OrganicBox

The Project

OrganicBox is a smart composting machine designed to automate household organic waste processing. This innovation proposal was developed during the Hackathon EcoImpacto 2024, where it was awarded 3rd place among university teams and startups.

The project was incubated under the mentorship of ‘Emprendedores En Serie’ and ‘INCUBA UNPRG’, validating its viability as a sustainable business.

The Problem

Managing organic waste at home is often inefficient. Traditional composting is perceived as messy, time-consuming, and complex. Most households simply throw away organic waste, contributing to landfill overflow and missing an opportunity to create valuable fertilizer.

Our Solution

OrganicBox proposes an intelligent machine capable of:

• Automated processing of household organic waste
• Smart monitoring via IoT sensors (humidity, temperature)
• Reduced waste volume through efficient decomposition
• High-quality compost production without constant manual intervention

My Role

As Co-Founder & Technical Lead, I worked alongside a multidisciplinary team (Geancarlos Gil and Frank Ocrospoma) to conceptualize the technical viability of the product.

My responsibilities included:

• Defining the IoT system logic required for machine automation
• Designing the sensor architecture for monitoring composting conditions
• Participating in the final pitch defense before the judges

Technical Approach

The proposed system integrates:

Organic Waste → Shredding Chamber → Composting Unit
                                          ↓
Temperature Sensor → Microcontroller → Smart Adjustments
                                          ↓
Humidity Sensor → → → → → → → → → → Optimal Conditions
                                          ↓
                                    Quality Compost

IoT Concepts

• Temperature sensors to monitor decomposition heat
• Humidity sensors to ensure optimal moisture levels
• Microcontroller for automated adjustments

Business Model

• Developed using Lean Canvas methodology
• Validated by INCUBA UNPRG as a sustainable, viable idea

Results

• 🥉 3rd Place Overall at Hackathon EcoImpacto 2024
• 🌱 Incubator Recognition by INCUBA UNPRG as a viable sustainable idea
• 📋 Mentorship from ‘Emprendedores En Serie’

Gallery

Impact

This hackathon experience reinforced key skills:

• Rapid ideation and prototyping under time pressure
• Cross-functional collaboration with non-technical team members
• High-impact pitch delivery to convince judges
• Validating technical feasibility for hardware/software integration