Línea Directa announces the 4th edition of the 'Big Ideas' Hackathon in search of young talent

• Big Ideas is a Hackathon for both undergraduate and postgraduate students. It has been adapted, for a second year in a row, to current circumstances, and will be held virtually through collaborative platforms.
•  
• Participants in this digital Hackathon will put into practice the latest techniques in creativity and innovation to respond to the demands of the moment, and will address several key challenges in the insurance sector today, such digitalisation in health insurance, and urban mobility. 
• Each member of the winning team will receive €1,500 towards a master's degree of their choice.  They will also be eligible for paid internships, between 6 and 12 months long, at Línea Directa, with the possibility of joining the company through its Young Talent scholarship programme.
• Candidates should register before 24 June at: https://bigideas.lineadirecta.com/ 40 finalists will participate in the Hackathon, where they will be asked to defend the ideas developed by their team before a jury drawn from the company's management.

Madrid, 9 June 2021.- The current pandemic and the digital transformation it has brought about have meant that access to the labour market for undergraduate and postgraduate students has been doubly challenging. However, mastering new technologies, familiarity with agile methodologies or being able to work in collaborative environments are skills that can make the difference when facing the labour market.

To help face these challenges, Línea Directa Aseguradora launches the 4th edition of the Big Ideas Hackathon. It will consist in a creative and collaborative session for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, mainly with a STEM profile (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), where they will tackle problems related to the digital transformation of the insurance sector. We are looking for innovative and disruptive ideas that will lead our young talent to find the best solutions to the challenges facing the company today.

So, to encourage young talent to acquire key skills in the current professional environment, participants will be put to the test, especially their ability to innovate and to work in collaborative environments, to apply agile methodologies, rapid prototyping or design thinking, among many other skills and know-how that organisations require today to compete in the future.

According to Mar Garre, Director of People, Communication and Sustainability, "with this initiative, which is already in its fourth edition, we want participants to face the challenges of team work and overcome them to propose collective solutions regarding digitalisation and mobility. We will create a demanding work environment, very close to what students will find in the labour market. The initiative is yet another facet of our commitment to attracting young talent. We seek STEM and digital profiles who can contribute passion and know-how to the company's digital transformation process".

In order to adapt to current circumstances, this year's Hackathon will be held digitally and online. This, in turn, will make it a much more collaborative event, allowing students from all over Spain to become involved.

Anyone interested in participating should register at https://bigideas.lineadirecta.com/ by 24 June. To qualify for the Hackathon, students must first clear a first phase, where they will be asked to answer in Tweet Pitch format (280 characters) a series of questions related to the three challenges set in this edition:

1. Health insurance 3.0: New technologies and digitalisation are opening up a world of opportunities to improve the experience of health insurance customers. What will health insurance 3.0 look like in 10 years' time? How can technology help customers lead healthier lifestyles? How can digitalisation help us look after and improve our ongoing relationships with our health insurance customers?
2. New urban mobility: New personal and shared mobility means and services are increasingly common in big cities (electric cars and motorbikes, e-bikes, electric scooters, and even connected vehicles or drones, etc.). Taking into account current legislation, the readiness of Spanish cities for the use of these vehicles, and with the objective of moving towards an increasingly circular and sustainable economy... What new insurances, services or coverages can insurers offer? How can we better reach users? Which channels, messages or campaigns should we employ, and how? How can we offer mobility insurance that is more attractive to the young?
3. IoT for smart home insurance: Internet of things (IoT) offers endless possibilities in creating intelligent homes and, particularly, in problem detection and home risk prevention. How can we take advantage of these new technologies when offering home insurance? How can we bring security and peace of mind to our customers in a cost-effective way? What functionality, devices, infrastructure, sensors, installation services, etc., should we count on?

The 40 finalists who clear the first phase will take part in the digital Hackathon on the weekend of 9-11 July. In teams of four or five, participants will defend their ideas before a jury drawn from the company's management. In choosing the winners, we will take into account the originality of the prototyped idea, how innovative it is within the insurance sector, the changes and improvements to be perceived by customers, the quality of the oral presentation, and the team's ability to create a "wow!" effect among the jury. 

Each member of the winning team will receive €1,500 towards a master of their choice. The second and third places will receive €500 and €150 respectively. Participants will also be eligible for a paid internship, between 6 and 12 months long, at Línea Directa, with the possibility of joining the company through its Young Talent scholarship programme.

This initiative is part of Línea Directa Aseguradora's continued commitment to bring undergraduate and postgraduate students closer to the business world, improving their employability, and to create new jobs for STEM and digital profiles, while strengthening its position as a leader in the digital transformation of the insurance sector.