This year’s Semble Hackathon was a vibrant celebration of innovation, teamwork and giving back. With participants gathering from across the company (and support from our friends at AWS) the event was a showcase of what makes Semble special.
Excellent question. Semble’s Hackathon is company-wide event, where colleagues from every department come together to build rapid-fire prototypes, designed to help our customers work smarter and more compassionately.
This year’s theme, ‘Connecting Intelligence and Compassion,’ challenged our teams to imagine solutions at the intersection of technology and humanity, creating thoughtful innovations that would give time back to care, ease staff burnout and strengthen the human side of healthcare.
As this year’s Hackathon got underway, the energy in the room was palpable. Between bursts of laughter and brainstorming, there were moments of such intense focus that you could almost hear a pin drop. It was amazing to see people step away from their usual routines, teaming up with colleagues they rarely get to work with and diving into projects that were completely new.
Since Semble is a remote-first company, with employees spread across many countries, hackathons like this are invaluable. As one attendee put it, “The most valuable aspect was the opportunity to bring everyone together. We don’t often get the chance to connect in person. The hackathon created a space for building stronger relationships, fostering team culture, and strengthening ties with the company.”
It was also a refreshing change of perspective for many, as people got the chance to work on something outside of their day-to-day roles and collaborate with colleagues from other teams.
And so with energy high and laptops open, teams dived straight into their projects – and we’ve got to say, the thought and creativity that went into each idea, along with the execution of each proof-of-concept, was inspiring to witness. From CQC assistants to AI agents, each idea had genuine potential and could provide real benefit to Semble and its customers.
When it was time for presentations, each team had the chance to showcase their work. The demos highlighted an impressive range of ideas, technical prowess and creative solutions.
Then it was time to let the voting begin! The wider group and the expert panel – featuring representatives from Semble, and Max Berta and Heidi Jenkin from AWS – casted their votes for categories included ‘Most Innovative’ and ‘Best Human Impact’, as well as the People’s Choice Award , which is voted for by all.
With a strict ‘no repeat winners’ policy, everyone had a fair shot at the prizes for this year’s raffle. The generosity of the Semble community shone through, with people not only buying tickets but some even donating the value of their prize back to our chosen charity, the Little Princess Trust, who donate ‘hair and hope’ to children going through cancer. The final amount raised was a testament to everyone’s big-heartedness.
And speaking of our brilliant charity partner, the day wrapped up with an update on our ‘Semble September Move’ challenge.
The Semble team aimed to walk a collective 8.5 million steps over the month of September – one for every patient that’s been supported by Semble. Those who took part saw many sunsets and sunrises, were chased through fields of cows and discovered new cityscapes on the longer walks to work.
Drum roll please… they smashed it! Over 11 million steps were taken in September to support children with cancer. (Which, of course, means everyone thoroughly deserved and earned the pizza they devoured at the end of the day.)
Same time next year?
As the event drew to a close, the room was tidied and participants left with new memories, fresh ideas, full stomachs and a real sense of achievement. Not just for what they’d built, but for the community spirit, new connections and charity support that defined the day.
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