On July 6–7, 2025, under the coordination of RAPIV and AWARE7 GmbH within the #ecosys4you project, the Mind Diving Hackathon Varna was held in Varna. The event brought together 15 young participants aged 17 to 30 and 3 mentors, united by the idea of developing sustainable and innovative solutions to important challenges.

The hackathon unfolded in an intense and inspiring atmosphere — over the course of 24 hours, participants worked in teams to develop projects addressing three key challenges, which they presented to the jury on July 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The three challenges:

1. Happiness for life
   Mentor: Dilian Popov – entrepreneur and expert in innovations and business modelling, representing Smart Varna Foundation, Altscale Ltd. and Bulgarian Angels Club – Varna Chapter.

2. What’s Really the Best Water? 
   Assoc. Prof. Galina Momcheva/BioMed - Varna Foundation/Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. A researcher, a teacher and a professional mentor.

3. IT Security Gamification: Let’s play! 
   Mentor: Benjamin Krüger/AWARE 7. IT security consultant and awareness trainer.

Awards and winning solutions

The hackathon concluded with five inspiring presentations and three awarded projects.

First place went to the youngest team — two high school students and one university student — who worked on the topic of water. Their project, Aquapure, offers a solution based on distillation and mineralization to provide high-quality drinking water at an affordable price. Prize – €1,000.

Second place was awarded to a team of five participants who used artificial intelligence technologies to create a business model for a personal psychological assistant, aiming to promote a happier and more mindful life. Prize – €500.

A special award was given to a team that developed a VR training game on IT security. Within just 24 hours, they created a working prototype that impressed both the jury and organizers, who granted them an additional cash prize of €200.

Gratitude and Future Opportunities

We were truly inspired to see young people working with enthusiasm and creativity on meaningful topics. We are confident that this is only the beginning of their journey toward creating real change.

We look forward to the final year of the #ecosys4you project, implemented in partnership with the Institute for Work and Technology | Westphalian University of Applied Sciences, DOBA Business School и AWARE7 GmbH, with the support of the #HorizonEU programme.

If you or someone you know is interested in an internship in a startup or seeking international mentoring support to develop a business idea, visit: www.ecosys4you.eu