Tembi Hackathon
the on-campus AI hackathon that finds and activates student builders.
how tembi labs works
How you can enable tech access & digital literacy in the Global South today
Sub (2 sentences, filled): Whether you are a university, a company or a student, there is a concrete way to start today. Below is exactly how each side takes part, and what each side gets in return.
Next step
For universities
Are you a university and want to partner with us? You bring the venue and the students, we bring the format, the tools and the devices.
In numbers
Our impact (placeholder KPIs)
25+
AI hackathons organised
100%
success rate
48
partners & supporters
4
countries operating in
300
students impacted
5
solutions built
On the ground
How it works
See exactly how universities, companies and students take part with Tembi Labs, and what each side gets, from AI hackathons to computer rooms.
Compare
Providing opportunities is a two-way exchange
| As a company | As a university | As a student | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to participate | Join our "Tembi Company Partners" programme. Donate devices your company no longer needs. Sponsor a Corporate Challenge Day. | Get in touch to become a partner. Collaborate with us on a hackathon in the Global South. Open your campus and students. | Get in touch to host a hackathon at your university. Join our student programme as a Chapter Lead or AI Champion at your university or community. |
| What you get | An official Spendenbescheinigung for your tax exemption. A transparency portal that tracks the impact of the devices you donated. Brand presence and access to a talent pipeline. | You become part of one of the biggest AI and tech access programmes of the Global South. AI hackathons that introduce your students to the newest AI tools. Improved infrastructure through computer rooms and potential science labs. | You become part of one of the biggest AI and tech access programmes of the Global South. Digital literacy that matches the global standard. A chance to join and host AI hackathons for your uni or community. Better job-market prospects through AI and other skills. |
What we offer
Two formats
Corporate Challenge Days
a company sets a real problem, students solve it, the company owns the IP and meets the talent. EUR 5,000 to 15,000.
How we work
AI & tech access, one partner, one university, one student at a time (how we work in detail)
- 01
We partner with companies that want to donate resources and funds, and with AI companies and research labs willing to provide AI credits for the hackathons.
- 02
At the same time, we partner with universities throughout the Global South.
- 03
We host AI hackathons together with the universities, igniting the spark and checking critical infrastructure for device donation.
- 04
We empower students through the Chapter Lead & AI Champion programme to keep the momentum going. They organise hackathons and become on-the-ground experts other students can approach.
- 05
Meanwhile we establish partnerships with companies in the Global North willing to donate their devices, to be refurbished by us.
- 06
Our team works with the university administrations to develop a concept and facilitate the device donations and the building of computer rooms.
- 07
Once the computer rooms are established, we educate staff, teachers and community leaders so the devices stay useful and impactful, spurring ideas and solutions for their communities' own challenges and igniting the entrepreneurial spirit.
- 08
At the same time, we partner with AI companies willing to provide their AI tools, credits and education programmes to the students.
- 09
With the hackathons, the devices and our enablement programme, we build an immense pool of ready-to-work talent that we share with companies in the Global North, as a business model.
- 10
(filled) We open our platform for talent placement, connecting the strongest builders with companies looking to hire. This funds the next round of hackathons and devices.
- 11
(filled) We report every result in the open, impact, budget and failures, so partners, students and the public can see what works and hold us accountable.
In short
Why we, as Tembi Labs, do the things we do
(Filled from our mission and values, not from any external source.) We do this because talent is everywhere but access is not. A single laptop, a single hackathon, a single mentor can change a trajectory. We watched the AI gap widen faster than anyone was addressing it, so we built the bridge ourselves: devices, events and communities that stay after the event ends. We are a diaspora team that knows these contexts first-hand, and we work as peers, not outsiders flying in. We do not run charity. We activate talent, and we report every result in the open.
What we offer
Why choose Tembi Labs
People- & mission-driven
We are driven by the people we serve. The mission only succeeds and sustains if we listen to them first.
Transparency-centered
We track our impact and our programmes on a public platform for everybody to see, and we report failures as openly as wins.
Ecosystem, not one-off
Hardware, education and network only work when built together, so we build all three, not a single drop-off.
Dignity over charity
Participants are authors of their success, not recipients of alms. We capture people's wins, never their misery.
On the ground, not fly-in
A diaspora team plus local Chapter Leads and AI Champions keep the work going between events.
Tech sovereignty
We champion open source and repairable hardware, so the value we create stays local and lasting.
What we offer
Our offering: Tembi Programs
Digital Leadership Program for teachers & students
Chapter Lead Program
AI Champion Program
Book a call
Host an AI hackathon or become a partner
Pick a slot that works for you. We will walk you through the next steps, from first call to your first event.
Booking calendar
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FAQ
Questions, answered.
It begins with a 30-minute call. The university provides the venue, students, a local contact, power and internet. Tembi brings the format, facilitation, jury, sponsored AI tools and credits, and mentors. First hackathon lead time is roughly 6 to 8 weeks.
Around 4 hours of AI-tool introduction, about 24 hours of team building, then a business pitch to a jury with prizes. Teams build working prototypes in 24 to 48 hours.
Devices are earned. A hackathon proves local demand first. After that we work with the administration to distribute refurbished enterprise devices and build computer rooms, with a local owner and a check-in after 6 months.
Companies donate devices or sponsor a Corporate Challenge Day. You receive an official Spendenbescheinigung for tax purposes, a transparency portal tracking your devices, brand presence and access to a talent pipeline.
Free participation, exposure to the newest AI tools, digital literacy at the global standard, the chance to host hackathons as a Chapter Lead or AI Champion, and better job-market prospects.
We are a diaspora team working as peers, we build ecosystems rather than one-off drop-offs, and all our KPIs, budget and failures are public.