HortiHouse, the University of Vigo Student Project, Triumphs in HackForGood Big Day 2023

The innovative application for managing smart greenhouses in homes, created by María Cabrero and Jesús Valverde, students at the University of Vigo, has won first place in the HackForGood Big Day 2023 Awards. This tool not only monitors all aspects of the crop, but also has specific programmes adapted to the different stages of plant growth. The original idea was recognised at the VIII HackForGood Hackathon, an event held by the Telefónica Chair at the University of Vigo last October, where they won first prize. This allowed them to represent their university in the national edition of the competition, where they competed against projects from 24 Spanish universities. The event was held at 42 Madrid, located in Distrito Telefónica, where the best teams from each venue of this year's hackathon were presented.

HackForGood, in its eighth edition and organised by the Telefónica Chairs Network, saw more than 1,000 young people tackling various technological challenges with a social focus. As for the other awards, second place went to «Depresu» from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, a platform dedicated to mental health. Third place went to «E-Lab» from the University of Salamanca, which focuses on interactive and immersive educational experiences. The teams had the opportunity to present their projects through an «Elevator Pitch», followed by a video summary. The evaluation criteria was based on a 60% for the presentation and a 40% for the business plan.

The cash prizes for the first three places are 5,500, 2,000 and 1,000 euros, respectively. In addition, they will have a prominent presence in the Telefónica Chairs Network events at the “Telefónica Centenary” next year. Among those attending the award ceremony were Nicolás Oriol, Antonio Bengoa and Inés Temes, representing Telefónica España and 42 España. The HackForGood initiative, supported by the Telefónica Chairs Network and other partners, aims to highlight the vital role of youth in building a sustainable, digital and equitable future, with a focus on leaving no one behind.

For more information, please visit https://www.telefonica.es/es/sala-comunicacion/prensa/hortihouse-gana-el-hackforgood-big-day-con-sus-invernaderos-inteligentes/