Wales’ largest startup and co-working community Welsh ICE has teamed up with Caerphilly County Borough Council to hold a 'hackathon' event.

Five teams of four took part in the event held at the Caerphilly-based ICE where participants were given 12 hours to research and identify a genuine problem or issue in the foundational economy in Wales.

They then had to create a project, product or service which would solve it.

The winners received a prize of £500 as well as support in potentially bringing their pitch before the Welsh Government’s Foundational Economy Challenge Fund.

Historically, a hackathon is an event where software developers, graphic designers and project managers collaborate to create a functioning piece of hardware or software which solves a problem. The concept has been adopted across sectors and now represents a collection of minds working collaboratively to create a solution or proposal to a set problem.

The teams came up with a number of novel ideas - from helping councils meet their carbon neutral targets by providing a one-stop service to integrate older properties into smart homes, to solving the depreciation of the high street by providing shops and businesses with an online platform to keep customers shopping local.

However, the winning idea sought to bridge the gap between community and business by creating a time and skill sharing app which encouraged collaboration. The concept of the app ‘Swapp’, was created by Francesca Irving, Alexis Charkiw, Adam Sadler and Claire Vokes and in just 11 hours the team researched the issue, costed a solution, formulated a business plan, built a website and began creating an online presence.

Campus director at Welsh ICE Jamie McGowan said: “We knew the challenge was going to be tough as issues such as food, housing, energy and local economies are not something that can be solved in 12 hours.

“The teams were fantastic and really responded to the challenge. All the ideas showed promise and a couple had been developed to a point where you could see a clear route to market. It really shows what can be achieved when given focus.”

The £3m Foundational Economy Challenge Fund was launched in May and aims to develop Wales’ regional economy to ensure core services and businesses are supported.

A total £1.5m ring-fenced for the Valleys Taskforce area, and businesses and enterprises are encouraged to apply for up to £100,000 of project funding.