FinTech leader Worldpay US and tech giant Google are competition sponsors.
The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) is hosting its ATDC FinTech-RetailTech Hackathon competition from Nov. 10 through Nov. 12.
The competition is sponsored by Atlanta-based Worldpay US — the global payments technology and services company and creator of ATDC’s Financial Technology (FinTech) Program — and Menlo Park, California-based Google’s Cloud Platform, a suite of cloud computing services that run on the same infrastructure that Google uses internally for its end-user products. (REGISTER HERE)
A program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, ATDC is the state’s technology incubator. This year’s theme centers on two industries in the midst of disruption: the financial sector and retail.
“In previous ATDC hackathons, we focused on a single industry or theme within that industry, but with this competition, we sought to up the ante by combining two sectors undergoing rapid change,” said Jen Bonnett, ATDC’s general manager. “This is a top-tier competition and we’re looking for disruptive thinkers who like the challenge of solving problems and bringing solutions to market. This is the event where entrepreneurs, developers, designers, and innovators can come create the next big disruptive FinTech or RetailTech idea.”
Participating teams will compete for more than $100,000 in cash, gadgets, and professional-services prizes.
“Georgia is the payments processing capital of the country and retail is another critical segment of the state’s economy,” said Jeff Gapusan, ATDC’s FinTech catalyst and head of the incubator’s FinTech Program. “Bringing FinTech and RetailTech together in one competition supported by two world class partners — Worldpay US and Google — should lead to some truly dynamic and creative ideas and technologies.”
The competition, which will be held at the Centergy building in Atlanta’s Technology Square, is an extension of ATDC’s FinTech and RetailTech programs. The FinTech initiative was launched in 2015 via a $1 million gift and executive mentorship from Worldpay US to Georgia Tech. The idea behind the gift is to foster high-tech innovation and to attract and retain talent in Georgia and its “Transaction Alley,” which processes more than 70 percent of all U.S. payment transactions.
The RetailTech Program was launched in 2017 following a $1 million gift from the Atlanta-based Mookerji Foundation to the Georgia Tech Foundation.
“We chose Georgia Tech because of its commitment to economic development in Georgia and beyond, its focus on incorporating innovation in economic development, and its legacy of success,” the Mookerji Foundation said in a statement. “ATDC is a world-class technology incubator and is at the forefront of helping entrepreneurs not only build companies, but gives them the tools for long term success.”
The team winning the grand prize will receive the critical post-hack engagement, mentoring, and support from ATDC, Worldpay US, Google, and others to create, build, and launch viable startup companies.
Participants will decide which ideas to tackle using sponsors’ APIs. They can work on their own projects or work on challenges presented to them by the hackathon sponsors.
“Worldpay couldn’t be prouder to be teaming with two of the most proven innovators in the industry today, Google and ATDC,” said Joe Kleinwaechter
Worldpay’s vice president of innovation and design. “Our relationship with ATDC has helped create a new energy in the FinTech space. This coupled with a focus on retail and the power of the Google cloud platform will make this hackathon one not to miss.”
ATDC will post updates and more information on atdc.org, Facebook, and Twitter.
About the Advanced Technology Development Center:
The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a program of the Georgia Institute of Technology, is the state of Georgia’s technology startup incubator. Founded in 1980 by the Georgia General Assembly, which funds it each year, ATDC’s mission is to work with entrepreneurs in Georgia to help them learn, launch, scale and succeed in the creation of viable, disruptive technology companies. Since its founding, ATDC has grown to become one of the longest running and most successful university-affiliated incubators in the United States, with its graduate startup companies raising $3 billion in investment financing and generating more than $12 billion in revenue in the state of Georgia. To learn more, visit atdc.org.
About Worldpay:
Worldpay is a leading payments company with global reach. We provide an extensive range of technology-led payment products and services to around 400,000 customers, enabling their businesses to grow and prosper. We manage the increasing complexity of the payments landscape for our customers, allowing them to accept the widest range of payment types around the world. Using our network and technology, we are able to process payments from geographies covering 99% of global GDP, across 146 countries and 126 currencies. We help our customers to accept more than 300 different payment types. For more information, visit worldpay.com.
About Google:
Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Since our founding in 1998, Google has grown by leaps and bounds. From offering search in a single language we now offer dozens of products and services—including various forms of advertising and web applications for all kinds of tasks—in scores of languages. And starting from two computer science students in a university dorm room, we now have thousands of employees and offices around the world. A lot has changed since the first Google search engine appeared. But some things haven’t changed: our dedication to our users and our belief in the possibilities of the Internet itself. For more information, visit google.com.