OAU Students Win ₦2.5m Prize in the Maiden Edition of Squad’s Hackathon

OAU students, Inuoluwadunsimi Daniel Ola-Oladeinde, Hamzat Victor, and Atayero Ayomide, won the Squad’s ‘Take-On-Squad Hackathon 1.0’ and made Oau proud. It’s incredible to see their talent and creativity shine through in this competition.

The event, organized by Squad, aimed to bring together tech enthusiasts and foster innovative solutions. With 200 applications, it’s clear that the hackathon was inclusive and attracted a lot of interest.

It proved to be exciting for Inuoluwadunsimi and his teammates. The well-designed venue in Abeokuta, the delicious meals, and the valuable mentorship surely added to the amazing experience. It’s fantastic to see such opportunities for students to apply their coding and problem-solving skills in a competitive setting. Winning the ₦2.5m prize in the maiden edition of the hackathon is a remarkable achievement for them.

Inuoluwadunsimi revealed that the competition was attended by 200 applicants. It shows how much effort these students took to apply their skills to win this competition. It’s purely impressive.

Efforts Put in Winning The Squad Hackathon

Inuoluwadunsimi and his teammates dedicated around 32 hours, including 26+ hours without sleep, to develop their project during the event. Their hard work paid off as they came up with a solution to address the challenges faced by community managers, especially in educational settings. It’s impressive to see their resilience and problem-solving skills shine through, even when faced with critical issues just hours before the presentation.

They had no trouble in utilising Squad’s advanced APIs, specifically the payment link feature and transfer API, to showcase the versatility of Squad’s solutions. It’s amazing to see how technology can be harnessed to create innovative and practical solutions.

They won and secured a total prize money of two million five hundred thousand Naira! While their specific plans for the prize money remain undisclosed, Inuoluwadunsimi hinted that they have strategic ideas for future projects. They’re working diligently towards the public launch of their application on app stores.

Involvement in The Tech Space In Oau

When asked about his involvement in OAU’s tech community, he revealed that he was involved in some tech activities as the lead for Localhost OAU, a community of DevOps and Cloud Engineers. In that role, he’s all about fostering collaboration and sharing knowledge among the members. It’s great to see his commitment to educational initiatives too, like his free tutorial on Python programming for CSC201.

It’s impressive how quickly Inuoluwadunsimi has grown in the tech space since December 2021, and a big part of that is his involvement in active participation in OAU’s tech community. Being the team lead in the hackathon really showcased the practical impact of community involvement, drawing on his experience as the lead for Localhost.

His advice to aspiring tech enthusiasts is simple but powerful – “Just do it!” He emphasizes the importance of getting early exposure to tech and encourages students to engage with communities. Building connections and being part of these communities can open up amazing opportunities in the real world.

Importance of Tertiary Institutions in Personal and Professional Growth

Inuoluwadunsimi really highlighted the importance of communities within educational institutions, like universities. He believes that the opportunities and connections made during the university journey play a significant role in personal and professional growth. It’s amazing how these communities can shape and support students in their tech journeys.

Speaking of tech journeys, the success of the trio in the Take-On-Squad Hackathon is truly remarkable. Not only does it showcase the impressive skills of OAU students in the tech space, but it also highlights the transformative power of hackathons in shaping the future of digital economies in Africa. Their journey, from discovering an email to leading a winning team, demonstrates the endless possibilities within the world of tech. It’s all about embracing innovation, leadership, and community building as they continue on this exciting tech adventure.