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ELC Hosts First-Ever Hackathon at LIC Technology Hub
ELC's first-ever external Hackathon, held at the company's Tech Hub in Long Island City, NY, attracted talented participants from around the globe
Company Feature, Nov 16, 2018
The Estée Lauder Companies Information Technology (IT) team recently hosted its first-ever external Hackathon at its new Technology Hub in Long Island City, NY. The ELC Hackathon gathered brilliant minds from across the globe to channel creative energy through hours of innovating, designing and coding, with a goal to Create Tomorrow’s Beauty Experience Today.
Participants were welcomed to the ELC Hackathon at the new Technology Hub in Long Island City, NY
“Today, we sit at the exciting intersection of technology and prestige beauty, where defining the next big breakthrough can rest on the shoulders of a new texture, a new code, a new experience,” said Michael Smith, Chief Information Officer. “The ELC IT Hackathon is a testament to our commitment of being the premier destination for IT talent and we are thrilled that our new Tech Hub provides a best-in-class space to inspire the highest levels of collaboration, innovation and creativity.
More than 120 participants from 35 universities and 28 corporations, as well as five ELC international teams, competed for prizes and boasting rights. Twelve student teams and 13 professional teams participated in separate divisions. The 24-hour competition was fierce and everyone brought their A-game. The result? Pure genius!
After the hacking was over, participants moved to an offsite location for final judging and the closing celebration. The judging panel included:
- Michael W. Smith, Chief Information Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies
- Jean-Michel Kientz, Senior Vice President, Technology Lead, Interconnected Retail, The Estée Lauder Companies
- Wendy Bauer, General Manager, U.S. Industry, Microsoft
- Gen Obata, Vice President, Global Retail Experience, Estée Lauder
- Andrea Bozeman, Vice President, Consumer Engagement, La Mer
Beauty-themed ELC Hackathon name badges
The ‘Best In Show’ for the Student Team Division was Team 9 – Reflectors, which was comprised of six students who had met for the first time at the ELC Hackathon. The Reflectors created the Clinique Reflector Application, which leverages Google Vision to perform an analysis of skin tone, acne and aging, offering consumers customized recommendations of products to enable self-empowered skin improvement. Consumers would then be able to shop using face filters and share product lists with friends and family for gifting and replenishment of desired products with just one-click.
The ‘Best In Show’ for the Professional Team Division was Team 7 – 4 Space Not Tabs, which was comprised of ELC employees from across the European region. The group came up with a concept they called #GetThatLook, an iOS and Android application which allows consumers to upload a picture of a makeup look they like and receive recommendations for ELC products they can use to recreate it. The solution draws upon the technology of a Pinterest board that links to product recommendations for purchase, using ELC-specific data.
“At The Estée Lauder Companies, We Are Inventors. Infused throughout our organization is a passion for creativity and innovation, at a desire to push the boundaries and invent the unexpected,” said Mr. Smith.
“I am so inspired by the creative energy of all those who participated and I am so impressed by all the excellent ideas that emerged from our ELC Hackathon,” he continued. “A big thank you and congratulations to all the participants, volunteers, teams and partners who made this event a huge success.”
