Real-time bus tracking, turning waste into a resource and an artificial intelligence assistant for small businesses were the winning solutions at Startup Hackathon, held on 2–4 October 2026 at the Inotek Centre in Cahul. The three winning teams received prizes totalling 45,000 lei, awarded as vouchers for startup development.

The event brought together school and university students from educational institutions in Cahul, as well as from the Technical University of Moldova. Over the three days, participants worked in teams to turn community challenges into ideas for products and services, with support from mentors.

The winning projects addressed needs that are part of everyday life for residents and entrepreneurs in the region: clearer information about public transport, encouraging environmentally responsible behaviour and organising business data.

Fox Team: where is the bus, and how much longer do you have to wait?

First place and the 20,000 lei prize went to Fox Team, which developed an app for tracking buses in real time.

The idea addresses a specific challenge faced by passengers in Cahul: a lack of information about a bus’s location and how long they need to wait at the stop. The solution uses the GPS on the driver’s phone to display the vehicle’s location, route, stops and estimated arrival time at the next stop.

Through this approach, the team proposes a tool that could help passengers plan their journeys and reduce the uncertainty associated with waiting for public transport.

Eco Point: turning waste into value and encouraging a cleaner environment

Eco Point took second place and received a prize of 15,000 lei for a concept focused on waste management and encouraging more environmentally responsible behaviour.

The proposal aims to give waste value and reward people’s involvement in building a cleaner future. The emphasis is on motivation to participate: caring for the environment is linked to a benefit that can encourage people to adopt responsible habits.

The topic is relevant to communities in the southern region, where residents’ involvement in waste management can support efforts to keep public spaces cleaner.

FinPilotAI: clearer insights for entrepreneurs and small businesses

Third place and the 10,000 lei prize were awarded to GitCommit, which developed FinPilotAI, an artificial intelligence assistant for entrepreneurs and small businesses.

The solution brings together documents such as invoices, bank statements and reports. Once they are uploaded, artificial intelligence analyses the information and generates recommendations designed to provide a clearer picture of the business.

For small businesses, such a tool could make it easier to understand data scattered across multiple documents and prepare for better-informed decisions.

Ideas and collaboration for communities across the region

Alongside the winning teams, RAKETA, AVA, ARGOS, BBC, JESSORA, SmartEdu, Scânteia, FourVision, AI Native Team, NextGen, AsteraMed, Urban Plus and EcoViza also worked at the hackathon. Participants explored challenges related to education, online safety, environmental protection, community services and support for entrepreneurs.

Each team brought its own ideas and perspectives to the competition. Over the three days, participants worked on defining problems, developing solutions and preparing presentations, combining research, programming, design and communication skills. Support from mentors and the feedback they received provided a setting for testing and improving their projects.

Through this format, the Inotek Centre gives young people the opportunity to put their skills into practice, meet future collaborators and explore how they can contribute to the development of their communities. The prizes support the continued development of the winning projects, while the experience gained and connections made can help all teams develop their ideas after the event.