How We Came Up With Patitas Unidas at a Hackathon

In April 2025, we joined a 48-hour hackathon in Hermosillo, Mexico. The challenge: choose one of 11 real-world problems and develop a digital solution. We didn’t come in with a predefined idea — we decided to build something once we saw the challenge list.

One of the prompts caught our attention:

“How could you integrate technology, community, and data into a solution that maximizes the reunion rate between lost pets and their owners?”

Several of us had adopted animals, and some had experience rescuing or losing pets. It felt personal. We started brainstorming ideas and quickly agreed we wanted to solve the problem of lost pets with a geolocated reporting system, enhanced by AI in future versions.

We didn’t just want to help owners — we wanted to help people who spot lost animals but don’t know how to help, and even those interested in adoption.

The idea of Patitas Unidas (“United Paws”) was born.

Why This Problem Matters in Hermosillo

In cities like Hermosillo, high temperatures can become deadly for a dog or cat without shelter. In summer, ground temperatures exceed 50°C. A pet that escapes or is abandoned can die in just hours.

Hermosillo has over 400,000 stray dogs and cats, according to OEM’s report. Most of them remain invisible — until it’s too late.

There’s no centralized system for lost pets. People post to social media, print flyers, or just hope for the best. We wanted to change that.