Community Innovation Takes Center Stage at AIT SOM

Oct 17

4 min read

By: Dr. Tobias Endress

Create Lasting Impact Hackathon 2026 brought students and community partners together to turn social and environmental challenges into practical, people-centered concepts.

More than 50 participants signed up for the 2026 Create Lasting Impact Hackathon, filling AIT School of Management’s Downtown Campus in Asoke with students, innovators, community leaders, mentors, and judges. Over two days, teams combined different skills and perspectives to develop ideas grounded in real social and environmental needs.

The event was designed to create value at several levels: communities gained fresh concepts to explore, participants built practical experience and confidence, and new connections formed among students, mentors, and community partners. The result was a lively showcase of collaboration and purposeful innovation.

Working with communities to shape solutions

The first day opened with a challenge briefing from the team and expert sessions featuring Dr. Tobias Endress, Khun Nattapol from Ecocrew, and Hachaya Tookohplook (Oi) from Second Chance Bangkok. These perspectives helped teams understand the issues behind the challenges and start shaping ideas with community context in mind.

On the second day, Michael Andreassen, Managing Director of iCare Foundation, spoke about social innovation and community well-being. Khun Sansin “Chane” Sriphiromrak of DiStar Fresh Co., Ltd. (DiStar Fresh Farm) shared a climate-action perspective, including the potential of vertical farming. With mentors alongside them, teams refined their concepts before presenting at the Changemaker Showcase.

Six challenges, three themes

The challenge briefs invited teams to work on practical opportunities for inclusion, sustainability and community well-being:

Social Innovation and Community Well-being

From Skills to Sustainable Livelihoods — iCare Thailand Foundation / SheWorks: Create practical pathways for disadvantaged women, parents and grandparents to turn skills into stable, dignified income that can help families support children’s education.
Young Leaders of Khlong Toei — Second Chance Bangkok: Help young people build confidence, practical skills and leadership experience, and find opportunities to contribute to their community.

Technology for Inclusive and Sustainable Development

Keeping Every Student Connected — iCare Thailand Foundation: Improve the student and donor information system so students, teachers, donors and iCare stay connected and information remains current.
Making Sustainability Compliance Accessible with AI — Sana Terra: Use AI and data to make sustainability, ESG and carbon reporting simpler, more affordable and more trustworthy for organizations with limited resources.

Climate Action and Sustainable Communities

Vertical Farming: Safe Food, Fair Income — DiStar Vertical Farming: Help smallholder farmers build trust in their produce and earn fairer incomes through affordable, transparent and sustainable solutions.
Turning Waste into Community Value — RecyGlo-inspired case challenge: Explore how communities can turn waste into measurable environmental, social or economic value.

Ideas recognized for their potential

Stepup Klong Toei received both the Most Creative Solution and People’s Choice awards. Working with Second Chance Bangkok and iCare Thailand, the team developed a concept to create greater inclusion and opportunities for communities in Klong Toei. The team was mentored by Keshav Raj Pokhrel and included Atitaya Phoemphon, Sasirada Sringam, Cat Tuong Trinh, Ngoc Anh Phan and Hsu Pyae Pyae Zaw.

The Most Sustainable Solution award went to Grainiacs for an AI concept designed to optimize energy use and carbon reporting in small and midsize rice mills, making sustainability compliance more accessible. Mentor Jim Berkowitz supported team members Umang Kumar Singh, Ameez Shohaib Khan and Ahmad Jawid Fedayi.

Fund A Future received the Most Innovative Solution award for its concept under the theme “Keeping every student connected.” Mentored by Seth Aye Win, the team comprised Naseef Rahman, Dao Thi Thanh Hoa and Min Thet Htwe.

Building on a community of changemakers

The 2026 event builds on AIT SOM’s previous social impact hackathon, Unite for Action 2025, where participants also worked in teams on real challenges faced by underserved communities in Thailand. Together, the events reflect a continuing commitment to learning through action and connecting ideas with community needs.

This community-centered approach also resonates with Dr. Tobias Endress’s Building Back Better theme, which explores resilience, inclusion and social innovation. Readers can explore SOM’s Building Back Better session on Mandalay and Dr. Endress’s publication, “Building Back Better: Digital Transformation, Inclusion, and Social Innovation”, featured in the BADT Yearbook.

With thanks to the people who made it possible

AIT SOM thanks advisors Dr. Tobias Endress, Prof. Dieter Trau and Dennes Bergado, and the jury: Ms. Pichaya Moeller (Ploy), Business Development Director of Mastercard; Mr. Danu Chotikapanich, Chief Executive Officer of Cobra International Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Charkhris Phomyoth (Gap), CEO and Co-Founder of YOUNGHAPPY.

The event was organized by a dedicated team, especially Phyo Thiri Lwin, Hackathon Chair, and Y Min Thu, President of the Rotaract Club of Bangkok Global Connect. It was supported by AIT School of Management, Rotary Club of Bangkok DACH and Rotary Club of Bangkok.

The winning ideas are a starting point for further conversation and collaboration. By bringing students, mentors and community partners together, Create Lasting Impact continues to show how learning can move beyond the classroom and toward solutions shaped with the people they are meant to serve.