Enabling Positive Change Through Innovation and Collaboration

We need to create leadership and turn words into action. Our four key themes are:
Locations

In person at events @ No6, Aldgate, London and Online

Dates

Oct 2nd – Oct 13th 2023

Why Attend?

We need to create leadership and take the plunge. The time is now to create new models for evaluating risk and allocating capital; based on many forms of data.

Focus areas

Use case large built environment such as Cities Nexus of forces: Nature, Climate, Energy, Social Themes: Data, AI, Risk, Financial Instruments.

Resources

Mentors, content and prizes will all ensure the best teams and the best outcomes.

Outcome

The best ideas will be promoted to accelerators and incubation with the intention of creating the pioneers that others will follow.

Who Will Attend?

Mentors and business decision makers
  • Heads of Sustainable and Impact
  • Investing Heads of Sustainable Infrastructure
  • City planners and leaders
  • Risk Managers
  • Sustainable Private Equity managers
  • Heads of Innovation & Standards, Sustainable Investing
  • Heads of Digital Product Innovation
  • Policymakers and Regulators
  • Green Impact Advisory
  • Heads of ESG Research
*Over the weekend and in the evenings, working professionals can work on the solution.
Designers, developers and product managers
  • Technologists
  • Consultants
  • Academics
  • NGO’s
  • Entrepreneurs

Hackathon for Sustainable Finance at the Finextra Conference 2023

The purpose
The hackathon will bring together a diverse group of people that share a desire to accelerate Sustainable Finance to enable capital allocation to de-carbonisation and biodiversity gain via a just transition of the economy, yet creating value through a trustworthy implementation of ESG measures and in particular the data that serves them.
The audience
The Programme is designed for market moving, thought leaders, designers, planners and developers that can wrestle clarity from ambiguity and drive change. They will be from Sell side and Buyside firms, NGO’s, startups, Tech giants and the Public sector with a business mindset and a technical muscle.
The outcome

Our purpose is clarity. MVP designs, customer journeys, platform ideas, tokenisation, whatever we can share with colleagues across the Industry to move the market.

Our audacious goal will be to take the best ideas forward through incubation and investment to help develop the creation of an operational poster child for the Industry to follow.

The format
Will be an open and inclusive community that will share knowledge; design together and collaborate by doing. We will explore, fail and succeed together. Sharing best practice to advance the focus on positive outcomes.

Hackathon Themes

Geospatial data and the role of AI

Problem statement.
Due to the technical difficulty in providing ‘true’ ecosystem and biodiversity impact without ‘in-situ’ (ground-collected) data, current first-generation geospatial ‘biodiversity’ tools and platforms have effectively evaded the challenge by providing alternative proxy insights – insights which do not actually define the immediate and cascading impacts of a given asset on the surrounding ecosystem
condition and the health and trends of the immediate and wider biodiversity over time.

The challenge now, considering the likely 3–5-year time lag in collecting and aggregating in-situ data at a global scale for ESG applications, is to find robust methods with ex-situ data alone.

Considering the global scale of the application, this essentially leaves one existing data option: satellite remote sensing data.

Idea starter.
Financing Natural Capital and De-Carbonisation.

Can Geospatial data help resolve the information gap and improve the quality and veracity of data.

What is the role of AI in delivering insight from the huge volume and scale of data and making it decision ready in the FSI world.

Project type. This challenge is to describe the value drivers, the business model and the architecture that would enable this vision to be realised with deliverable in the form of a Business Model Canvas and demonstrator such as a clickable demo and logical architecture.

De-risking the energy transition

Problem statement.
Derisking the energy transition to sustainable energy sources is crucial for protecting investors’ money.

The De-risking Renewable Energy Investment (DREI) introduces an innovative, quantitative framework to assist policymakers in developing countries to cost-effectively promote and scale-up private sector investment in renewable energy.

Policies must establish transparency and predictability, which provides confidence for investors in their ability to recover investments in power generation.

Idea starter. Utilising the case studies and tools that can be found at Derisking Renewable Energy Investment | United Nations Development Programme (undp.org) Teams could focus on establishing a MVP that would enable the financial risk analysis of such projects.
Project type. This challenge is to describe the value drivers, the business model and the architecture that would enable this vision to be realised with deliverable in the form of a Business Model Canvas and demonstrator such as a clickable demo and logical architecture.

Impact oriented Financial instruments

Problem statement.
Bonds can be an effective way to finance the transformation of existing cities into more sustainable ones. Municipal bonds are used to fund environmentally conscious and sustainable projects that deliver services to residents of states, counties, cities, and towns across the nation.

Sustainability-linked bonds are structurally linked to the issuer’s achievement of climate or broader sustainability goals.

These bonds can offer a range of potential benefits including mitigating physical, transition, and long-term sustainability risks while seizing potential opportunities.

Idea starter. Sustainability linked bonds offer a more traceable outcome but how can they lower their cost of issuance and costs of monitoring use of proceeds and impact. Could a solution utilise DLT and Nature tokens for instance to enable traceability.
Project type. This challenge is to describe the value drivers, the business model and the architecture that would enable this vision to be realised with deliverable in the form of a Business Model Canvas and demonstrator such as a clickable demo and logical architecture.

Enabling a just transition

Problem statement.
As cities change and funds are raised to improve the living environment of its inhabitants, it is important to consider the potential winners and losers of these changes. While some groups may benefit from new developments and infrastructure, others may be displaced or negatively impacted.

Mitigations such as community engagement and impact assessments can help ensure that the needs and concerns of all stakeholders are taken into account.

Behavioural science can play a key role in informing these changes by providing insights into how people interact with their environment and how they respond to change.

Idea starter. AI can be used to measure the behaviours and impacts of urban changes in several ways. E.g. analyse data from sensors and social media to track changes in mobility patterns, air quality, and public sentiment. AI can also be used to develop predictive models that can help city planners anticipate the potential impacts of different interventions and make more informed decisions. To mitigate these risks, it is important to ensure that AI systems are developed and used in an ethical and responsible manner, with input from diverse stakeholders.
Project type. This challenge is to describe the value drivers, the business model and the architecture that would enable this vision to be realised with deliverable in the form of a Business Model Canvas and demonstrator such as a clickable demo and logical architecture.
theme finextra hackathon

FAQs

hackathon is an event that brings together individuals with a passion for technology, including programmers, developers, designers, and other tech enthusiasts. These events typically last for several days and involve collaborative efforts to create a functional product or solution within a specified time frame. The theme or challenge of the hackathon is often cantered around innovation, creativity, and problem-solving. By participating in a hackathon, individuals have the opportunity to learn new skills, connect with other tech professionals, and showcase their abilities to build new technology and industry-solutions.
  • The Hackathon will provide an opportunity for participants to learn something new, as they collaborate with other industry experts in finding solutions.
  • Participants can get access to datasets, fintech APIs and a Digital Sandbox to build their solutions via NayaOne’s Digital Transformation Platform.
  • A hackathon can be a challenging experience that pushes specialists out of their comfort zone and helps them make new professional discoveries. Collaborating under pressure can also help participants examine their abilities from a new angle.
  • Hackathons create an excellent environment for breakthroughs, although not all hackathons result in real breakthroughs. Participants get a chance to become part of something special.
  • Hackathons are also fun and fulfilling, providing an excellent way for experts and managers to spend time together and work toward a common goal in a brand-new environment.

Mentors from various industries, including ESG, Payments come together to provide participants with a range of technologies insights so that participants can use their support to build their projects. These technologies may include ESG and GreenFinance, blockchain, design, data, and more.

Mentors in a hackathon can come from a variety of backgrounds, including industry experts, experienced developers, designers, and business professionals. They provide guidance and support to participants, answering questions, helping troubleshoot problems, and offering advice on best practices. Mentors can be an invaluable resource for participants, particularly for those who are new to hackathons or have limited experience in a particular area. By working with mentors, participants can learn new skills, overcome challenges, and ultimately create better, more innovative projects.

Think of it a start and end date not time you need to spend on the hackathon itself. This year we are starting with an online bootcamp to help you get oriented and discover the process, teammates and tools to utilise. You can spend as much time you like working over the period, be it nights and weekends or full time, it’s your choice.

No. It’s all designed to be done online but you will benefit from attending the conference in London to meet people who might help shape your idea, give you a leg up via an accelerator or maybe even invest.

Participants can join the hackathon platform and they will get access to the hackathon platform, where all the platform related queries to be addressed by the NayaOne and SustainableFinance.Live team.

On the NayaOne platform, the support process will be as seamless as possible for hackers. If you have any questions or need assistance, simply follow these steps:
  1. Visit the platform and sign-in sustainablefinancelive.nayaone.com/signin
  2. Navigate to the “Message” section, usually located in the top left section
  3. Drop your queries to support channel, if it’s generic or platform related
  4. Share your queries, if you want to chat with mentors on “Mentor” channel
  5. Submit your queries, and our dedicated support team will revert back
  6. Sit back and relax as the team diligently works to resolve your query or concern
  7. You can expect a timely response from us through your preferred communication channel – be it email, phone, or platform messaging.
We encourage all participants to utilise and active on the NayaOne platform, as it provides access to industry-leading APIs, synthetic and public data, and a digital sandbox for testing new solutions. Engage with mentors for any queries you may have and exchange messages with your teammates if you are collaborating online to find solutions during the hackathon days.
Reach out to the SustainableFinance.Live team (tanisha.malcolm@finextra.com), with the theme details that you want to find solutions. The platform aims to connect like-minded individuals based on their chosen theme. The organiser team will assign you to a team according to your selected theme and facilitate communication with your team members through messaging on the platform. Collaborate, share ideas, and work together towards creating a more sustainable future driven ideas/solutions.

Join the Challenge

© 2023 Finextra. All rights reserved

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept & Close”, you consent to the use of cookies.