative knowledge. “We have few 3D printers in Pará; I intend to let mine circulate, participate in events at universities, and support others who also want to develop projects,” he says.
What do you take away from this Hackathon?
“The idea that you can really do something, go beyond, challenge yourself, is something I really want to carry into my life. And also this closer relationship with technology, moving from just being a user to becoming a creator. I am already looking for a programming course because I want to carry all this inspiration with me,” says Marcela.
“I think the main lesson from the Hackathon is to work to improve as quickly as possible. It’s all so intense that there’s no time for lamentation. You receive feedback and need to think of a solution right away. It’s something I will carry into my professional and personal life,” says José.
“Sometimes we have a challenge and think we can’t solve it. It may be that alone we really can’t, but when you gather a group of people who want to make a difference, everyone together can find a solution,” says Paulo.
“I came back wanting to do everything better, to go beyond. I put the projects I have in progress on the table and I’m seeing how they can improve. I’m eager to surpass myself,” says Luiza.
