Building a smarter city together: Hack4Vilnius 2025

Our contribution: from ideas to mentorship 

Last weekend, the Hack4Vilnius 2025 city innovation hackathon took place at VILNIUS TECH LinkMenų Fabrikas, bringing together more than a hundred creators, students, and technology enthusiasts. This year, one of the main organisers was Ignitis Group, inviting participants to develop smarter, more sustainable, and data-driven solutions for the city. 

The Ignitis Group team prepared 14 out of 16 hackathon challenges, focusing on the development of the energy ecosystem, data applications, sustainable mobility, and ways to engage citizens in the green energy transition. The challenges included questions such as how to help Vilnius residents better understand and manage their electricity consumption, how to make smart meter data more useful for the city, how to expand the EV charging network efficiently, and how to clearly explain what makes up the price of electricity. These challenges reflect Ignitis Group’s ambition to encourage technological solutions that help people use energy more intelligently and sustainably in their daily lives. 

The first-place award went to the team ecoBuddy, who won a €3,000 prize for developing a solution that helps city residents properly sort their waste. They built a prototype of a smart app powered by artificial intelligence: users simply take a photo of an item, instantly learn how to dispose of it correctly, find the nearest recycling point, and earn points for responsible behavior. The project was based on our challenge “How can we help Vilnius residents understand and manage their waste sorting?” and stood out for both its practical value and engaging gamified design. 

Second place went to Spindesio ūkininkai, who developed a prototype of the app CHARGINGTON in response to the Ignitis Group challenge “How can we smartly expand EV charging infrastructure in Vilnius?” Their solution analyzes traffic flows, charging habits, and parking patterns to identify optimal locations for new charging stations. The app also encourages apartment communities to collaborate and install shared charging points, providing essential information about contractors and documentation. It’s a strong example of how data can help cities plan more sustainably and efficiently. 

Third place went to The Builders, who proposed an AI-powered career consultant that helps people find not only the right job but also the right organization – based on cultural and value alignment. The solution works as an interactive questionnaire, grounded in coaching principles and public company data. It helps users identify their strengths and make more meaningful career choices. 

Our Colleagues Among Jury and Mentors

The event jury included Ignitis Group’s Head of IT Development, Lina Adomonienė, who evaluated the finalists’ solutions and shared insights on innovation culture and the role of technology in the energy sector: 

“Hack4Vilnius is a great example of how collaboration across different fields can generate ideas that truly impact cities and people. I’m thrilled to see so many young creators choosing to work on energy, data, and sustainability challenges – it shows that our future is creative, curious, and unafraid to explore new paths,” said Lina Adomonienė, Head of IT Development. 

Throughout the three-day event, nine Ignitis Group mentors guided and inspired the teams, sharing their expertise in technology, innovation, and data.  Over the weekend, they took part in dozens of mentorship sessions helping participants turn ideas into working prototypes, refine technical solutions, and gain confidence in their creativity. 

This year’s hackathon brought together 110 participants and 35 teams, with a €6,000 prize fund. The main organisers were Ignitis Group, VILNIUS TECH, and Saulėtekis Tech Park.  This event once again proved that when technology, creativity, and purpose come together, real solutions are born – solutions that can transform our cities and daily lives.