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1st Place Nedbank N*ovation Hackathon 2025

Issued by Otinga.io

This badge celebrates the first-place team at the Nedbank N*ovation Hackathon 2025, a two-day, in-person hackathon powered by Otinga under the theme "AI & Automation for Business Banking." Across an intensive overnight build, the winning team designed and delivered the standout prototype — an AI-powered solution that helps transform Nedbank's Internet Banking for Business by turning real banking challenges into practical, working technology. Judged through live demos and Q&A by a panel drawn from Nedbank, OfferZen, and Microsoft, their work earned the highest combined score for innovation, technical depth, business impact, and feasibility. This first-place achievement reflects exceptional engineering, teamwork, and the ability to move from bold idea to demonstrable value at pace.

Recipient: Kuhle (Luhle) Hesman
Issued On: Aug. 25, 2026, 8:16 a.m.
Certificate ID: 25aeb234-c5c8-49e3-abb7-c589b023dae0

Earning Criteria

Earning Criteria

  • Top-Ranked Solution
    • Delivered the highest-scoring prototype at the Nedbank N*ovation Hackathon 2025, judged on innovation, technical quality, user experience, and real-world relevance to AI & Automation for Business Banking.
    • Selected as the overall winning team across a competitive field of senior technologists.
  • Excellence Under Pressure
    • Built and submitted a fully functional proof of concept during the two-day, in-person, overnight build.
    • Produced complete deliverables — a working prototype, a pitch deck, and a live demonstration — under tight time constraints.
  • Business Impact & Feasibility
    • Addressed a real business-banking challenge with clear personalisation, speed-to-market feasibility, and cost-to-serve impact.
    • Demonstrated a solution designed to help transform Nedbank's Internet Banking for Business at scale.
  • Outstanding Team Collaboration
    • Worked as a multidisciplinary team with strong communication and shared ownership.
    • Adapted effectively to mentor guidance and shifting priorities throughout the build.
  • Commanding Final Presentation
    • Delivered a clear, confident live demo and Q&A to a judging panel drawn from Nedbank, OfferZen, and Microsoft.
    • Articulated technical decisions, business value, and future potential persuasively.
  • Overall Excellence (1st Place)
    • Achieved the highest combined score across all evaluation criteria, earning the R150,000 first-place award.
    • Set the benchmark for AI-powered innovation in enterprise business banking.