Hack the Crisis: Can we make a big difference in 48 hours?

Today #HacktheCrisisFin is taking place in Whereby rooms. In Finland’s 48-hour online hackathon teams will be working around the clock until Sunday to brainstorm and iterate upon ideas in three critical categories: Save Lives, Save Communities, and Save Businesses.

We’re waking up each day in a much different world than that of several weeks or months ago.

You may now be confined to your home, where if you’re lucky, you can work remotely — possibly with family and pets underfoot or less fortunately, separated from those you love. Meanwhile, unsettling news continues to pour in from all over.

Helplessness isn’t an uncommon feeling; there’s so much that we don’t have control over.

Yet people are approaching COVID-19 as a problem that can be hacked, or at least mitigated. We’re uniting to find ways to help one another in the midst of what has become a global crisis of considerable scale. In many cases, people are mobilizing quickly.

Today, Whereby is supporting #HacktheCrisisFin — Finland’s 48-hour online hackathon based on a recent event in Estonia. Teams will be working around the clock until Sunday to brainstorm and iterate upon ideas in three critical categories: Save Lives, Save Communities, and Save Businesses. Prioritizing our health, well-being and livelihoods, some of the brightest minds from Finland’s startup and tech communities are right now beginning what will be an intense weekend.

Top ideas from each category will be shared via live stream. A jury will then select five winning ideas. The chosen teams will receive financing and support to finalize their ideas within the next two weeks.

Communication is a crucial part of this initiative. During the event, teams are collaborating and receiving remote mentoring from experts in various fields in Whereby rooms. This is an event that we hope will have a ripple effect — benefiting local communities, broader regions and other countries around the world.

“It has been wonderful and touching to see so many businesses and people from all corners of Finland get behind the challenge. I am sure that when we come together, we will find solutions to benefit both Finland and all other nations struggling with this crisis,” said Jury Chairman Sami Lampinen of Inventure.

This is so much more than a hashtag. This is a movement that will have a real impact.

Consider hosting a #HacktheCrisis event near you and help us all to spread hope.