The company provided participants with real business cases, a prize fund, and an opportunity for the strongest solutions to be considered for potential implementation within the company’s digital ecosystem.
One of the key challenges of the hackathon focused on Bayan Sulu Kids, a concept for a mobile application designed for the children’s brand Bota. Participants were invited to rethink how the brand could interact with children and parents beyond traditional retail channels and become part of a digital experience.
Teams developed concepts for an educational mobile application featuring Kazakh cultural identity, mini-games, achievement systems, parental controls, and a character named KamBot, designed to guide children through educational and interactive experiences within the app.
Another challenge, Sweet Chain, focused on improving digital interaction between Bayan Sulu and its distributors. Participants proposed solutions related to order management, supply tracking, analytics, and business process optimization.
The hackathon was conducted in two stages. During the 24-hour online phase, teams worked on MVPs, user journeys, technical implementation, and business logic. Following the selection process, the top 20 teams advanced to the offline финал in Astana, where they presented their projects to an expert panel.
Interest in the initiative exceeded expectations. A total of 135 teams, bringing together more than 400 participants, registered for the competition. The project also attracted international attention, with outreach extending across Central Asia and several teams delivering presentations in English.
According to Bayan Sulu, supporting youth, education, and cultural initiatives is part of the company’s long-term commitment.
“We believe it is important to support projects that help unlock the potential of young people while preserving cultural identity. Recently, with the support of Bayan Sulu Confectionery Factory, the four-episode AI film Mahabbat Serti was produced, offering a new interpretation of the story of Kozy Korpesh and Bayan Sulu. Bayan Sulu Hackathon became a continuation of this approach. We value new ideas and initiatives with practical potential and are ready to consider further support for projects that demonstrate strong and applicable solutions,” said Timur Sadykov, President of Bayan Sulu JSC.
For Bayan Sulu, the hackathon became not only an opportunity to support youth initiatives, but also a platform to explore new approaches for brand development and digital engagement. The company believes initiatives like these create valuable opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and practical business solutions.
