(From left) Choo Meng, You Wai, Ms Kee, Kar Kai and Chun Fai taking a group photo after their first runner-up finish at the Digital Penang Fintech Hackathon 2021.

Four students from TAR UC’s Penang Branch Campus teamed up to participate in the Digital Penang Fintech Hackathon that took place from 12 November – 10 December 2021, and they flexed their innovative skills to claim the first runner-up position.

Poh Choo Meng, Ng Kar Kai, Leong You Wai and Lee Chun Fai hacked their way through the competition featuring participants from all across Malaysia, where their proposed fintech digital product solution, a digital crowdfunding application utilising the Touch n' Go system to was able to capture the judges' attention.

"We went through many vigorous brainstorming sessions to arrive at this idea which we felt we could execute as a team. Teamwork was the most important element as we wanted to design, smoothen and present a feasible idea with a functioning prototype to the judges," said Kar Kai.

"It was a somewhat unexpected that we managed to finish as the first runner-up. All of us were surprised, but in a good way. It is a huge honour to bag this prize for us as a team," added Chun Fai.

The team also credited their mentor Ms Kee Sim Ee, Programme Leader of the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology ('FOCS') from the Penang Branch Campus, for her instrumental role in their success.

"As a dedicated, passionate and caring mentor to our team, she ensured we were on the right track with helpful advice and constructive feedback so we were able to keep building and improving the idea into a prize-winning product," said Choo Meng.