Girls Team participates from Hyderabad for “Aegon Hackathon 2018” event in Mumbai

Winning is great, the prize money is nice too. But for many hackers the biggest thrill comes from working in a team, competing against the clock and fellow hackers, to develop prototype gadgets that meets a particular need or challenge. Hackathons are often described as coding sprints or codefests over a set number of hours or days. The Aegon Hackathon goes one better.

Launched in 2016, the Aegon Hackathon has in a way already developed beyond the prototype stage when the first events were hosted in The Hague, Budapest and Denver. It now spans three continents, with venues in Mumbai, Budapest and Dallas. The latter venue hosted by Transamerica, Aegon’s Americas business and co-sponsor of the event. The other heavyweight sponsors are Microsoft, AWS, Tata Consultancy Services and Deloitte.

Kicking off in Mumbai, the first set of 12 teams will mix future tech and tradition. With the iconic Danube as the backdrop, our second group of 12 teams in Budapest, Hungary, takes on the challenge. European counterparts work tirelessly to bring financial well being.

About Aegon Hackathon  

Aegon brings its flagship Hackathon to India with a theme that resonates with Aegon Life Insurance – Wealth and Health. Hackathon is looking for resolute and disruptive ideas to ensure people, where ever they may reside, have the opportunity and tools needed to live healthy and dignified lives. Aegon is in the business of protecting the day-to-day assets and those that go beyond money. Enterprising ideas and fearless teams are invited to join our Aegon Hackathon in Mumbai. The main agenda behind the hackathon is to create a tech driven tool that contributes to AEGON’s mission to ensure people, where ever they may reside, have the opportunity and tools needed to live healthy and dignified lives. In the event 12 teams from different background and diverse industries with about 100 shortlisted participants will be taking part in the event. Participants include students, Tech-driven enthusiasts, Engineers, Developers, Employees from Microsoft, Deloitte and Tata Consultancy Service.

Why a hackathon?

The world is changing rapidly due to digital transformation. In the digital realm, think robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), data intelligence, artificial intelligence and Blockchain. Back in the “real” world change people are living longer. The associated pressure on state-funded pension systems and the rise of individualism to name are just some of the themes reshaping society.

An insurance and pension provider like Aegon – which seeks to provide its customers with a lifetime of financial security – needs to keep pace with this change, and indeed get ahead of the action. The annual Aegon Hackathon is a forum to attract the most creative minds, both inside and outside the organization, to join the transformation.

Wealth + Health

Aegon believes a lifetime of financial security starts with two fundamental ingredients – wealth and health. Both are important to the stability to people’s lives and are susceptible to unforeseen events. Disrupting present-day financial and insurance models need bold ideas from individuals willing to rebel against the status-quo.

Programmers, designers, hackers and dreamers, who want to see more than incremental change to wealth and health, have now answered the call and are gearing up for the final push on September 20-21.

I think the future of any company depends on the focus it has on the customer and using technology to make it a reality, explains project manager for Asia Khevna Shah. The ideas that we have in the selected teams promise just that – solving a customer problem (existing or anticipated) through technology & use of analytics. These ideas will enable us, at Aegon, to fuel our vision of helping people achieve a lifetime of financial security and taking it further by helping people live a healthier, happier life.