Kandy, Collaborizm and myDevices Launch "Invent the Future" Hackathon Bringing Things and Humans Together

Virtual event runs from November 3 to December 21 -- winners will receive prizes

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Kandy.io, Collaborizm and myDevices today announced a virtual global hackathon inviting developers to invent the future by combining Kandy's real time communications API and developer platform with the myDevices Cayenne IoT Project Builder. The event will be hosted on Collaborizm's global community, which has grown to more than 40,000 active engineers and developers since its inception earlier this year.

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"With so much energy forming around both IoT and RTC, the intersection where machines and people interact is the crossroads of the future," said Paul Pluschkell, Founder and CEO of Kandy. "This fully virtual 'pajama hackathon' is an opportunity for developers around the globe to get a head start on the major technological innovations that will help improve our lives."

Contestants will "invent the future" by leveraging the Kandy communications Platform as a Service (cPaaS) cloud-based, real-time software development platform and integrating it with hardware to create a hybrid telecom/IoT device. Contestants will also be able to access the Cayenne IoT Project Builder, which makes the creation of connected devices easier, faster and more secure.

"In less than a year, myDevices has attracted over 85,000 developers who are taking advantage of Cayenne, which is unique in the IoT space," said Kevin Bromber, Founder and CEO of myDevices. "Imagine the alchemy when you bring together developers from all three domains and challenge them to find ways to invent, enabling things to message people, and people to message machines. We're thrilled to be part of this collective, creative hack."

The Hackathon will be hosted on Collaborizm, an online collaborative workspace for makers-engineers-hackers-aspiring entrepreneurs & creatives, Collaborizm enables users to quickly team up and immediately begin to discuss ideas, work on projects, and help others out in the community.

Unlike show & tell maker sites, Collaborizm is focused on creating a place for makers and hackers to actually collaborate on the things they are building virtually. Collaborizm is also focused on enabling users to build up their online credentials to help users kick start their careers and find paid work opportunities.

"Our community is all about creativity, collaboration and breakthrough ideas," said Steven Reubenstone, Founder and CEO of Collaborizm. "With the tools and platforms Kandy and myDevices bring to this global hackathon, we are confident the winning idea will lead to real world value."

DETAILS: the full FAQ can be found at: https://www.kandy.io/online-hack
Phase 1: 11/03 to 11/29 - Idea pitch

• 12/13: Finalists announced in New York City (details TBD)
• Phase 2: 12/13 to 12/21 - Coding
• Phase 3: 12/21 to 01/19 – Judging
• Winners will be announced on 01/24
• Kandy.io will provide Raspberry Pi 3 kits (rpi board, extender board and webcam) to the 20 teams that make it to Phase 2.
• myDevices will provide free access to all the Cayenne resources and special prize to the final 20 teams.
• Contestants will also have access to mentors who have expertise with Kandy.io, Cayenne, Raspberry Pi, or some combination thereof.
• Contestants are not required to use Raspberry Pi.
• Contestants will be advised to use mentors to advise them on their written tutorials (instructions) and video presentations, and to review how the team has done to fulfill each of the following criteria which judges will use to evaluate submissions.

Competing entries will be judged according to how effectively engineers and developers convey their knowledge of programming, hardware and IoT to aspiring makers-engineers and developers as well as:

• Creativity and outside of the box thinking
• Unique ways to leverage real time communications with hardware
• Demonstration of how the IoT and RTC can be combined in the future

Judges for the Hackathon:

• Judy Shapiro, CEO, EngageSimply
• Don DeLoach, CEO, Infobright
• Indrajit Ghosh, CEO, Atlas Communications
• Akshay Sharma, Senior Analyst, Gartner Group
• Thom Jordan, CEO, Ping Mobile
• Carl Ford, IoT Evolution World Producer and IoT Thought Leader
• Urvi Bhandari, Brand & Innovation Strategist

About Kandy
GENBAND's Kandy communications Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) is a real time software development platform built from GENBAND's core communications, presence, security and real time technologies. Kandy enables service providers, enterprises, software vendors, systems integrators, partners and developers to enrich their applications and services with real time contextual communications, providing a more engaging user experience. With Kandy, companies of all sizes and types can quickly embed real time communications capabilities into their existing applications and business processes. For more information visit kandy.io.

About GENBAND
GENBAND, a 2015 CNBC Disruptor 50, is a global leader in real-time communications software solutions for service providers, enterprises, independent software vendors, systems integrators and developers in over 80 countries. Kandy, its award-winning, disruptive real-time communications software development platform, is built from the company's global telecommunications network and security technologies. The platform enables these companies to easily embed a full suite of voice, video, chat, screen-sharing and collaboration capabilities into their existing business, web and mobile applications. The company's Network Modernization, Unified Communications, Mobility and Embedded Communications solutions enable its customers to quickly capitalize on growing market segments and introduce differentiating products, applications and services. GENBAND's market-leading solutions, which are deployable in the network, on premise or through the cloud, help its customers connect people to each other and address the growing demands of today's consumers and businesses for real-time communications wherever they happen to be. To learn more visit genband.com.

GENBAND, the GENBAND logo and icon are trademarks of GENBAND.

About Collaborizm
Our mission is to build a vibrant collaboration community where makers, innovators and creatives can network, share knowledge and inspire one another by working together across different geographies.

Long term we set out to create a virtual workspace that will dramatically enhance human creative output, and break down the significant skill and cultural barriers that exist in the world today through a unique collaborative process.

About myDevices
myDevices, an IoT solutions company, is the creator of Cayenne, the world's first drag-and-drop IoT Project Builder, which enables customers to bring their IoT projects from prototype to mass production. The company also hosts a vibrant online community of IoT developers where users collaborate and share information. myDevices' connectivity and device-agnostic technology empowers engineers and enterprise partners to easily develop and deploy IoT solutions into their existing infrastructure and business. myDevices is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA, and is a division of Avanquest. For more information please visit www.myDevices.com