4th PIM International Hackathon – The University League

In 2024, a student-led team from the Institute of Innovation and Advanced Learning (IIAL), in collaboration with Whole-Chain, advanced to the semi-finals of the prestigious 4th PIM International Hackathon. Competing in the University League, the team, comprising Sofia Rico, Grace Ryu, and Laura Corredor, presented an innovative supply chain certification framework based on the Whole-Chain International Standard. Their project aimed to revolutionize sustainability and traceability across global food and agricultural supply chains by embedding transparency, ethical sourcing, and environmental responsibility into business models from the ground up.

The Whole-Chain Standard, administered by IIAL, promotes measurable improvements across traceability systems, carbon emissions management, and sustainability-driven KPIs. At the Hackathon, the team introduced a dashboard-integrated solution enabling producers, retailers, and stakeholders to validate product origin, authenticity, and compliance with global ethical sourcing norms. This proposal aligned perfectly with the Hackathon’s Zero, Green, Clean Economy theme, addressing challenges like climate impact, net-zero targets, and socially responsible supply chain management.
Selected as semi-finalists among globally competitive teams, the IIAL group exemplified the power of education-driven innovation in shaping climate-smart ventures. Their work reinforces Whole-Chain’s mission to support scalable, certifiable, and equitable supply systems, while demonstrating IIAL’s leadership in equipping students to create actionable, high-impact sustainability solutions.