Three SITizens from the Applied Computing (Fintech) programme defy the odds to emerge as double winners at the hacksingapore competition. Delve into their intense 24-hour journey, from daunting challenges to a well-deserved triumph. 

Sebastian (left) and Kai Jie (middle) receiving their prize from Mr Lim Him Chuan, Group Head of Strategy, Transformation, Analytics & Research (GSTAR) at DBS. (Photo: Triple-E) 

When Yong Kai Jie, Sebastian Wong and Leshawn Chan from SIT’s Applied Computing (Fintech) programme heeded their lecturer’s suggestion to form a team to participate in hacksingapore, the Year 2 students never imagined that they would emerge as double winners – overall winner of the Financial Inclusion track and the Grand Winner of the competition.  

The Singapore series of the global hackathon, jointly organised by AngelHack and DBS Singapore, took place from 25 to 26 May. Participating teams were given a choice from three challenge statements and had to develop and present their solutions within 24 hours.  

Though the challenge statements were released a few weeks before the hackathon, the trio, who termed themselves Triple-E (Empower, Enable and Educate), decided to immerse themselves fully in the spirit of developing a solution within the stipulated 24-hour timeframe. “We chose not to ideate or prepare in advance before the hackathon. We wanted to challenge ourselves to see if we could complete everything within 24 hours,” Kai Jie said.  

Daunting Challenges 

The team was certainly in for a challenge. They faced stiff competition as they competed against 72 teams of participants ranging from tertiary students to professional software developers.  

A few hours into the challenge, the team found themselves at a roadblock when they could not decide on the challenge track to work on. “We had to choose between challenges from either the Financial Inclusion, Social Responsibility and Digital Empowerment tracks, and we kept going back and forth between the three challenge statements,” Kai Jie said.  

The trio was so stuck that they were still brainstorming solutions eight to nine hours into the challenge. “It was very stressful because some teams started coding a mere two hours into the competition,” Sebastian said. “We were so tempted to leave the competition and head across the causeway since we had already packed for an overnight stay. All we lacked were our passports!” Leshawn quipped.   

Going Simple and Thinking Out of The Box  

Sebastian and Kai Jie presenting their ideas to the panel of judges. (Photo: Triple-E)

However, the team persevered. As Fintech students, the trio were inclined to work on a topic they were familiar with, such as the challenge statement from the Financial Inclusion track: Develop a solution that empowers the ageing population to achieve a financially secure retirement as the country becomes more affluent.  

They decided to approach the situation by thinking out of the box. “It occurred to us that instead of concentrating on the retirees, we can approach the issue from the perspective of encouraging mindful spending habits among young people, which could enable them to secure financial stability at retirement,” Kai Jie explained. “We wanted our solution to enable, empower and encourage – the Es behind our team’s name.”  

The team experienced a brainwave moment after a consultation session with an onsite mentor. “We were advised to go simple, leverage an existing platform and innovate from there,” Sebastian said. Kai Jie also harnessed the connections from his past internship and solicited feedback from his former financial sector colleagues on the solutions the team had devised. “They provided insights into the feasibility and monetisation potential of our ideas, which helped us shortlist the one to work on,” Kai Jie said. The feedback ignited a spark of inspiration and led the trio to their winning idea: a Google Chrome extension to help users monitor their spending on online shopping platforms.  

From Collaboration to Success 

Joint celebrations with the winners from the Digital Empowerment track who also booked their spots in the Grand Finals in October 2024. (Photo: Triple-E)

Things started to flow and became fast-paced from there. Leshawn, who had been powering through the hackathon while feeling unwell, headed home to rest for the night. By then, 12 hours had passed. Kai Jie and Sebastian continued to work on their solution. Kai Jie researched and learned how to build a Chrome extension while Sebastian worked on the other aspects. The duo collaborated so effectively that they managed to submit their entry two hours before the deadline, even though they were one man down. They credited their execution speed to practice from their coursework. “Most of our modules are project-based. We are trained to work quickly to meet our tight deadlines,” Sebastian explained. 

“It helped that our strengths complemented each other. Leshawn is analytical and provides perspectives we often overlook; I’m the idea generator, and Kai Jie is relational, who went around gathering feedback, which helped us refine our proposal,” Sebastian said. 

The team pushed through their fatigue to successfully pitch their way through the qualifying and final rounds. “By the time of the final presentation, we had been functioning without sleep for nearly 36 hours,” Kai Jie said. The lack of sleep was well worth it. The team emerged as the winner of their category and one of the two Grand Winners of hacksingapore. “It was a mind-blowing moment. We were holding hands, screaming and shedding tears of joy,” Kai Jie recalled. 

As Grand Winners of hacksingapore, the team will represent Singapore in the Grand Finals, slated to be held in October this year. “We are up against talented innovators from around the world, so we intend to participate with an open mind and do our best. Most importantly, we aim to learn as much as possible and, hopefully, bring glory to SIT,” Sebastian said.