Georgia college students tackle World Cup technology in Atlanta Tech Week’s Innovation Cup

Left to right Fonz Morris Donnie Beamer Jennifer Whitlow gang Impact Collective Matt Mocklin Aimee Zheng Arun Sakthi and Hadiza Sarr Sanjay Patel Abe Geiger and M Cole Jones Courtesy of Edward Zimmerman Avant South s weeklong interdisciplinary challenge the Innovation Cup culminated with a showcase and awards ceremony on Oct at Georgia Tech s Academy of Medicine Key sponsors included Cisco Deloitte Showcase Atlanta and US Soccer More than college students throughout Georgia applied to the Innovation Cup Over eight days each unit developed an app to capture the potential of the upcoming World Cup that would benefit the area by promoting local businesses fan-to-fan experiences youth-friendly engagement and smart city navigation The showcase opened with remarks from Mayor Andre Dickens who applauded Atlanta s contemporary strides as a technological hub Forbes named Atlanta the country s the greater part educated city in and ProptechOS ranked Atlanta as the country s smartest city earlier this year We are really utilizing Atlanta as a bridge not as a barrier Dickens explained Related Story Atlanta marks one year until FIFA World Cup Fonz Morris founder and CEO of FNZMS emceed the showcase Morris a Georgia State University and Morehouse College alum was especially impressed with the Innovation Cup s collaboration across universities The finalists included students from Spelman College Morehouse Georgia Tech Georgia State the University of Georgia UGA and Emory University When I was a pupil here there wasn t as much cross-pollination between the universities and I m so proud to see that now Morris announced I m so proud to see that the city is supporting an event like the Innovation Cup because this is where true solutions come from Over eight days teams were whittled down to four Fanfield The Gamechangers Impact Collective and Unity Field Teams then held a brief presentation for the audience and panel of judges which included Charlinda Catchings Cisco Sanjay Patel Soccer in the Streets Jennifer Whitlow Fusen World Gratification Harris Georgia State Abe Geiger US Soccer and Kelly Smith Deloitte Related Stories With FIFA World Cup Atlanta aims to celebrate the city All FIFA World Cup coverage Unity Field Using Metro Atlanta s existing soccer locality and the Atlanta Youth Soccer Foundation Unity Field brings the World Cup to communities throughout the area and not just to those who purchased tickets which can range from to for a family of four Unity Field will transform YMCA and Boys and Girls Club of America soccer fields into neighborhood fan zones turning population hubs into micro-stadiums where families can watch matches on giant screens The emphasis on youth provides Atlantans with a secure organized venue that both children and parents can enjoy The Gamechangers The Gamechangers app Walkable is a gamified geo-tracking location-based application that incentivizes residents and visitors to expedition on foot Users can earn prizes including coupons and swag from local businesses just for walking instead of driving or requesting an Uber Atlanta residents often miss out on the charm of local businesses and sessions revealed Gamechangers member and Morehouse candidate Nazsir Cammon Imagine a cross between Sweatcoin and Meetup that partners with events and local businesses like Ponce City Arena and Sublime Donuts which gets people walking around the city instead of being stuck in traffic Impact Collective Impact Collective s app Tera allows reliable Atlantan citizens the chance to play tour guide Rather than genuine local voices getting lost in the algorithm Tera creates real cultural exchanges with visitors experiencing Atlanta from a local s perspective We want to empower locals and small businesses to feel seen and earn so that the dollars and memories stay in the neighborhoods that make Atlanta feel like Atlanta revealed Hadiza Sarr Impact Collective association member and UGA aspirant Fanfield Fanfield aims to disrupt the mega-event paradox Atlanta faces ahead of next year s World Cup With a large amount of money expected to come into the city only a meager will reap the rewards Atlanta is facing a to million economic opportunity but the majority of this revenue is captured by corporate sponsors inside the stadium ecosystem commented Fanfield gang member Dr Jennifer Johnson of Georgia State University Similar to Pok mon GO Fanfield incentivizes users to visit local businesses and landmarks and fight for control of the city As tourists and residents become competitors they ll increase foot traffic within the city Innovation Cup Winners Left to right Charlinda Catchings Donnie Beamer crew Impact Collective Arjun Sakthi Matt Mocklin Aimee Zheng and Hadiza Sarr and M Cole Jones Photo by Edward Zimmerman First Place Impact Collective received the top prize which included three to six months of mentorship with industry professionals and an executive meet-and-greet or insider tour Second Place Fanfield took second place winning and one to three months of mentorship UX UI Unity Field won the user experience and user interface prize which included and one to three months of mentorship Peoples Choice Impact Collective also won the People s Choice Award and received a curated prize pack The ceremony culminated with DJs and performances by Young Dro and Travis Porter The World Cup hosted by Canada Mexico and the United States is projected to be the most-watched sports and televised event ever Atlanta s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host eight matches including a semifinal in June and July The post Georgia college students tackle World Cup machinery in Atlanta Tech Week s Innovation Cup appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta