Persistent Systems kicked-off the 2022 Call for Code Global Challenge on August 25th at its Bhageerath office in Pune, India. As a Changemaker Sponsor of the world’s largest ‘Tech for Good’ initiative, Persistent has been associated with the global challenge since its inception in 2018. Supporting our long, trusted relationship with IBM and as the Founding Partner of this challenge, we aim to motivate the global community of coders and problem solvers to leverage sustainable, open-source technology for addressing high impact social and humanitarian challenges.
Outstanding participation
Developers from within and outside Persistent, university students, entrepreneurs and NGOs participated in the event. Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director at Persistent, delivered the keynote address where he spoke about our deep-rooted relationship with IBM. He shared his insights on Persistent’s sustainability journey and encouraged the attendees to look at the broader picture to impact the world in positive, powerful ways through their solutions. This was followed by a panel discussion with our leadership and industry experts, which provided attendees with insights on how their innovative ideas can improve sustainability, which is the theme of this year’s challenge.
A design thinking workshop was also conducted to help attendees execute their creative solution ideas. Additionally, we also invited Saaf Water, a 2021 Global Challenge winner, who shared their experience of developing a solution that provides AI-powered quality information to impoverished communities in India.
It’s great to see the immense energy, goodwill and passion generated at the Call for Code Global Challenge event, and I’m grateful to Persistent for supporting this #techforgood initiative. This global program provides everyone an opportunity to contribute towards addressing many of the pressing social challenges to build a more sustainable future with the help of technology. I hope we receive significant number of challenge submissions by October 2022 and we plan to announce winners by the end of the year. Wishing all the participants the very best, happy coding!
Soumitra Limaye, Director – Ecosystem Engineering, IBM Software Labs
We are delighted to see how the Call for Code global challenge has grown over the years and are pleased that IBM, together with the UN, is addressing global challenges by bringing in the community from across the world. I firmly believe in this platform as it encourages people to step out of their silos and think differently to create solutions for much larger issues that concern our society. Like previous years, I am confident that this year too we will see some ground-breaking innovations that will make a difference to the society.
Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Persistent
We have been associated with IBM for over two decades and it continues to be our largest client. As a Platinum Business Partner, we have been using IBM products and services to drive digital transformation for our clients. Persistent has been an active participant in Call for Code since the beginning as it aligns with our commitment to help our communities emerge stronger. We look forward to tackling critical sustainability issues through meaningful technology initiatives like the Call for Code.
Kuljesh Puri, Senior Vice President – Communication, Media and Technology Business Unit, Persistent
Call for Code has grown to involve developers from more than 180 countries in just five years. It has led to the creation and deployment of over 20,000 applications for humanitarian needs and challenges, helping address many of the unprecedented and interconnected challenges the world is facing today. Join us to drive the change and contribute to our society by registering your teams now.
