2016 REC@NNECT Hackathon Announcement

Contents
I. HACKATHON SNAPSHOT

II. REC@NNECT BACKGROUND

III. SCOPE OF REC@NNECT HACKATHON

IV. REC@NNECT HACKATHON ELIGIBILITY

V. APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA

VI. REC@NNECT HACKATHON SELECTION PROCESS

Phase 1: Submission: January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2016

Phase 2: Application Review and Finalist Selection: January 15, 2016 to February
15, 2016
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Phase 3: Preparatory Training: February 15-April 15, 2016

Phase 4: REC@NNECT Hackathon

VII. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

XVIII. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUPPORT

I. Hackathon Snapshot
Applications Opens

Friday, January 1, 2016

Application Deadline

Sunday, January 31, 2016

(17:00 U.S. Eastern Daylight Time)

How to Apply

Fill out the application form

http://tiny.cc/hackathonapp

General Criteria
Early stage technology companies

Basic Eligibility
Entrepreneurs who are permanent residents and/or
citizens of an eligible country in South Asia. Eligible
countries include: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal,
and Sri Lanka. Permanent residents or citizens of the
U.S. are not eligible to participate in the REC@NNECT
Hackathon.

Awards

Travel scholarship to REC@NNECT Hackathon in

India for four international finalists

Invitation to attend REC@NECT Hackathon for 40

Host city-based finalists

Invitation to participate in online entrepreneurship

course Foundations for Startups

Complete Competition
Announcement &
Application Forms

Read below and check the REC@NNECT website

reconnectsca.org/reconnect-hackathon

II. REC@NNECT Background

REC@NNECT identifies the next generation of technology entrepreneurs in South
and Central Asia and supports them through entrepreneurship capacity building
activities that provide: skills development; networking; and international exposure
and seed funding. The program achieves this through competitions, start-up
acceleration services, online social media platforms, and interactive mentorship
programs.
REC@NNECT is a partnership between CRDF Global and the U.S. Department of
States South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau. To find out more about REC@NNECT,
please visit www.reconnectsca.org
CRDF Global is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes international
scientific and technical collaboration through grants, technical resources, training
and services. CRDF Global is based in Arlington, Virginia with offices in Moscow,
Russia; Kyiv, Ukraine; Almaty, Kazakhstan; and Amman, Jordan. For more
information about CRDF Global, please visit www.crdfglobal.org
The U.S. Department of State executes public diplomacy programs and other
forms of technical assistance that seek to enhance regional prosperity and stability
in South and Central Asia through strengthening economic linkages. Though
challenging, countries in this region have much to gain by working together to
develop policies to reduce trade and transit barriers, increase investments in their
respective economies, and support regional cross-border projects. Another key area
in linking South and Central Asia is the sharing of ideas and leveraging the skills and
productivity of the businesses in the region. Businesses can expand economic
markets that also create opportunities for youth, women, and minorities which can
enhance regional security and prosperity. To advance U.S. foreign policy and foster a
regional environment where invention, innovation, and industry thrive the U.S.
Department of State engages foreign partners on economic policy issues that
support open, transparent, and meritocratic systems of governance, and
implements capacity building programs that train young men and women to
become entrepreneurs. For more information about this U.S. Department of State
initiative, please visit http://www.state.gov/p/sca/

III. Scope of REC@NNECT Hackathon

Entrepreneurs from eligible countries in South Asia are encouraged to participate in
the REC@NNECT Hackathon in India. The REC@NNECT Hackathon is designed to
support technology entrepreneurs to launch and/or grow a company in South and
Central Asia through:

Training and mentorship by successful entrepreneurs, angel investors, and

venture capitalists
Networking opportunities
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Access to seed funding

The REC@NNECT Hackathon application will be reviewed by a panel of experts. 40

host city-based participants and four international finalists, one each from
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, will be invited to the REC@NNECT
Hackathon in India this April or May 2016 (city and exact date TBD). At the
Hackathon they will participate in skills building workshops, international networking
meetings, and pitch sessions.
Objectives:
Accelerate the development and success of early stage companies and
enhance the leadership capabilities of entrepreneurs by providing in-depth,
tailored training and mentorship;
Enhance knowledge and skills of entrepreneurs in areas such as -- but not
limited to -- leadership, sales, marketing, investments, and successful team
building;
Provide opportunities at the REC@NNECT Hackathon for establishing linkages
and building networks with distinguished entrepreneurs, investors, potential
customers and supporters from the South Asia region.

IV. REC@NNECT Hackathon Eligibility

Competition applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible to
participate in the 2016 REC@NNECT Hackathon:
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
1. Any member of a team can only enter the competition once with one
submission. Each team must select a member who will be the applicant for
the team in this competition.
2. The applicant must be at least 18 years old and able to both read and speak
English proficiently. The REC@NNECT Hackathon application must be written
in English.
3. The applicant must be either a permanent resident or citizen of the following
eligible countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, or Sri Lanka. U.S.
citizens or permanent residents are not eligible to participate in the
REC@NNECT Hackathon, even if they are also a permanent resident or citizen
of a REC@NNECT eligible country.
4. The applicant must hold a valid passport and be eligible to travel to
participate in the REC@NNECT Hackathon, if selected as a finalist.
5. The applicant should be ready and available to present the startup during the
REC@NNECT Hackathon; location and date to be determined.

Once you determine you meet the general criteria, please select which track applies
to you: venture track or techie track (the techie track is available only to Host citybased professionals). You will mark this track on the online application.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA THE VENTURE TRACK
1. To qualify for the venture track, you must have a product (web application,
mobile application, or physical product) or service focusing on science or
technology solutions in sectors such as information and communication
technologies (ICTs), energy, agriculture, and health. Your startup should be a
for-profit or an entity designed to be financially sustainable. Social
enterprises are eligible if they have a business model that relies on
customers in order to stay self-sustaining.
2. The product or service must currently be at a demo/prototyping stage or
already have been introduced to the market.
3. Applications that fall under the following categories will not be accepted:
Pure research projects with no demonstrable commercial potential
Charity organizations or foundations (not-for-profits)
Organizations that buy and resell technologies and other goods
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA THE TECHIE TRACK
(available to Host city-based applicants only)
The REC@NNECT Hackathon is about bringing people together to encourage startup
team building and networking. Though many people who attend the hackathon will
already have begun their own tech businesses, the power of the hackathon is to
support strong startup team building by involving people with various skill sets. The
techie track is available to Host city-based professionals who may not already have
a tech startup or business, but have skills or ideas that would benefit a startup
team. Most importantly, the techie track applicant possesses a strong interest to
form a startup team. Skills or ideas that a techie track applicant may posses
include, but are not limited to:
Coding skills or data analysis
Marketing or sales experience, interest, or expertise
Legal experience
Other skill sets or ideas that could be useful to a company
Applicants to the techie track will be asked to briefly describe what they hope to
bring to the startup scene.

V. Application Instructions and Evaluation Criteria

Each complete application will be reviewed by judges who will use the following
criteria to evaluate the full application. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka
will each receive one finalist. 40 finalists from Host city will also be selected. Each
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applicant will be notified by February 15, 2016. The structure of the application is
explained below:
Venture Track Evaluation Criteria
Section
Value of
Product or
Service

Instructions
What is the market problem
your venture is solving?

Evaluation
Problem is clearly stated (the
problem or need is real, fulfills
identifiable customer demand)
Solution is clearly stated
(better, faster, cheaper,
simple)

Commercial
Potential

Describe your business model.

What support or partnerships
do you seek or have? Do you
have research related to
customer segmentation, value
proposition, cost, revenue, and
how long it will take you to
launch? Explain the
commercial value of your
product or service. Is it a new
or improved technology? Is it
scalable? Are risks assessed
properly?
Describe your market needs,
market size, and (potential)
customers. Why would these
customers buy your product or
service? List competitors in
your current and future
market. How will your startup
rival your competitors?

Revenue Model (Clear

revenue model)

Market
Position

Management
Team

Describe your management

team, including yourself, and
its track record.

Financials (Reasonable
financial projections in terms
of sales, profit margins,
expenses)
Exit Opportunity (Potential
acquirers identified, potential
exits and options identified)

Target Market (target market

is sufficiently large and
growing, customer is well
defined)
Competition (demonstrate
understanding of market
competitors, direct vs. indirect
competition, barriers to entry)
Traction (market validation,
milestones, minimum viable
product (MVP) built, key
success metrics defined)
Team (management team has
appropriate skills, industry
knowledge, relationships)

Techie Track Evaluation Criteria (available for host city-based applicants

only)
Section
Technical
Skills

Instructions
The techie applicant should be
interested in bringing skills

Evaluation
Skills are described to show
how they could contribute to
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Commitment
to
entrepreneur
ship

that can help businesses

succeed including but not
limited to, mobile app
development, data base
creation, engineering, 3-D
printing, specific coding, online
computer langugages, and
more.
The techie applicant should
briefly describe how s/he
became interested in the
startup scene, what s/he hopes
to achieve in working with a
startup, and perhaps the types
of startups (focus areas,
sectors) that s/he thinks they
would best contribute to.

startup.
Experience is shown by
displaying links to past work

Clarity of purpose that

would be attractive to a
perspective startup founder.
Every story is different, but a
clear story will help here.

VI. REC@NNECT Hackathon Selection Process

Hackathon
Phase 1:
Submission
& Trainings

Starts

January 1, 2016

Phase 2:
Review/Finalist January 31,
Selection
2016
Phase 3:
Preparatory
February 15,
Entrepreneurshi 2016
p Course
Phase 4:
Hackathon

April or May
TBD

Ends

Milestone

January 31,
2016

Local partner organizations

provide in-person trainings, and
CRDF Global provides 2
preparatory webinars.

February 15,
2016

April 15, 2016

Applications are submitted.

4 international finalists and 40
Host city-based finalists are
selected and announced by
February 15, 2016.
All entrepreneurs invited to join
in 6-week course Foundations
for Startups in preparation of
REC@NNECT Hackathon
Attend the Hackathon and meet
entrepreneurs from around
South Asia.
Finalists give presentations to a
panel of judges.

Phase 1: Submission: January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2016

A complete REC@NNECT Hackathon application must be submitted by January 31,

2016, 11:59pm India Standard Time. Applicants are advised to allow ample time
before the deadline to submit their application. This will ensure timely assistance by
CRDF Global if there are technical issues with the submission. During late
December, potential applicants will be invited to attend a webinar or local trainings
organized by local partner organizations, where applicants and their teams will
acquire skills to improve their application. Applicants who have already submitted
their applications prior to the webinar or trainings will be allowed to resubmit their
applications up to the January 15, 2016 deadline.

Phase 2: Application Review and Finalist Selection:

January 31, 2016 to February 15, 2016

Expert judges will select 40 Host city-based participants and up to four international
finalists, based on the evaluation criteria outlined in Section V. Applicants will be
notified of the results via email by February 15, 2016. Results will also be
announced on the REC@NNECT website, REC@NNECT Twitter, and REC@NNECT
Facebook. (All participants are strongly encouraged to follow REC@NNECT on
Facebook and Twitter at https://twitter.com/REC_SCA and
https://www.facebook.com/ReconnectSCA )

Phase 3: Preparatory Training: February 15-April 15, 2016

All finalists and REC@NNECT applicants will receive an invitation to join the
REC@NNECT Foundations for Startups online course from February 15-April 15,
2016. The course is open to ALL entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs. The
workshop will feature videos from top business leaders and live webinars with two
successful entrepreneurs where you can ask your questions. Among topics covered
will be Business Model Canvas, customer development, marketing, and adjusting
your business to market demands.

Phase 4: REC@NNECT Hackathon

The four REC@NNECT Hackathon finalists will be invited to the REC@NNECT

Hackathon, with travel expenses covered, to receive personalized coaching and
mentorship from serial entrepreneurs and investors, and to participate in pitch
sessions and the award ceremony.
Final Pitch
The pitch will be 10 minutes in lengthfive minutes for presentation and five
minutes for Q&A. The presentation will be delivered in front of a live audience and a
panel of expert entrepreneurs and investors.

VII. Special Requirements

Export Control
CRDF Global complies with all U.S. laws and regulations and applicable international
law pertaining to export controls and to the participation of foreign nationals or
institutions in its activities. It is CRDF Globals policy not to conduct any transactions
with U.S. restricted entities without appropriate authorization from the U.S.
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government, including licenses and other permits and restrictions. CRDF Global
reserves the right to restrict the participation of any individual or institution in its
programs.
Protection of Confidential Information
Applicants are responsible for identifying any written business confidential
information contained in their application materials. CRDF Global assumes that no
business confidential information will be disclosed by an applicant including the
initial application and the business pitch presentation. If there is a valid need to
provide any business confidential information after selection as a finalist, such
written information shall be clearly marked so that CRDF Global can, to the degree
reasonably possible, protect it by restricting its exposure to authorized staff, its
funding and oversight agencies, and external U.S. and international business
reviewers and judges. Independent U.S. and international business reviewers and
judges retained by CRDF Global, as well as all personnel of CRDF Global and its
partner organizations, are required to adhere to strict standards of confidentiality in
the handling of all business confidential information contained in any written
materials.
Intellectual Property
CRDF Global makes no claim to intellectual property rights under any award.

XVIII. Additional Information and Support

Questions and correspondence regarding this competition announcement should be
directed to the CRDF Global staff member referenced below. Applicants are
requested to identify themselves in all correspondence and to put the phrase
REC@NNECT Hackathon in the email subject line. CRDF Global may choose not to
disclose certain information in a response to any question or query, if in our view
such details would affect the fairness or transparency of the competition or convey
an undue advantage to an applicant. Applicants are encouraged to review the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the website on a regular basis as answers are
updated daily while applications are being accepted. CRDF Global also reserves the
right to disclose to all other applicants an answer or clarification to a question from
an applicant in the interest of fairness, objectivity, and transparency of this
competition.
CRDF Global
Attn: Amanda Gant
1776 Wilson Boulevard, 3rd Floor
Arlington, VA 22209
Tel: 703-526-6758
E-mail: reconnectsca@crdfglobal.org

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