The Indiana winners of the Indiana vs. Texas Hackathon Challenge were revealed last night at The Speak Easy in Indianapolis. This first-of-its-kind competition pits the two states against one another as a fun way to draw people together to tackle some community problems and spark entrepreneurship and talent development.

The two winning Hoosier teams will face off against two winners from Texas later this month and a national judging panel will determine the #HackINvTX overall winner.

 

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The series, powered by Techpoint and the Indy Chamber, named Red Alert as the winner of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) challenge, and the combined teams of Agency360 and RebornCode as the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) challenge winners.

“Innovation and the desire to serve the public are both traits that Hoosiers share and they are definitely on display during this event,” said State of Indiana Chief Information Officer Paul Baltzell. “We received many tremendous entries to solve problems that the State is encountering serving its citizens. The two winning solutions definitely offer a way for state government to deliver services in ways that better meet public needs.”

About the Winning Projects

Red Alert Indiana took first place in the challenge from IDHS, creating a dynamic form that serves as a means to direct those affected by emergencies or natural disasters to the proper agencies or non-profits to receive assistance. The application guides users through a checklist of potential services that can be administered at the one-stop-shop locations, and also streamlines the process for the providers by storing contact information in a database for quick reference. Team members include the father and son pair of John and Isaiah Schevola.

 

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Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) challenge winners (Right to left) John and Isaiah Schevola celebrate receiving “the big check” from State of Indiana Chief Information Officer Paul Baltzell.

 

Two teams joined forces to win the IDEM Challenge: Agency360 and RebornCode. The IDEM challenge called for a centralized, streamlined, and secure platform to eliminate its paper-based permitting process. The winners created a system in which administrators can create preset tasks that can be assigned to complete in order to move the permit application through the process. The system also has the ability to create templates based on the permit type. Team members include Darye Henry, Ollie Ward, Tonya Hanshew and Matt Molter.

 

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Paul Baltzell (right) presents the winners of the IDEM Challenge: Agency360 and RebornCode with a $4,000 check. Team members include (left to right) Darye Henry, Ollie Ward, Tonya Hanshew and Matt Molter.

 

About the Hack Indiana Series

The Hack Indiana Series, powered by Techpoint and the Indy Chamber, is an extended hackathon designed to invigorate an entrepreneurial culture and equip participants with marketable skills while encouraging relationship formation and camaraderie across states. The Challenge will engage students and professionals already actively contributing to the Indiana tech space and will potentially lead to seeding new ventures and job-creators.

The Hack Indiana Series is sponsored by the following organizations: AT&T Indiana, Indiana Interactive, Interactive Intelligence, KSM Consulting, SAP, iLab, Kronos, Netlogx, Perscio, Ball State University, Indiana University, IUPUI, The University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. In-kind sponsors include Launch Fishers, The Speak Easy, The Bureau, and Eleven Fifty Coding Academy.

Check out all the Twitter activity and excitement around #HackINvTX: