Team Tech Titans, made up of one member from Bulawayo and four from Harare (Peace Nyaguze, Prosper Mwanza, Makanaka Makumbe, Luyanda Ntara, and Ebenezer Chatanga), walked away as the 1st runners-up at the Hackathon Texpo last month after presenting their product, Crowd Beatz, during the competition against other tech teams.

In an interview with My Afrika Magazine, the Titan Crew shared the inspiration behind their project Crowd Beatz. They explained that the purpose of their project is to offer a solution for the entertainment industry by helping DJs understand the mood and atmosphere of event attendees. “Our project for the Crowd Beatz challenge tackles the problem of DJs struggling to read and respond effectively to a live crowd’s energy and song preferences. This often leads to a disconnect between the music and the audience, resulting in a less enjoyable experience for attendees, impacting the DJ’s reputation, and affecting event organisers,” said Peace.

The Tech Titan crew shared that their inspiration for creating this product came from recognizing the vital role music plays in mental well-being in Zimbabwe, coupled with the challenges DJs face in truly connecting with their audience in real-time amid numerous requests and fluctuating vibes. To solve this problem, the Tech Titans created what they call the Titans Vibe Assistant (TVA).

The Titans Vibe Assistant analyzes crowd energy levels at events by capturing audio data and movement. It then provides the DJ with real-time feedback on whether the crowd’s energy is high or low. The system is powered by a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, which serves as the central processing unit for analyzing sensor data and driving the DJ’s dashboard display. The system empowers DJs to create a more dynamic and responsive party atmosphere, benefiting everyone involved.

When asked about their strategy going into the hackathon and how they prepared for the project, the team described how they took small steps until they reached their goal. “The first day, 21 April 2025, was hard for us because we didn’t know where to start. So we just relaxed as a team to prepare ourselves for 22 April. On 22 April, which was the second day, we gave each other roles with deadlines. We also discussed what we wanted to include in our project and gathered all the components we needed. In the evening, we created a PowerPoint presentation about our project to reduce the workload on the third and final preparation day. On 23 April, we connected our components one by one to ensure they were working according to our standards. We then assembled everything, and by 16:30, we were done with the hardware and software. During the night, we designed our casing to make sure it was attractive. Thursday, 24 April, we placed our prototype into the casing and completed the whole project,” explained Luyanda.

Team Tech Titans told My Afrika Magazine that there was some disappointment during the announcement of the 1st runners-up, as it meant they would not be travelling to Cape Town, an opportunity reserved for the winning team.

“At first we were disappointed when we found out that we were not going to Cape Town, but we then realized that it was our first-ever hackathon and we had made it this far. That realization really shifted our perspective. Being first runners-up gave us a sense of gratitude for all the things we had overlooked during the hackathon, essentially, the whole experience itself,” said Peace.

Among the lessons the Tech Titans say they learnt were new concepts, from coding hacks to web development to technical design, as well as good presentation etiquette. They confidently believe the experience was holistic and truly memorable. “We learnt not to give up because there were times we thought we had hit rock bottom when nothing was working, but we always got back up. The value of teamwork was a recurring theme throughout the hackathon. Everyone had something to contribute, and collaborating helped us flourish. We also learnt that sometimes, all you need is to go back to the start, so that you keep the vibe alive!” they said.

The Tech Titans also emphasized that the spirit of teamwork was the main catalyst behind their project’s success, as each member had a role to play.

“When we started, Marioh was on coding, Maka on web development, Peace on technical design, Luyanda on the presentation, and Prosper on inventory. However, as the hackathon progressed, we realized that at some points, we had to come together and help each other. For instance, when the code was not running, we searched for solutions online or sought help from mentors and volunteers, who were a great help, by the way. Even when integrating our web interface into the actual system, we had to get everyone in the team to pause what they were doing and run a YouTube crash course until all the pieces fit together. Everyone also pitched in for connecting the system components and final design,” said Peace.

Marioh, one of the team members, echoed the same message about unity as their core strength.

“We do not even have to mention the presentation that was teamwork in action. At the end of the day, we realized that delegating tasks helped us stay aware of deadlines, but working together helped us meet them. We created so many memories as a team and have definitely turned into a powerhouse ready to shine in more spaces like TEXPO ’25,” said Marioh.

The Tech Titans are planning to continue developing their project after Texpo 2025 and hope to use it at their institute during the upcoming Africa Day celebrations.

“To further develop our project, we plan to add features such as allowing it to search for songs in the DJ’s stored music. After realizing that the TVA is a handy, reliable, and innovative device, we aim to advance it further as it solves a problem not just for DJs, but also for live performers. We are also considering using it for our school events, like the upcoming Africa Day celebration, which would give us insights into other areas for improvement helping us achieve our goal of #KeepingTheVibeAlive,” said Peace.