The Cortex Accelerator Hub

Schedule

Schedule

Before the hackathon

  • 25–27 August

    Bootcamp week

  • Tuesday 25 August

    Bootcamp: FinTech — Anda Ngcaba & Si Jia Wu, UCT Financial Innovation Hub

  • Wednesday 26 August

    Bootcamp: AgriTech — The Case of the Northern Cape — Sol Plaatje University · being confirmed

  • Wednesday 26 August

    Bootcamp: AI — Model Context Protocol — Luthando Maqondo, The Cortex Accelerator Hub

  • Thursday 27 August

    Bootcamp: Internet of Things — Blynk — Nico Muka, The Cortex Accelerator Hub

  • Thursday 27 August

    Registration closes; judge and mentor orientation

The 48 hours

Friday 28 August

  1. 08:00

    Registration and accreditation; welcome and briefing; MICT SETA opening address; project team introductions

  2. 10:00

    Hackathon commences; theme release; ideation sprint begins

  3. 12:00

    Ideation Canvas submissions due; development sprint commences

  4. 12:00–22:00

    Development sprint; mentor rotations every four hours; check-in milestone at Hour 10

Saturday 29 August

  1. 07:00

    Overnight development continues; breakfast provided; mid-point review by judges; mentor check-in at Hour 22

  2. 07:30

    Iteration and refinement window opens

  3. 08:00

    Prototype submission deadline, timestamped

  4. 09:00

    Presentations begin — 10 minutes per team plus 5 minutes Q&A, live demonstration required

  5. 11:00

    Judging panel deliberation; moderation process; moderation report signed

  6. 13:00

    Results announcement; prize ceremony; MICT SETA address

  7. 14:30

    Hackathon close; participant debrief

Prototype submissions lock at the published deadline. Late submissions are disqualified without exception.