The Meera Kaul Foundation all set to host its all-woman Smart City Hackathon second year in a row in the UAE

February 10, 2016, Dubai, UAE:  The Meera Kaul Foundation is pleased to announce its all-women Smart City Hackathon 2016. After its outstanding success in its pioneer event last year, the hackfest is set to hit the tech-savvy city of Dubai for the second consecutive year on February 19th & 20th at Astro Labs Dubai. The Women in STEM Hackathon 2016 will witness the congregation of exceptionally talented women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, from across the MENA region competing to kick-start their start-up dreams.

 

The event boasts established corporate names and networking partners including Microsoft, Dubai Business Women’s Council, Arab Women in Computing (Arabwic), Emirates Digital Association of Women, Jacky’s, NYUAD (New York University of Abu Dhabi), AUD, Middlesex, Herriot Watt and Astrolabs among others.

 

Committed to the empowerment of women in the field of technology, IBM is collaborating with Meera Kaul Foundation’s Smart City Hackathon which aligns with the company’s larger agenda of empowering women into leadership roles, combining it with their Smart City enablement objectives. As a sponsor, IBM will bring on-board their technical expertise and know-how; moreover, IBM Bluemix will be used as one of the Cloud Development Platforms at the Hackathon.

 

Meera Kaul, Chairperson at The Meera Kaul Foundation commented on the association, “With the Women in STEM Smart City Hackathon, we are looking to gather like-minded professionals and young women from STEM fields who are coding prodigies and tech enthusiasts. By investing in this Hackathon, we mainly aim to provide a platform to encourage more women to not only opt for STEM careers but to also continue to do what they love. We are really excited that this year’s theme of Smart Cities for Women will see fantastic ideas and solutions being generated.”

 

Registrations for the Hackathon are open for individuals and teams. On-site team formation is also encouraged to allow participants to meet new people and collaborate with those who may have different skills sets. Winners will receive incubation support as well as mentorship opportunities facilitated by The Meera Kaul Foundation, along with other exciting prizes. The aim is to bring together wannabe women tech-entrepreneurs and innovators from across the MENA region, to hack in 48 hours in an exciting race to the finish line. For more information please visit, Hackathon Womeninstem Dubai.

 

 

The Meera Kaul Foundation of works with corporations and individuals all over the world to empower women, eradicate their economic marginalization in workplaces and to create entrepreneurial opportunities for women. 

 

The Women in STEM (WiSTEM) program of The Meera Kaul Foundation is committed to growing the involvement of women and girls in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics by increasing the engagement of girls with STEM subjects in formal and informal environments, encouraging mentoring to support women during their academic and professional experiences, and strengthening efforts to retain women in the STEM workforce.

 

The WiSTEM Hackathons are a key component of The Meera Kaul Foundation and are held multiple times a year, in various locations across the globe.