Peruvian students do “virtual pollada” to travel in artificial intelligence hackathon in Switzerland

For her part, Melissa Iman Noriega, a Computer Science student at the National University of Engineering (UNI), highlights that the idea of ​​the “pollada” was born from the need to generate real value. “We wanted people to support us, but take something in return that boosts their career, like a website to show their work experience. For us, software development is everyday, and we decided to use that to finance our dream,” he says.

A race against the clock

Despite the technical capacity of this human group, the economic factor has become the most critical obstacle. The team estimates that they still need to raise between 16,000 or 18,000 soles to cover, above all, logistical expenses. The urgency is maximum, since the prices of tickets to Europe increase every day.

The group has given itself a deadline of about eight more days to try to close the main financial gap and ensure its presence in the competition that begins on March 17.

André Joaquín Pacheco Taboada, also a Computer Science student at UNI and an expert in artificial intelligence He explains that at the hackathon in Switzerland “they will give us 36 hours to solve real business challenges. It is a general competition of which is the best solution integrating AI and design.” The commitment is such that, if they do not reach the goal, these young enthusiasts are willing to assume part of the debt, although they trust in the solidarity of the community interested in innovation.

How to participate in the “virtual pollada”

Those interested in supporting these young talents can request their personalized web portfolio. “The proposal seeks to professionalize the digital presence of those who are encouraged to collaborate while helping us,” says Alonso Zúñiga, who studies Civil Engineering at UTEC.

“Are you applying without a portfolio? Does your LinkedIn not stand out? Don’t have time? We do it for you. In 72 hours you will have a professional portfolio that differentiates you, with hosting for life, ready to impress any recruiter,” they say through the website of this “digital bunch.”

They have three plans available:

• The plan startswith a single payment of S/50which includes the published pro portfolio, lifetime hosting on cofoundy.dev, and with the code 100% owned by whoever buys it.
• Then there is the plan Prowhat does it cost S/120which includes all of the above plus the ability to choose from five designs, custom colors and copy, an AI-enhanced photo, a ready-to-send Harvard CV, and a round of adjustments.
• Finally, there is the plan Premium with a single payment of S/280which includes all of the above plus a custom layout, animations, optimized SEO, Open Graph, and unlimited tweaks.

The team will receive portfolio requests until the beginning of March to guarantee delivery of products before their departure.

This effort not only represents a search for financing, but also an example of how technology training and entrepreneurship can come together to overcome geographic and economic barriers. The four members hope to raise the name of Peru, demonstrating that local talent is at the level of the best developers in Europe.