Emirates Islamic (EI) APPathon powered by SquareCircle Tech

 

EI Appathon by Emirates Islamic and powered by SquareCircle Tech, is a festival of innovation, an arena for mobile developers, and a platform to present your big idea on financial technology. We invite passionate app developers to create innovative and impactful banking apps. Over a 24-hour period, 130-150 participants from UAE will gather to innovate and produce mobile apps on given banking themes.

The themes will be disclosed on the day of the event. Whether you’re an amateur or an expert in mobile app development, join us for 24 hours of innovation, competing against the best and sharpening your skills alongside technology experts.

The event seeks to celebrate the spirit of innovation and promote budding talent in the UAE. Winners will get cash prizes from Emirates Islamic.

EI Appathon will be held on two competition tracks:

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Track 1 - Student Track: Students aged less than 25, currently pursuing graduate or undergraduate programs in UAE, and have required skills to create a mobile app of your own. A valid university ID card to be presented at the day of the event.

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Track 2 - Professional Track: Passionate tech experts, currently working as technology professionals an can form a team and participate in this event

 

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Judging Criteria

Business Value (30%)

The concept must be relevant to the chosen challenge statement and must respond to a significant business need for Emirates Islamic in terms of financial gains, cost savings and brand equity. The concept must be compliant to UAE’s regulatory and cultural values

Degree of Innovation (30%)

The concept must be original or something entirely novel, or take a fresh perspective to an old problem or it must resolve a problem stated in challenge statement in an innovative manner

User Experience (20%)

The app must have deliver a great user experience with relevant features of chosen challenge statement complimented by an intuitive user journey, easy navigation and fresh look & feel

Completion and Readiness for Demo (20%)

The team must deliver a simple, complete UI without any bugs and must demonstrate a working app that supports a functional prototype with key functionalities (Windows, iOS or Android)

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 FAQs

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 What is the EI Appathon?

EI Appathon is an event where 50+ teams, consisting of 150+ developers will compete with each other to produce a mobile app on a given banking theme

Who can participate?

EI Appathon registrations are open to all app developers in UAE and will be conducted on two tracks

Track 1 - Student Stream: Students under 25 years of age, currently pursuing graduate or undergraduate programs in UAE, and having the required skills to create a mobile app of their own. A valid university ID card has to be presented on the event day.

Track2 - Professional Stream: Passionate technology professionals can register. Age is not a factor for this track

A team of three is a pre-requisite for registration. We recommend having at least one strong developer who has strong expertise developing mobile apps. Seasoned mentors will be available during the event to guide you over 24 hours

How to register as a team?

Register on Eventbrite clicking "Register as a Group" filling in the form.

What is an ideal team size?

The ideal team can be a single person or a maximum of 5. We encourage you to have at least 2 people in a team and maximum 5 in order to create a good balance and help brainstorm ideas with the team members.

We have never developed a Mobile App, but are confident that we can develop one. Can we participate?

Yes you can participate. Our goal is to bring a diverse set of tech minds to a single platform, providing the best overall experience.

What deliverables are expected in the competition?

A working demo of a mobile app developed on the theme that you have chosen to work on is required.

When will the EI Appathon take place and what are the timings?

It’s a two-day event - Feb 26th and 27th, 2016, 8am-6pm on each day

Where is the venue? How can we get there?

Almas Conference Center, Almas Towers, DMCC.
Nearest Metro Station – JLT. 2-3 min walk from the station.
Free Valet Parking is available 

How much does it cost to attend?

Attendance is FREE for short-listed teams. Food and refreshments will be provided during the event.

What documents should be submitted for the event?

Students need original Emirates ID or passport and Student ID

Professionals need original Emirates ID or passport

What should participants bring to the event?

• Open mind to ideate and buidl an awesome prototype. 
• Laptops with necessary application development tools and IDE to build mobile apps.
• Power Extension Cables.
• Notepads, Papers and other stationary for brainstorming.

Each team will be given a designated workspace with power outlets and WIFI

What are the prizes?

There are cash prizes and gifts for Student’s track and Professional track winners

AED 10,000/- Winner (Student Track Team) + Microsoft Imagine Cup Nomination + Certificates 
AED 10,000/- Winner (Professional Track Team) + Microsoft BizSpark Program Nomination + Certificates 
Every participant will receive a certificate of participation

Can we stay overnight?

Yes. We encourage overnight stay. The venue is open throughout the event. Dinner will be served until 9pm, after which coffees and teas are provided. Mentors and Volunteers are available 24 hours of the event.

I can’t stay entire 24 hours, can I still participate?

Yes, you can. But we strongly encourage you to be present during EI appathon time.Hackathon is all about being together, code, learn and have some fun. You may consider going home to take a quick shower or short sleep.

What happens if I don't have a team? How do I join a team at the event?

You may still join us at 8:00 am on the tfirst day of EI Appathon. You may compete as an individual, or our volunteers will assist you in identifying a team who is ready to consider you as a participant based on your skillset. We’ll do our best to match people up beforehand. You can also try to find a team at the event itself — arrive early to leave some time for networking.

What options are available for participants to have some fun during EI Appathon?

We have gaming station with XBOX, few card games and open area for some fresh air

What is the judging process and how judging works?

After 24 hours of non-stop coding, a set of pre-screening judges consists of industry experts and startup enterpreuners will review your concept and code to shortlist top 10-12 teams. Shortlisted teams will pitch to jury on stage, where winners will be selected by jury based on judging criteria stated above

What is the dress code?

Smart Casuals

Where is the venue? How can we get there?

Almas Conference Center, Almas Towers, DMCC Nearest Metro Station – JLT 2-3 min walk from the station.

Location map - http://www.dmcc.ae/DMCCAlmaslocationmap.pdf?v=1
Google map link: https://goo.gl/maps/he6rrmWV8qT2 

Free Basement Parking is provided. Please carry your parking ticket for full-day parkting stamp.

More questions? Please write to Innovation@emiratesislamic.ae or ecosystem@squarecircletech.com