Pakistan’s Largest Data Hackathon, Jazz Digital Squad, Ends on a High Note

Pakistan’s largest Data Hackathon, the Jazz Digital Squad, has concluded with a grand finale in Islamabad. This pioneering initiative, led by Jazz, the country’s leading digital operator, invited university students nationwide to get creative and visualize key insights using the data visualization software, Tableau. The event aligns with Jazz’s vision of developing Digital Pakistan and its commitment to digitally upskilling the country’s youth.

The Jazz team visited universities across Pakistan, conducting interactive sessions to educate students about the program and the significance of data in driving innovation and decision-making. The top five teams that presented their datasets at the finale included Bhit Datawits from IBA, Data Dazzlers from LUMS, Team Luna from FAST NUCES, Data Dragons from IBA, and The Data Aficionados from NUST. While Data Dragons and Team Luna secured the third and second positions, respectively, The Data Aficionados claimed the winning title.

Ali Naseer, Chief Data & Strategy Officer at Jazz, commented, “Jazz believes in the power of data, and as the custodian of one of the largest data lakes in Pakistan, we are convinced that data prowess holds the potential to transform our society. The Jazz Digital Squad is more than just a hackathon; it’s a step towards cultivating a data-driven mindset among our youth. The future of Pakistan’s digital economy lies in the hands of these bright men and women, and we are proud to support them on their journey. Harnessing data effectively is crucial for driving innovation and progress in today’s digital age”

Also speaking on the occasion, Tazeen Shahid, Chief People Officer at Jazz, commented, “At Jazz, we believe in nurturing talent and providing opportunities for growth. The Jazz Digital Squad not only paves the way for improved talent acquisition by establishing a new early pipeline, but also strengthens our recruitment process through robust industry-academia linkages. This initiative allows us to identify and engage with bright minds across the nation, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.”

The program received an overwhelming response with over 500 teams and more than 1,400 students, including 32% female participants, eager to join. Teams were provided datasets to build dashboards and analyses, which were rigorously reviewed by Jazz’s experts on presentation, functionality, data sources, documentation, storytelling, data analysis, and visualization. The top five teams were then selected to present to a distinguished jury from the Jazz leadership team. Winners received cash prizes and opportunities to work on real-time projects through Jazz’s Summer Internship and Associate Programs.

As the largest digital operator in Pakistan, Jazz has been at the forefront of digital acceleration in the country, particularly in the digital upskilling of youth and women. Notable initiatives include the WISE Bootcamp in collaboration with UNDP to empower women in social entrepreneurship, a partnership with TCF to teach digital-age skills to over 250,000 students, and the Google-powered Digital Safar program to train school children in online safety and coding, among others. Additionally, Jazz established Pakistan’s first 5G innovation lab and organized the country’s pioneering 5G hackathon.