Mexican wins hackathon in Singapore with financial research

A proposal by Renée Gott, a dual degree student in Economics and International Relations at the Tec’s Puebla campus, has been selected as the winner of an international hackathon for its viability and social impact.

Her project, based on research about financial inclusion for migrants in Mexico, stood out from among eleven international teams and will be developed for one year together with Rumsan.

The winning plan proposed bringing Rahat, a humanitarian aid platform that uses blockchain to distribute aid transparently, to the Philippines through an anticipatory cash system connected to municipal early warning flows.

The goal is for aid to arrive before a natural disaster strikes and for each transaction to be traced.

The announcement was unexpected. Upon hearing the name of the winning project, Renée hesitated for a few seconds before realizing that it was her team. 

“There was a moment of shock,” said Renée. There wasn’t a trophy or a ceremony: just a photo and a congratulation, but it was a clear recognition that their proposal was what the organization wanted to implement.

Financial inclusion for migrants

The road to the hackathon began months before with The New Mexican Dream: Foreign Residents’ Financial Inclusion research, developed since August 2024 together with Ivanna Amor and Alexa Orozco, under the mentorship of Professor Ignacio Ibarra.

Their research started out with a specific question: if Mexico is no longer just a transit country, why do migrants continue to face so many barriers to financial integration?

Based on interviews and field work, the team identified two main obstacles. The first is the lack of knowledge of banking personnel about valid immigration documents, which causes immediate rejections.

The second is that banks evaluate risk based exclusively on Mexican credit history, without considering that of the home country.

Their report revealed that even people with legal residency face difficulties when opening accounts. Although fintech offers more flexible alternatives, it doesn’t completely replace the traditional banking system. 

Therefore, the team prepared a solutions brief with proposals for action, including strengthening the role of the Banco del Bienestar (Welfare Bank) through training and specific programs for migrant and refugee populations.

The impact this experience has had on her life

According to Renée, the experience represented a turning point in her professional education. Throughout the project, she developed skills including applied research, interviewing vulnerable populations, leadership, collaborative work, and feedback management.

She also strengthened her English communication in academic and international contexts, from research writing to presentation and networking.

Working under pressure, with limited time and multicultural teams, allowed her to confirm that she was prepared for high-level professional environments.

What’s more, the hackathon opened up a new professional possibility: exploring the field of technological innovation in humanitarian aid, especially in contexts of natural disasters and climate change.

Tec representation

Renée attended Reach Conference: Singapore as a representative of the Tec’s Puebla campus, along with students from other Tec campuses and international universities. 

She participated in a panel on financial inclusion in Mexico, where she shared space with students from the Guadalajara and Monterrey campuses.

One of the most significant moments was that a representative from the Mexican embassy in Singapore listened to their research and was able to speak with them afterwards. “It was very special to be able to represent both my campus and the Tec,” she said.

She acknowledges that it was a collective achievement and the result of over a year of constant work. Returning from Singapore with a winning project and the opportunity to implement it confirmed something that drives her today: that the Tec enables students’ ideas to transcend borders and become real-world actions.

“It was very special to be able to represent both my campus and the Tec”.

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