Amid long-standing regional tension, a weekend hackathon generated cross-border ideas intended to strengthen connections between communities.
In the first event of its kind ever held in Moldova, the Peace Dividend Initiative and partners brought together young people from both sides of the Dniester river to create collaborative business ideas, dream big and glimpse a brighter future.
For three days in the Moldovan capital Chisinau, 50 young entrepreneurs, freelancers, IT specialists and students formed into teams drawn from each side of the Dniester River. They brainstormed business ideas and pitched for business mentoring and support that followed the event, as well as cash prizes to boost their projects.
The aim was to produce viable cross-border business networks, but also to challenge stereotypes, build trust and in the longer term strengthen economic and social connections between the two communities.
PDI conceived and staged the hackathon with business incubation partners from both sides of the divide: Start Up Moldova (Chisinau) and the Business Innovation Hub (based in Transnistria’s capital Tiraspol). The essential requirement of this exercise was that the teams had to include members from both sides and that prizes would only be awarded to ideas that could work across the divide.
A member of the Start Up Moldova team involved in the exercise said: “There was a lot of positive energy. It was an amazing chance to collaborate with our partners from the Transnistrian region. The ideas were really strong, and much more innovative than I expected.”
A counterpart from Business Innovation Hub, said: “I really liked the results, they confirm that if we have common business ideas the challenges that we face in the region can be met.”
Held at the offices of Orange Systems in Chisinau in late 2024, the weekend featured two workshops, providing participants with tools to better understand and structure their project ideas, with the essential skills for delivering a successful pitching presentation.
Ideas were pitched to a jury of business incubation specialists. First prize was awarded to Inclusive Delivery, a project aiming to empower people with disabilities by providing them with opportunities to work as couriers.
Second prize went to Event Space Hub, a platform that simplifies finding and booking event venues, connecting organizers with venue owners.
Third prize went to Boost, a marketing solution for small businesses, freelancers and start-ups, offering affordable social media management services like content creation, audience analysis, and promotional planning.
A novel element was the offer from PDI to assist with business incubation and mentoring to winners in the ensuing months, to help their ideas take shape and come alive.
A member of the Boost team said: “The hackathon was a great experience. We struggled at the beginning to understand how to take our idea further. Now some time has passed and we are more determined to take the idea forwards.”