Our journey of innovation

Past Hackathons

Explore our journey of fostering hardware innovation across Africa through exciting hackathons that bring together brilliant minds to solve real-world challenges.

InventAfrika x Octoco Hackathon
Theme: Playful Machines • August 2-3, 2025
📍 Stellenbosch

Our biggest event yet – 40 students from Stellenbosch and UCT formed teams to design playful machines that blended electronics, mechanics, and imagination. The weekend showed how hardware can be a space for joy and self-expression as much as problem-solving.

Participants

40 students from Stellenbosch University and UCT

Sponsors

OctocoWorkshackSwitch Energy DrinkNext Dimension Electronics
Windhoek Hackathon
Theme: Security • June 28, 2025
📍 Village Garden, Windhoek

Focused on the theme of security, this hackathon challenged students from UNAM and NUST to design hardware solutions that make everyday environments safer. The projects reflected how local makers can respond to real issues facing their communities.

Participants

Students from UNAM and NUST

Sponsors

Allan Gray Orbis FoundationPrinthoek3D
Cape Town Hackathon
Theme: Playful Machines • May 4, 2025
📍 Novaccino Cafe, Cape Town

The inaugural InventAfrika hackathon introduced the theme of playful machines. Students from CPUT, UCT, and Stellenbosch built devices that emphasized fun, creativity, and curiosity, setting the tone for a series of events driven by self-made hardware innovation.

Participants

Students from CPUT, UCT, and Stellenbosch University

Sponsors

NovaccinoAmnovaAlphawave