Have a great business idea that can help you change the lives of people around you for the better? Do you have a passion to solve real business challenges faced by leading companies? Then you might consider checking out the upcoming second edition of APIthon by Abacus Consulting in Islamabad.
APIthon has already helped several startups and developers to roll out products that have revolutionized the way Pakistani businesses operate. The ‘E-Khata’ project, for instance, is a plug and play ERP (enterprise resource planning) solution that has already been incorporated by a few shops in Lahore to streamline their business operations.
Projects such as these are the need of the hour if Pakistan is to reap the benefits of the digital revolution. APIthon is hoping to be at the forefront of this revolution. Dream X, the winning startup from APIthon I, made use of commercially available APIs by JS Bank and Telenor in order to develop its AI-based chat-bot. Besides these, Repair Wala is another startup that made a reality at APIthon I.
“Several brilliant ideas remain just ideas because of the lack of collaboration between the industry and application developers, and that’s a great injustice to our talent,” said Abacus Consulting Managing Director, Abbas Ali Khan
It is evident from the success of these startups that there isn’t any shortage of talent in Pakistan. The only thing that remains to be done is to give these promising youngsters and startups a proper platform so that they can realize their goals and do their bit to make Pakistan a digital powerhouse in the years ahead.
About APIthon
Abacus Consulting & Apigee — Google Cloud Platform have partnered up to bring new opportunities for startups and developers in Pakistan. At one hand, APIthon may help them succeed with their innovative ideas and come up with new revenue generation models for their upcoming products and services. On the other hand, APIthon is empowering large enterprises to leverage the innovative ideas developed by these startups and developers.
APIthon is widely regarded as the first-ever API based hackathon held in Pakistan that is designed to promote API economy. The first edition of APIthon concluded successfully in Lahore this January and now they are hoping to make a huge splash in the federal capital for its second edition.
APIthon Chapter II will be held at the National Incubation Center in Islamabad on 5th and 6th May 2018.
APIthon Chapter II – What’s New?
Technologists and entrepreneurs alike can use APIs from successful companies to build their own apps and services with Open APIs.
There will be two different tracks for participants this time around – Open APIs and Mini-Challenges, each with their own unique requirements and prizes for the winning entries.
On the second day, contestants will have to deliver their pitches to a panel of judges from diversified sectors, who will evaluate their apps and ideas. For more on the judging criteria, you can visit this link.
APIthon Chapter II Brings Exciting Prizes for Winners
Just like the last edition of APIthon in Lahore, the Islamabad-based event will be offering a host of attractive incentives for coders, developers, entrepreneurs and more who participate in the two-day event.
Participants will be given access to APIs from the telco, ride-sharing, ticketing and banking sectors companies.
Some of the companies who will be exposing their APIs include:
- Jazz,
- Telenor,
- JS Bank,
- UBER,
- bookme.pk.
Contestants will have two days to make use of those APIs and develop new products and services that can make life easier for people and businesses
As for the prizes on offer, the sponsors have ensured that the participants do not leave disappointed.
For the Open APIs track
These prizes will be offered to the winners of the Open API track:
First Prize:
- Opportunity to win 13-week long virtual HACKcelerator program by Angel Hack where entrepreneurs will get a chance to raise investment for their venture. Those who qualify will also get travel stipend for a week-long program at Silicon Valley, California.
- 15,000 in credit by UBER
- Ignite will be providing seed funding for your idea after evaluation.
Second Prize:
- Scholarship of $5,000 by Draper University with 3 days complimentary stay at Silicon Valley
- Complimentary three office hours for the winner through which they can get mentorship from Draper University regarding their business ideas/products/services
- 10,000 worth of credit by UBER
- Ignite will be providing seed funding for your idea after evaluation.
Third Prize:
- 7,000 worth of credit by UBER
- Ignite to evaluate the idea and provide guidance to mature it to receive seed funding.
Mini-Challenges Track
In addition to these prizes, there will be specific challenges with their own unique prizes. These prizes will be offered by the sponsors themselves, for instance, the winner of the challenge by JS Bank will get an opportunity to work with one of the finest digital banking teams in Pakistan — JS Bank
“We, at JS Bank, need to make sure that we’re partnering up with as many developers, as many companies, as many startups as possible because we realize that in a population of over 200 million Pakistanis, no single company or financial institution can fulfill the needs of such a vast diaspora of the people” said Omer Salimullah, Head of Open Banking and Ecosystem Development, JS Bank
Open to Everyone from Every Pakistani City
If you are not based in Islamabad but still feel that you have what it takes to make your mark at APIthon, then we have some good news for you! The organizers are offering to cover your travel costs to the capital city.
The first 20 selected participants will get free rides via Daewoo, while others will get up to 40% discount on their travel fare from Daewoo.
Register Now
With so many exciting prizes on offer, and the opportunity to learn and network with industry professionals, don’t miss this chance at APIthon Chapter II. You can register for the event here.
For further details, check out this link here.
