Kakao announced on the 14th that its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program 'Kakao Tech Campus' held an ideathon at the Kakao AI Campus.
The 'Kakao Tech Campus Ideathon', held over two days from the 9th to the 10th, is an event in a mini-hackathon format for university students participating in the Kakao Tech Campus. It progresses as students plan and refine the services they create themselves. After the ideathon, students will implement actual services based on their ideas for about three months starting in September, with final presentations scheduled for mid-November at each school.
Kakao holds this event every year ahead of major development projects in the second half of the year. A total of 135 students from five regional universities, including Kangwon National University, Kyungpook National University, Pusan National University, Chonnam National University, and Chungnam National University, participated in this event.
'Kakao Tech Campus' was established with the goal of bridging the technology education gap in non-capital regions. Under the slogan 'Closer, Kakao,' it nurtures local talent in collaboration with regional national universities. It started in 2023 and is now in its third year.
The 'Kakao Tech Campus' program runs from April to November, aligned with each university's academic calendar. It provides a curriculum focused on intensive training and practice of development skills required in the field. This year, it was recognized as a regional talent development program and selected for the Ministry of Employment and Labor's 'Future Tomorrow Work Experience Project ESG Support Type'.
Kim Gun-ho, a student at Kyungpook National University who received the grand prize in this ideathon, said, "I received feedback from various perspectives during the mentoring with industry professionals, and through that process, I was able to find unexpected solutions."
Seo Eun-hee, leader of Kakao's technical talent cultivation, noted, "Kakao Tech Campus is Kakao's ESG program that helps develop local technical talent by building practical skills." She added, "I hope this ideathon becomes an opportunity to enhance initiative and problem-solving skills as prospective developers and to leap forward as creative technical talents suitable for the AI era."