Hong Kong team wins Microsoft Imagine Cup 2020

Team Hollo from Hong Kong is the World Champion for the 2020 Imagine Cup. In a fast-paced final at the Microsoft Build digital event, Team Hollo got through a lightning round and a more in-depth presentation to impress two out of the three judges with a mental health solution. This is the first time in the 18-year history of the competition that a team from Hong Kong has won the top prize.

The moments right after Team Hollo was announced as the Imagine Cup winner. Cameron van Breda (left) is CEO of Hollo, and Piyush Jha (right) is CTO, Hollo.

Team Hollo won the grand prize for their mental health companion web app, which leverages Azure analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) services to advance youth therapy practices. Hollo is a digital mental health companion and therapist used to enhance practices by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and therapists through an AI chatbot. It leverages big data and AI to introduce youth to therapy and counselling practices through online gamified journalling and mindfulness activities.

Data from the AI chatbot and journalling can then be collected to generate actionable findings. This scalable model improves over time, and aims to cut the heavy cost of mental health care for youth to make support more accessible and supplements existing self-help techniques and therapy practices.

This year’s Imagine Cup encouraged participants to Dream it. Build it. Live it in order to create applications that shape how individuals live, work and play and through their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology. Healthcare solutions were popular with the judges, who judged the technology on diversity and inclusion, accessibility, originality, feasibility, and innovative design.

The other two finalists were Team Syrinx from Japan and Team Tremor Vision from the US. Team Syrinx created a neck wearable electrolarynx that can be used by people who have lost their voices to regain their ability to speak. Team Tremor Vision developed a web-based tool that enables physicians to detect early-onset Parkinson’s and quantitatively track patient progress.

Team Hollo won USD100,000, a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and USD50,000 in Azure grants.

“Mental health is a really significant problem faced by society around the world, affecting so many especially in 2020. We’re so excited to win the Imagine Cup World Championship because it will allow us to continue working on this innovative mental health platform and technology. Our journey has definitely reaffirmed our belief that going forward, this is something viable and has the potential to save lives,” said Team Hollo.

The 18^th annual Imagine Cup competition saw thousands of students across the world submitting innovations to impact their communities, both locally and globally. This year’s solutions tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges in healthcare, agriculture, media, and more.

“We’re always so impressed and humbled to see the projects these young developers have created, this year is no different! Their innovations aim to address issues in their communities and are focused on bringing the world together. With the competition moving into a virtual format for the very first time, it was inspiring to see how the teams came together to pitch their projects to the judges at Microsoft Build’s inaugural digital event,” said Jennifer Ritzinger, GM, Audience Evangelism, Microsoft.

Six finalists teams from Asia, EMEA and the Americas were selected to move forward to the World Championship after advancing through hackathons, and online semifinals. They presented their innovations via Teams at virtual regional events in their respective regions. Team Deeptector presented a misinformation detection app, while Team The Knights from Kenya has invented an autonomous weeding bot. Team RedWalls from Tunisia focused on the wellbeing of Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.

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Registration for the 2021 competition is now open to students and young developers.

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