Welcome to the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight, curated by HackerNoon’s editors to showcase noteworthy tech solutions to real-world problems. Whether you’re a solopreneur, part of an early-stage startup, or a developer building something that truly matters, the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is your chance to test your product’s utility, get featured on HackerNoon, and compete for $150k+ in prizes. Submit your project to get started! Welcome to the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight, curated by HackerNoon’s editors to showcase noteworthy tech solutions to real-world problems. Whether you’re a solopreneur, part of an early-stage startup, or a developer building something that truly matters, the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is your chance to test your product’s utility, get featured on HackerNoon, and compete for $150k+ in prizes. Submit your project to get started! Welcome to the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight Proof of Usefulness Hackathon spotlight , curated by HackerNoon’s editors to showcase noteworthy tech solutions to real-world problems. Whether you’re a solopreneur, part of an early-stage startup, or a developer building something that truly matters, the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon Proof of Usefulness Hackathon Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is your chance to test your product’s utility, get featured on HackerNoon, and compete for $150k+ $150k+ in prizes. Submit your project to get started Submit your project to get started Submit your project to get started ! In today's interview, we speak with Anna Hych about Washd, a smart laundry project designed to give professional facilities complete control over their operations. By replacing manual workflows with real-time data and automated hardware integrations, Washd aims to drastically increase efficiency, reduce losses, and drive sustainability within the industrial laundry sector. Washd What does Washd do? And why is now the time for it to exist? Washd is a smart laundry project that gives professional laundries full control over their entire operation, from textiles and sorting to maintenance, workflows, and reporting, all in one system. It replaces manual processes and guesswork with real-time data, automation, and clear oversight of what’s happening, where, and why. The result is smoother daily operations, fewer errors and losses, lower costs, and a more sustainable laundry business. Now’s a good time for Washd to exist because modern industrial facilities urgently need robust, data-driven solutions to overcome traditional operational bottlenecks, lower costs, and minimize environmental footprints in a highly competitive market. What is your traction to date? How many people does Washd reach? Washd is trusted by 40+ professional laundries across Norway and is used daily by over 330 employees in operational roles. These users rely on Washd to manage day-to-day laundry operations, including workflows, tracking, maintenance, and reporting, giving the project consistent monthly reach across multiple facilities and teams. Who does your Washd serve? What’s exciting about your users and customers? Washd is designed for people working in professional laundries, from laundry managers and operations teams to technical and administrative staff, who need clearer oversight and smoother daily workflows. It makes work easier and more efficient by replacing manual tasks and guesswork with guided processes, real-time visibility, and simple, intuitive tools that help users know exactly what to do and when. Washd is used by both small and large laundries across Norway and is built to be accessible for people of all tech abilities, ensuring everyone can work confidently and efficiently, regardless of digital experience. What technologies were used in the making of Washd? And why did you choose ones most essential to your techstack? Washd utilizes a versatile tech stack tailored for both deep hardware integration and scalable software deployment, featuring a PHP, JS, and C++ foundation alongside frameworks like Symfony and React. To handle the complex physical-to-digital bridge inherent in industrial operations, the platform leverages RFID, embedded, and mobile scanners, backed by robust databases like MySQL and Redis, and containerized via Docker and Kubernetes for seamless ERP integration and Grafana analytics. What is traction to date for Washd? Around the web, who’s been noticing? Washd has steadily gained validated traction within the professional B2B sector, documenting its continuous improvements and real-world implementation stories across the Avilo engineering blog. It has also captured industry-specific media attention, earning a feature in Norske Bransjemagasinet for its innovative approach to digitizing the traditional laundry business. Norske Bransjemagasinet What excites you about this Washd's potential usefulness? What excites us most about Washd’s potential usefulness is that it was not built for the sake of new technology, but developed closely together with laundries to solve real, everyday challenges they face on the floor. Washd turns complex, manual, and often frustrating operations into clear, guided, and manageable workflows, helping employees feel more confident and in control of their daily work. At the same time, it gives laundries better oversight, fewer losses, and more sustainable operations, showing how practical, user-friendly technology can create real impact in even the most traditional industries. Washd scored a 355 proof of usefulness score (https://proofofusefulness.com/reports/washd). Washd scored a 355 proof of usefulness score (https://proofofusefulness.com/reports/washd). Meet our sponsors Meet our sponsors Meet our sponsors Bright Data: Bright Data is the leading web data infrastructure company, empowering over 20,000 organizations with ethical, scalable access to real-time public web information. From startups to industry leaders, we deliver the datasets that fuel AI innovation and real-world impact. Ready to unlock the web? Learn more at brightdata.com. Bright Data: Bright Data is the leading web data infrastructure company, empowering over 20,000 organizations with ethical, scalable access to real-time public web information. From startups to industry leaders, we deliver the datasets that fuel AI innovation and real-world impact. Ready to unlock the web? Learn more at brightdata.com. Bright Data: brightdata.com Neo4j: GraphRAG combines retrieval-augmented generation with graph-native context, allowing LLMs to reason over structured relationships instead of just documents. With Neo4j, you can build GraphRAG pipelines that connect your data and surface clearer insights. Learn more. Neo4j: GraphRAG combines retrieval-augmented generation with graph-native context, allowing LLMs to reason over structured relationships instead of just documents. With Neo4j, you can build GraphRAG pipelines that connect your data and surface clearer insights. Learn more. Neo4j: more Storyblok: Storyblok is a headless CMS built for developers who want clean architecture and full control. Structure your content once, connect it anywhere, and keep your front end truly independent. API-first. AI-ready. Framework-agnostic. Future-proof. Start for free. Storyblok: Storyblok is a headless CMS built for developers who want clean architecture and full control. Structure your content once, connect it anywhere, and keep your front end truly independent. API-first. AI-ready. Framework-agnostic. Future-proof. Start for free. Storyblok: Start for free . Algolia: Algolia provides a managed retrieval layer that lets developers quickly build web search and intelligent AI agents. Learn more. Algolia: Algolia provides a managed retrieval layer that lets developers quickly build web search and intelligent AI agents. Learn more. Algolia: Learn more

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Washd Earns a 355 Proof of Usefulness Score by Building a Smart Management System for Professional Laundries

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