Every year, we have a team-wide hackathon for our group in Bangladesh. This year the theme was, "Be The Change You Want to See the World." Enclosed are the rules, description, and reasons why we are doing what we are doing. In our vernacular, ‘hacking’ is creative problem solving. Each project should start with a problem that your team is trying to solve. For this event, the problems are defined in the above Challenge descriptions. At Left, our Hackathons are about fostering innovation, creative problem solving, and creating unity between the teams. Go ahead and be competitive, but do so with positivity and good sportsmanship. It is not about winning, it is about helping all of us achieve something awesome.

1. A hackathon to
make your mark.
December 6-8, 2017
Theme #1 – RightMesh
Theme #2 – Crypto/Blockchain
Theme #3 – AI & Machine Learning
Date start time
The event runs over 2.5 days (approx. 24 hours in
total), starting at 10:00AM on Wednesday,
December 6 and ends with presentations on Friday
morning at 10:00AM, December 8

2. ‘Making Your Mark’
does not have to be a
big idea or a bold
venture.
It could be a small
action or idea that
makes the world a
better place for one
person or solves
one problem.

3. Help others
when they
need help.
Change the
life of one
person.
Give others
a voice,
when they
need one.

4. Here is one
example
How would you make you mark?
Internet accessibility is a
human right, yet
3.9 billion people
(56% of the world) are
unconnected
o No infrastructure
o Slow networks
o Expensive data
o Network interference

5. Over the next
ten years, the
world will
fundamentally
change.
20B
IoT Devices
6B
Smartphones
*by 2020
Mesh
Networks
Blockchain
AI &
Machine
Learning
Autonomous Bots

6. Where to
start
Not required, but good to read.
John’s 3 blog posts that
should be read.
http://bit.ly/2AMeDSx
http://bit.ly/2islt84
http://bit.ly/2zD6VFS

7. Create a
Team
The best teams are interdisciplinary,
and use diverse skillsets.
You will be judged on teamwork.
A hackathon is a great opportunity to expand your
knowledge and work with people you don’t normally work
with.
It is not about assembling a power team of only the top
technical talent. Think differently and figure out how best
to use everyone’s talents.
Form cross-departmental teams that include diverse
skillsets and abilities.
Because failure is an option, the chance to learn a new
skill and cross-train is something to be commended.

8. Dream big,
think small.
Don’t try to do too much.
Don’t try to do too much.
The best hackathon projects (and often the best products)
keep things really simple and do one thing, and do the
one thing well.
Think of your atomic use case. That is, what is the one
thing that you are trying to build and the one ‘job’ that your
project will do.
Build that.
Solve one problem that a real user has, and you will be off
to the races. Don’t try and take on too much or include too
many features.

9. Go into the
community
On Day 1, spend the first 2 to 3
hours of the hackathon observing
life and finding a problem to solve.
Document the experience with
photos and videos (note: these will
be shared on social media).
When Jenna and Saju visited in July, they talked a lot
about ‘product-centric thinking’. With this hackathon, we
will use some of those skills as well as your powers of
observation.
The start of the hackathon will require you to leave your
desks behind and go talk to people. Real people. Observe
how people are living their lives, doing their jobs, or
helping their families.
Your challenge is to interview them, take pictures, learn
from them – then use these learnings to make their world
a better place.

10. RightMesh
What you need to know
The RightMesh library continues
to evolve.
Your challenge is to incorporate
the RightMesh SDK in an
existing or new app.
Each team will need a unique
API key. Get approved now.
*Each app must use a single mesh port, and this can be shared
among all members in the team
Challenge #1

11. Blockchain &
CryptocurrencyWha
t you need to know
Every business will be
impacted by the blockchain
(which is more than
cryptocurrency).
Your challenge is to use
blockchain, crypto-
economics, or new
technologies (smart
contracts) to make a
difference in the world.
Challenge #2

12. AI & Machine
Learning
What you need to know
AI, Big Data, Machine
Learning… they are all
connected (and will play a
big part in Left Travel in the
future).
Your challenge is to use this
power for good and not for
evil.
Challenge #3

13. The Rules
Hacking Defined
In our vernacular, ‘hacking’ is creative problem solving.
Each project should start with a problem that your team is
trying to solve. For this event, the problems are defined in
the above Challenge descriptions.
Ethos
Our Hackathons are about fostering innovation, creative
problem solving, and creating unity between the teams.
Go ahead and be competitive, but do so with positivity
and good sportsmanship. It is not about winning, it is
about helping all of us achieve something awesome.
If a competitive team needs assistance during the
Hackathon, go ahead and offer your help however
possible.

14. The Rules
The Teams
All teams are to be led by a member of the QA team. They are the
project lead/project managers for the duration of this challenge
(and will keep everyone else focused on the challenge in front of
you).
In addition, each team can include two (2) to four (4) additional
people. The results in a maximum team size of five (5) people.
While this hackathon is restricted to the team in Bangladesh, you
can ask for assistance from anyone in the Canadian office, as
long as they can be awake and have time to help.
Teams must be formed and registered prior to event starting time.
Remember, a hackathon is a great opportunity to expand your
knowledge and work with people you don’t normally work with.

15. The Rules
Code, Design, SFX, Music, etc.
To ensure a level field for all contestants, all code, design, art,
music, SFX, and assets must be created during the duration of
the Hackathon. We want to ensure that all participants start off
on the same footing and we also want to preserve the true
nature of a hackathon. You are, however, free to make plans,
create wireframes, and brainstorm prior to the event. The only
exception to this rule would include material that is freely
available to the public. Some examples of this would be: public
domain images, creative commons music, open source
libraries. No cheating.
APIs, Services, and Open Source
The exception to the above rule is that you are encouraged to
use 3rd party services, APIs, open source projects, libraries,
and frameworks. Let's face it, we need all the help we can get
during the hectic event. If you need access to the Company’s
repositories, please check with a technical team lead about the
option to coordinate this.

16. The Rules
The Presentation
You will have 5 minutes for your presentation.
Each presentation should start with a statement about which
problem you are trying to solve (e.g., “The problem we tackled
was…”).
Don’t forget to describe your user. Photos and videos are great
from when you ventured out into the Community to show the life
of a potential user and their problem.
We will be recording the presentations for sharing with the team in
Canada (and perhaps social media in general).
Introduce your team members by name, and let us know which
challenge you focused on. Then talk us through your hack.
Please also include a written document with the names of team
members, your team name, and a brief summary of your project.

17. The Rules
Ownership
As per current employment contracts, all intellectual property
created during the event remains the property of LOTD.
Disclosure of Intellectual Property
Go ahead and talk about your project on social media
(HashTag #leftylife).
It is the company’s policy that any new application created
that uses the RightMesh SDK will be published under Open
Source.
However, we ask that your finished product or project not be
submitted for public consumption unless reviewed and
approved by the Company.

18. Judging
Friday, 10:00am to 11:30am
Prize Presentation at 12:00pm
Judging
All judges will score each category; however, subject matter
experts will get 10 bonus points (total) to award as they choose.
• John (Problem Solved)
• Dana (Community Engagement)
• Rakib (Technical Prowess)
• Ayesha (Teamwork)
Judging Criteria (100 points in total)
1. Relevance – Was it relevant to the challenge? (20 points)
2. Problem Solved – Did you find a big problem and come up
with an innovative solution to that problem? (20 points)
3. Technical Prowess – Did you demonstrate technical mastery
while still hacking something that worked? (20 points)
4. Community - Did you talk to users, hear stories, and learn
about problems that surround us daily? (10 points)
5. Teamwork – Did you work as a team, have fun, work cross-
organizationally, and have everyone contribute? (10 points)
6. Presentation – Did you present your ideas in a clear and
concise manner (10 points)
7. Creativity – From design to idea, did you wow us? (10 points)

19. The Glory (what you can win)
There will be three (3) winning teams, one for each challenge
(RightMesh, Blockchain/Cryptocurrency, AI/Machine Learning)
Each team member for the winning team will get:
• Bragging rights until the next hackathon;
• A team trip that will be spectacular. Trust us you don’t want to
miss this! This will be a 2-day trip to be taken in December
• Surprise prizes may be awarded for:
• The “Failure is an Option” Award (for a good attempt)
• The ‘Most Positive Attitude’ Award (for smiling)
• The “Best Social Media” Award (for giving us the best story)
• The “Making your Mark, Everyday” Award (for potential
community impact)