Savetastic app takes top prize at banking hackathon in Dublin

An app that uses a customer’s banking information to offer savings on a range of items such as utility bills, travel and shopping, took the top prize at Ireland’s first dedicated banking hackathon.

The app, Savetastic, was developed by Alejandro Ricotti, Diego Alexandre, Kelson Martins and Ivan Tabarino. The team will receive three months incubation at Ulster Bank with access to a number of mentors, executives and specialists, in order to develop this idea into a commercial proposition.

The event, organised by Ulster Bank and the Open Bank Project, brought together almost 100 coders, designers, mentors and investors for three days of idea generation and programming focused on new thinking for banks and bank customers.

Participants brought 17 ideas to the table on Friday night at the National Digital Research Centre, distilling them down to eight ideas which were ‘hacked’ together by the teams on Saturday and Sunday.

“It brought together almost 100 energetic, creative and innovative people and they really challenged the way banks think,” Ulster Bank chief operating officer Chris Davies said.

Judges at the event were Dermot Berkery of Delta Partners, Louise Hodgson, executive director of the Undergraduate Awards, Big Red Cloud chief executive Marc O'Dwyer, CurrencyFair chief executive Brett Myers and Chris Davis, COO of Ulster Bank.