Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Team GiveIt’s Journey at the GreenTech Hackathon in Moldova
Sustainability has always been a driving force for Infigo. Whether it’s reducing or offsetting the impact we have on the environment, or how we look after our employees, we are passionate about leaving a positive footprint.
One of our human sustainability policies is the four-day working week, which enables our employees to pursue passions outside of work. So, we were delighted to hear that several members of our Moldovan development team secured funding for a side project, at a recent GreenTech Hackathon.
Making a difference with the circular economy
Taking place over 48 hours at the Orange HQ in the Moldovan capital, Chișinău, the event brought together 70 competitors from 16 teams, with support from 13 mentors, all focused on advancing the idea of the circular economy—a key, however often overlooked concept in business.
The hackathon promoted the ideas of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, asking participants to come up with ideas that follow these sustainable practices.
One of these teams was GiveIt, a growing platform that helps reduce waste and use resources more efficiently. Many companies have trouble sorting their leftover materials, which results in unnecessary waste.
GiveIT connects these businesses and allows the materials to be repurposed in a new way. This also adds economic value by bringing materials back into the production cycle.
From University project to accelerator program
GiveIt began life as a university project by four friends who wanted to solve a social issue through software. They later joined an accelerator program by YEP Moldova, which helped them improve their business model and gave them valuable advice.
Since then, GiveIt has developed into a sophisticated platform for businesses (B2B). It helps companies share unused resources, reducing waste and helping the environment. 
During the hackathon, the GiveIt team, led by Infigo software engineer Gherman Adrian, together with Infigo Back End Developer George Vragalev, and colleagues Craevscaia Valentina and Valeria Dubina, worked on improving how businesses can integrate with the GiveIt platform. They created a landing page to show the public what they are doing and made a prototype to demonstrate the app to users. They quickly used feedback from experts to make their platform better and more effective.
Eyes on the sustainability prize
Despite the stiff competition, and gruelling 48-hour session, we were delighted to hear that our Infigo colleagues took second prize in the event. This resulted in 25,000 MDL (£1125) in funding.
Denis Burlacu, Head of Technical Operations for Infigo said: “The GreenTech Hackathon underscores the power of innovation and collaboration in tackling environmental issues. At Infigo, we’re committed to eco-friendly initiatives, not only to reduce our carbon footprint but also to announce our exciting new sustainability project, ‘Infigo Eco’. Supporting our colleagues in events like these is crucial for shaping a greener future.”
A greener future
So, what next for GiveIt? After the hackathon, the team is excited to keep working, especially on adding a customer-to-customer section. This will help them see how much interest there is from the public and slowly bring in more business users, understanding their needs and learning how they can improve and scale the platform.
GiveIt’s growth shows the importance of innovation and teamwork in creating a sustainable future. Their progress from a university project to a significant presence at major hackathons highlights the influence that committed and creative people can have in making the economy more sustainable and efficient.
