ExxonMobil Bootcathon 2024 upskills young talents to solve real business problems

The event provided immersive learning experiences on technology and real-world energy business challenges. Participants tackled the problem: "How might we grow Mobil-branded lubricants business without Esso service stations?" The event featured three tracks: Analytics, Application, and Generative AI.

Out of about 400 applicants from 145 teams across 23 universities in Thailand, 250 participants were selected for a one-day boot camp held on June 29 at the Knowledge Exchange for Innovation (KX) building. During the boot camp, participants gained direct experience from ExxonMobil IT experts. Then, participants engaged in a five-day Hackathon from July 1 to 5, developing innovative solutions with guidance from technical, business, and pitching mentors from ExxonMobil. A total of 47 solutions were submitted, and nine finalist teams showcased their solutions on the Demo & Closing Ceremony Day on July 19 to an internal and external panel, with around 200 attendees witnessing the event.

The finalists received suggestions and perspectives from judges and experts of ExxonMobil, including Asst. Prof. Pittipol Kantavat from Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Computer Engineering.

Suda Nilvoraskul, managing director, said: “We want IT students to understand business problems and practice presentation skills. Therefore, winning or not is not important. We want the students to gain real experiences that cannot be found in the classroom, which they can use in the future.”

Wiriya Kosawisut, director and IT manager, said: "The most important thing was the thought process of all teams, starting from studying customer data to developing ideas before coming up with solutions. This thought process may be more important than the solution."

Manoch Munjitjuntra, director of ExxonMobil Marketing (Thailand) Limited and lubricant sales manager, said: “ExxonMobil Bootcathon 2024 is an activity that connects young people to apply IT knowledge to business problems, which is very useful. All participants were able to do an amazing job within a limited time. They understand ExxonMobil's business, including analyzing customer pain points to develop solutions with ideas that the company can further develop.”