Organizers of a recent NFC hackathon in London gave “kick-starter” funds to two teams of app developers and handed out other awards, all in an effort to bring the apps closer to a market launch.
The Isobar Create London event, held March 24 and 25, followed two other NFC hackathons–or developer competitions–organized last fall by digital advertising agency Isobar. But unlike these events, in Boston and San Francisco, the 34-hour London competition had some major commercial backers, led by mobile operator Telefónica UK, or O2.
Handset makers Samsung and Research In Motion, Web giant Google, breakfast cereal and snack food maker Kellogg’s, sporting goods brand Adidas and payment network Visa were also among the sponsors.
