REC@NNECT Hackathon

Bangalore, India
April 30 – May 1, 2016
Executive Summary and Final Evaluation Report

Developed by CRDF Global

 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................ 3

I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................ 4

II. RESULTS OF THE REC@NNECT HACKATHON ............................................ 6

Kirkpatrick Model Level 1: Reaction ..................................................................................................................6
Kirkpatrick Model Level 2: Knowledge Gains.....................................................................................................7
Kirkpatrick Model Level 3: Behavior Change .....................................................................................................10

III. PARTICIPANT RECOMMENDATIONS. ...................................................... 12

IV. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 13

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the framework of grant agreement #S-LMAQM-13-GR-1190 funded by the U.S. Department of State,
CRDF Global, organized a two-day REC@NNECT Hackathon (April 30 - May 1, 2016). The event featured
venture lectures, tailored one-on-one mentorship, a pitching tournament, and other activities aimed at
application new skills and knowledge to attendees’ ventures.

While 45 participants attended various sessions, twelve attendees participated completely in both days
of the event. All twelve filled out the end-of-workshop survey. The survey results provide clear evidence
to conclude that the workshop was successful. The Hackathon resulted in significant knowledge gains
and development of new skills, provided a great venue for generating new ideas, and motivated
participants to move forward with their ventures.

REC@NNECT Hackathon workshop participants noted that they developed a number of valuable skills.
Pitching, networking and negotiation skills were most frequently cited as the most useful takeaways.
Other highlights included business model development and team-building skills followed by marketing
and investor-seeking skills.

When asked about workshop sessions and how

valuable they were in supporting participants’
entrepreneurial endeavors, the following portion
of participants assigned ‘very valuable’ and
‘valuable’ ratings to the following sessions:
92% - Building your own marketspace
91% - Marketing a startup on a budget
91% - How to have an awesome venture from South Asia
84% - How to negotiate an agreement and close a deal
83% - Angel investing in South Asia
83% - Which business model is best for your startup?

Recommendations for future workshops centered on the

following: focus more on business models and financial
modeling, spend more time on team building and case study
analysis of successful entrepreneurs.

The workshop created a platform for networking and sharing

entrepreneurial knowledge. Brainstorming with mentors
during workshop sessions and participating in one-on-one
mentorships helped the participants to clarify their vision with
regard to the next steps for improving their ventures.
All participants noted that one-on-one
Participants shared with the CRDF Global team that they mentoring sessions were one of the major
would benefit from more networking opportunities during benefits of the workshop.
and after the workshop through regular meetings with
REC@NNECT alumni who had become successful in their
business fields.

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

INTRODUCTION
Program Background
Funded by the U.S. Department of State since 2013, REC@NNECT serves entrepreneurs
from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Since 2013 REC@NNECT, through CRDF Global, has
sponsored entrepreneurial skills-based webinars and virtual mentorship programs. It also conducted
international venture competitions, an online entrepreneurship course, and three entrepreneurship
workshops. The workshops, held throughout the region, included an entrepreneurs’ boot camp, a
hackathon and a venture competition with a final event.

For the 2016 programming, entrepreneurs were invited to register and join an online entrepreneurship
course to develop their venture from the idea phase through minimum viable product (MVP) and
prototype, and to hear tips on where to seek expertise, support and resources. CRDF Global integrated
three interactive webinars within the online course to create a forum for the exchange of ideas between
course participants In the first webinar, entitled "Launch Your Startup in 7 Easy Steps,” experts
highlighted top points from the REC@NNECT online course. The second webinar entitled “How to
Deliver a World Class Pitch” Philipp Kandal shared the basics of a great pitch and answered questions
from the 33 participants. In the final webinar, ten entrepreneurs took what they had been practicing
throughout the course and delivered live pitches to venture expert, Alex Kosik who provided live
feedback. All of these activities culminated in the two-day REC@NNECT Hackathon on April 30-May 1,
2016 which brought participants together for venture lectures, opportunities to apply new designs to
their ventures, tailored one-on-one mentorship, and a pitching tournament.

Participants
The REC@NNECT Hackathon workshop brought together 40 entrepreneurs from Bangalore and five
individuals from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Participants attended venture lectures,
teamed up to apply new designs to their ventures, worked one-on-one with mentors, and competed in a
pitching tournament. Those who attended the event had previously succeeded in a venture selection
competition, joined a series of three webinars, and were invited to the online course in which over 100
people participated.

Evaluation Methodology
The data presented in this report is based on the results of the end-of-event evaluation conducted by
the CRDF Global team through a hard copy survey given to participants on May 1, 2016. Twelve
participants who attended both days of the workshop responded to the survey. The final report
summarizes the REC@NNECT Hackathon highlights and includes recommendations offered by
participants.

Limitations of the Evaluation Study

The evaluation study has two major limitations. First, knowledge gains were reflected in survey
responses based on participants’ self-assessment and were not measured with a pre-and-post-test
survey instrument. Second, surveys administered at the end of the REC@NNECT Hackathon allowed for
measuring anticipated outcomes only. These limitations are noted to highlight the importance of
conducting a later evaluation to identify what follow-on activities participants are undertaking and how

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

participants are applying new knowledge to improve their businesses. However, the limitations do not
diminish the value of workshop outputs evaluation offered by participants. Eleven participants were
males and one female, which does not provide a diverse representation of both genders’ experience
with regards to the mentoring, pitching, networking and business model sessions.

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

I. RESULTS OF THE REC@NNECT HACKATHON

CRDF Global applies the Kirkpatrick Four-Level Model to measure results of its training activities. This
model is widely used by the U.S. Department of State and other U.S. government agencies as well as
international organizations. The four level model consists of 1) reaction, 2) learning, 3) behavior change
and 4) results. Adaptation of this model to CRDF Global-specific entrepreneurship skill development
programs helps to clarify the criteria and create plans for assessment of training outcomes in which
relevant indicators are linked to corresponding criteria. This provides a rich context for understanding
the role of various indicators in the overall spectrum of evaluation. It also provides CRDF Global with
multi-level feedback mechanisms regarding the effectiveness of its effort to meet stakeholder
expectations.

Kirkpatrick Model Level 1: Reaction

The first level of the evaluation model is reaction, or how participants reacted to or perceived the
training. Survey results show that Hackathon participants were highly satisfied with the workshop
sessions, which introduced them to new ideas and techniques valuable for their entrepreneurial
endeavors. Graph 1 below provides a breakdown by evaluation category with cumulative positive
responses – comprised of valuable and very valuable- given in the individual bars.

Graph 1: Participants’ rating of Hackathon sessions

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
91% 91% 92%
40% 83% 83% 84%
75% 75%
30%
20%
10%
0%
How to have Teambuilding Which Networking to Angel Marketing a Building your How to
an awesome for startups business find new investing in startup on a own negotiate a
venture from model is best partners and South Asia budget marketspace business
South Asia for your investors agreement
startup? and close the
deal

Cumulative positive Neutral Somewhat Valuable Not Valuable

Another important indicator of satisfaction is measured by the extent to which participants believed
the training sessions helped them to develop new skills. Graph 2 depicts participants’ satisfaction with
the listed interactive sessions and their usefulness in helping develop new entrepreneurial skills. Similar
to previous REC@NNECT workshops, the highest rating went to one-on-one mentoring session on Day
1 generating 100% of a cumulative positive rating of very useful and useful. The rating of the last two

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

sessions suggests that more time should be allocated for teambuilding and collaboration sessions.

Graph 2: Participants’ rating of sessions/exercises as they apply to development of new

entrepreneurial skills

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50% 100%
40% 75%
66% 67%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Hackathon Team Open team collaboration First day warm-up One on One mentorship
Formation time pitches on Day 1

Cumulative positive Neutral Not Useful

Kirkpatrick Model Level 2: Knowledge Gains

One of the most important training outcomes is the measure of new knowledge gained. To evaluate this
outcome, CRDF Global used an assessment tool that allowed respondents to self-assess their knowledge
as either basic (1), beyond basic (2), intermediate (3), advanced (4) or expert (5) in five select subject-
matter areas. The self-assessment was done before and after the REC@NNECT Hackathon. Results from
the self-assessments were analyzed by calculating the difference in means of the levels of participants’
knowledge before and after the workshop. These means are illustrated in Graph 3. It should be
mentioned that due to the fact that knowledge gains were not measured by a pre- and post-event test,
increases of knowledge as assessed by participants are relative and subjective. However, the fact that
participants acknowledged their lower level of knowledge in many cases prior to the workshop and
stated an increase of knowledge after the workshop speaks well of the benefits they received at the
workshop.

All five areas of expertise show an increase in participants’ knowledge. The largest benefit is observed in
learning how to pitch. An ability to make strong pitches requires a great deal of knowledge about
pitching techniques. In the pitching subject-matter area the difference in means of 1.25 shows a
substantial improvement in knowledge gains.

The second highest knowledge gain is seen in learning to network to find partners and investors, which
resulted in a knowledge gain increase with a mean of 0.83. Though all five criteria have a positive
difference, the lowest two, 0.58 for teambuilding for startups and 0.59 for knowledge of true value
preposition, should be given more consideration when planning future workshops to ensure participants
master these content areas.

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

Graph 3: Participants’ self-assessment of knowledge – from 1 (basic) to 5 (expert) – before and after
the REC@NNECT Hackathon

5
4.25
4 3.75 3.83
3.58 3.67
3.25
3.08 3
2.92 2.92
3

0
Networking for Market research & Knowledge of true Teambuilding for Pitching
finding partners & venture assessment value preposition startups
investors

Before After

Major skills developed by participants as a result of the REC@NNECT Hackathon

Survey results provide evidence to conclude that the workshop participants gained new
entrepreneurial skill sets and developed competencies necessary for entrepreneurial endeavors.
Participants listed 36 different skills that they had developed as a result of the workshop.

The two most notable skills are pitching (10) and networking (6), followed by negotiation, team-
building, business model development (each listed by three participants), finding Investors (2), and
marketing (2). Other skills mentioned included approaching venture capitalists (VCs), startup finance,
investment case building, and scenario analysis. The fact that each participant took away three new
skills shows that they would be in a position to apply those skills to benefit their ventures and the
community. A visual depiction of skills developed is illustrated in word cloud below:

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

Improved understanding of venture’s true value proposition

One of the major workshop objectives was to provide participants with a greater understanding of the
true value proposition of a venture. Drawing from data collected from the evaluation surveys, one can
conclude that the workshop made an impact on participants. Nine participants highlighted that the
workshop significantly increased their understanding of their venture’s true value preposition, while
only two participants stated they had such understanding prior to attending the event. One participant
wrote that they “realized [the value proposition is] about commitment and how plugged in your product
is going to be in the future,” while another stated that they “knew a venture’s true value proposition
lie[s] in solving customers’ problem, but now [they] realized to monetize it through better negotiation.”

Responses underwent a frequency analysis that underscored two major themes: 1) deepening of
participants understanding of value proposition as a concept, and 2) translating technical knowledge of
participants’ ventures into language appropriate for the marketing and negotiation stage.

Participants’ quotes regarding their understanding of venture’s true value proposition as a result of
the REC@NNECT Hackathon:
“Reconnect has shown me the actual way out, a road to my goal, [in] a dream come true sense”
“I now understand business models, business model canvassing”
“I now understand the nuances of marketing”
“Have gotten a deeper insight on a few products of my venture”
“First, I knew a venture’s true value proposition lies in solving customers’ problems, but now I realized
to monetize it through better negotiation”
“Nice exposure and feedback”
“I realized it’s about commitment and how plugged your product is going to be in the future”
“Very glad to be a part of the event, benefitted immensely.”

Most insightful idea discovered at the REC@NNECT

Anecdotal evidence provided by ten respondents identified two major trends in participants’ discovery
about their venture or management styles that needed to be improved. The first area covers
improvement of existing or development of new skills; second is related to business model
development. Five participants gained a greater understanding of the type of business model they
employ and the best ways these models can be marketed. Of this subset, two participants stated that
they learned to distinguish between a Business to Consumer model and a Business to Business to
Consumer model. Another participant learned about the value of corporate social responsibility (CSR)
in a venture, and the ways CSR may contribute to their venture’s success.

Participants’ quotes regarding the most insightful idea discovered about their venture or management
styles while at the REC@NNECT:
New skill set development and/or improvement
“Yes! I can do it!”
“Other ways of marketing”
“I need to improve my negotiation skills to get the best out of my venture while looking for investment”
“Building team, negotiating”
“Articulate and good pitching skills”
“Good sales and networking style”

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

Business model development

“Platform – Business to Business to Consumer Business”
“That Corporate Social Responsibility Value is higher than I initially perceived”

Kirkpatrick Model Level 3: Behavior Change

When asked what participants will do differently on a daily basis as a result of their participation in the
REC@NNECT Hackathon, nine participants specified a number of activities that they planned to
undertake. Out of the nine, two participants stated that they would operate with more confidence,
focusing on their goals and keeping a positive spirit. Three participants would put their new knowledge
into practice; another two participants would focus on implementing new marketing strategies learned
at the workshop, while one would work on the “business-to-consumer” business model. Three
participants planned to undertake steps to engage in outreach activities, one participant decided to
move their concept into the testing stage by talking to as many potential customers as possible. A
highlight was that one participant showed inspiration and commitment to replicate the REC@NNECT
Hackathon in their home country of Bhutan.

Concrete steps participants planned to take in the three to six months after the event
Activities within three months: Most participants said they would focus on growing their capacity in the
short term, specifically through fundraising. Six of the ten participants who answered this question cited
raising funds or finding a partner with financial capital as one of their short-term priorities. Three
participants hoped to further develop their networks with individuals they met at the workshop,
whether through collaboration on their ventures, or by attending more events like REC@NNECT
together. Three participants planned to either purchase machinery, set-up their manufacturing unit, or
physically build facilities for their venture. Two individuals would employ newly gained marketing skills.

Selection of participants’ quotes regarding activities planned in the next three months:
“Work on my venture; find a V.C. or funding source; polish my idea to make sharper.”
“Networking, find new partners, build a team.”
“Buy machinery, get licensed.”
“Generate revenue on my own, visit more events like this.”
“Marketing, business models, funding.”
“Financial modeling, learning marketing strategies.”
“Scale, build, hire.”
“Connect with schools.”
“Complete set up of manufacturing unit.”
“Pitch, meet people, raise funds.”

Activities within six months: Six-month goals demonstrated an even stronger trend towards growing
participants’ ventures and building capacity. Five of the eight participants that answered this question
planned to find partners and collaborators, to expand into franchises, to scale their operations, or to
begin contracting. Two participants hoped to continue their training. One planned to begin marketing
their brand outside of their immediate region. One participant would begin monitoring user feedback.

Selection of participants’ quotes regarding activities planned in the next six months:
“Try to franchise my venture, will develop what we say ‘value addition’, promote my brand across
Bangalore.”

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

“Find Partners, find collaborators, find strategic alliances.”

“Increase sales, increase capacity, increase margin.”
“Funding, markets, custom acquisition.”
“Seek negotiation, training.”
“Continue to scale.”
“Work on developing new games, develop apps for these games, monitor user feedback.”
“Begin contract with schools and residents.”

Specific challenges participants expect to face in their country

The specific challenges that participants have faced or expected to face in their countries are: 1) lack of
funding and 2) finding strong team members and business partners.
Five of nine participants who answered this question cited difficulty securing funding in the early stages
of their venture. Two participants noted differences or difficulties with their team members or co-
founder, while one participant cited issues negotiating directly with potential customers. One
participant cited both team building issues and a lack of access to financial capital as difficulties. Aside
from the interpersonal issues, almost all of the difficulties faced by the participants can be attributed to
either a lack of human or financial capital.

New venture expectations

Participants were asked to comment on the extent they thought their participation in the REC@NNECT
Hackathon would help them increase their revenues, expand their business and give them more
credibility when talking to potential investors.
Of all twelve respondents, 92% (11) confirmed that they strongly believed that their participation in the
REC@NNECT Hackathon would benefit their businesses and expand their business network, 83% (10)
stated that their participation would help them increase their credibility and 58% (7) were positive that
they would be able to increase their revenues. Only one person expressed doubts and provided a
negative answer regarding the possibility of finding a new partner as a result of REC@NNECT, while a
few others answered these questions neutrally, stating “maybe” or “too early to say.” The graph below
illustrates the range of answers by category.

Graph 4: Participants’ expectation regarding ventures as a result of the REC@NNECT

100%
7% 8.50%
90% 17%
8.50% 25%
80%
70% 25%
60%
42%
50% 83%
92%
40%
30% 58% 8%
20%
10% 25%

0%
Increase Revenue Expand business network Increase credibility Found a new team
member or partner
Yes No Maybe Too early to say

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

II. PARTICIPANT RECOMMENDATIONS

Additional topics, modules, case studies or interactive exercises
CRDF Global collected participants recommendations for future workshops. Three participants would
like more time spent on business models, while two wanted more time to be allocated for studying
financial modeling. Other participants recommended spending more time on team building and on a
case study analysis of successful entrepreneurs. One participant concluded that he did not have any
recommendations because everything served a good purpose. Four participants did not answer the
question.

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 REC@NNECT Hackathon
Bangalore, India
April 30-May 1, 2016

III. CONCLUSION
The survey results provide clear evidence that the workshop was successful. Participants reported a
great deal of satisfaction with the workshop content, found their experience beneficial and valuable,
and shared that their objectives were achieved. More specifically, participants believed that their
experience with the REC@NNECT Hackathon would make a positive impact on their daily operations.

The workshop created a platform for networking and sharing new knowledge while increasing
participants’ awareness and motivating them to maintain connections established at REC@NNECT.
Brainstorming with lecturers and mentors during workshop sessions and participating in one-on-one
mentorships helped the participants to clarify their vision with regard to the next steps for improving
their ventures. By outlining what they would do differently and what initiatives they would launch
within the next three to six months, the participants provided a strong indicator of the workshop’s
success. A comment from one participant summarized the spirit of the workshop – “Yes, I can do it!”

The most frequently mentioned beneficial experience during the REC@NNECT Hackathon was
networking with fellow participants, international professionals and mentors as well as learning from
experienced entrepreneurs. Participants were most enthusiastic about the one-on-one mentoring
sessions where they learned different presentation and pitching styles and techniques.

In order to further assist these participants in advancing their business and in building stronger
networks, it is important to engage them in an online community of prospective and current
participants, alumni, and mentors and to facilitate their interaction through social media. Offering a
series of webinars, sponsoring community meetings and other forms of engagement directly with the
participants and through local partner organizations could promote sustainable collaboration of
entrepreneurs and assure ongoing assistance to their ventures. Participants shared with the CRDF Global
team that they would benefit from more networking opportunities during and after the workshop.
Specifically, they noted that they would like to have regular meetings with REC@NNECT alumni who had
become successful in their business fields.

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