Is it possible to ‘hack the crisis’? Estonia knows the answer
Estonians strongly believe that technology can help to effectively mitigate the effects of the crisis. Inspired by the success of online hackathon ‘Hack the crisis’ in March they decided to organize massive global movement called ‘The Global Hack’ which has started today (9.04.2020).
In times of COVID-19 pandemic Estonia once again proves that it deserves to be called a start-ups hub and the most digitized society. While the doctors take care of sick people, Estonian government in cooperation with the private sector works on e-solutions which are needed to minimize coronavirus’ socio-economic impact.
There is no other country in which the startup community would receive so much support and attention from the President as Estonia. ‘In difficult times we have always two options: sit and wait while the ground is burning or start searching for solutions. We chose the latter!’ said Kersti Kaljulaid. It exactly shows how Estonians face trouble. They are not losing their heads but start working using technology. The startup-government exemplary collaborations seem to be in the DNA of Estonian digital society. The message from the Estonian government is clear: Use the crisis to emerge stronger.
Running business during a pandemic
Estonian government is widely recognized as a digital pioneer. In Estonia, 99% of public services are online and therefore fully functional. Moreover, that country has one integrated IT system used for both sending all tax declarations, submitting applications and communication with the tax office. Thanks to that, closed offices due to the Coronavirus have practically no impact on operating business. Entrepreneurs can still manage their business from all over the world. This is the result of many years of work on digital solutions, e.g. the e-Residency program for foreigners.
The best ideas of ‘Hack the Crisis’
‘Hack the crisis’ was a hackathon supported by the Estonian government, whose aim was to showcase the most helpful software solutions for the benefit of coronavirus fight. The idea transformed into execution extremely rapidly, while the rest of Europe had just slowly introduced initial actions in early March. Hackathon took place between 13th and 15th of March and was conducted entirely online. The selected five winners were granted a financial aid from Accelerate Estonia, while the national fund would provide additional financing at a later stage. All proposals were judged by entrepreneurs, professionals and politicians as well.
In times of COVID-19 pandemic some companies need extra workforce, while others face the fact that they can no longer offer a job. In response to that one team created Share Force One – workforce sharing platform that connects B2B sides for temporary workforce exchange. Platform gained recognition of jury and was in the final five. Another project which focused jury’s attention was Vanemuine serving the purpose of a medical volunteers’ database, presenting their competences and allowing to contact them should a certain area require aid. Another winning project of the hackathon was Corona-tracker – an app developed in order to provide the risk of infection on the basis of logged symptoms and the proximity of infected people. All innovations were strongly backed by politicians and Estonian companies of different sizes and profiles, which led more than a thousand people to participate in the event.
‘The Global Hack’ initiated by Estonians
Estonian coronavirus hackathon transforms into global movement called the Global Hack. More than 47 countries, such as Poland, Germany, France, and India, have announced their local hackathons. From today till 12th of April the participants of the Global Hack have 48 hours to collaborate and build a solution within their tracks. The prize pool for the best ideas will be at least € 120,000. One thing is for sure, it will be the world’s largest online hackathon which brings together great minds, world-class mentors and globally talented teams to create solutions for a better tomorrow.
We can learn from Estonia that digital society is a true necessity, and we cannot avoid it. E-solutions are efficient, time saving and just convenient. Thanks to them in times of crisis entrepreneurs can strongly focus on their business forgetting about the bureaucracy. The key of Estonian success is also the government which understands that technology is a part of citizens’ life. It did not happen overnight, e-Estonia took time and commitment.