At Zepto, we're dedicated to building a world leading real-time payments platform, and we believe a strong culture of innovation and collaboration is essential to that. Our annual innovation festival — Zeptopalooza — is a key example of this commitment.
Over two days, remote teams come together to tackle real business challenges in a focused, sprint-style environment. Zeptopalooza combines elements of a hackathon and collaborative problem-solving, showcasing the power of diverse perspectives.
“Our annual Zeptopalooza is a great opportunity for anyone at Zepto to knock down barriers, think creatively and work with the wider team.”
Zepto Engineering Manager, Andrew McIntosh, who steered the Zeptopalooza ship this year.
“If I could distill Zeptopalooza, it would be with one of our values: embrace uncertainty. It's like starting a road trip with no GPS or map. You know the general direction, but the detours, pit stops, country bakeries and surprise treats along the way make the journey just as interesting as the destination. Every team embraced the challenge this year, and we have some fantastic concepts and learnings that we can inject into Zepto and make us a better business,” adds Andrew.
The Zeptopalooza Process: A Structured Approach to Ideas
The process begins with a company-wide challenge nomination process and voting to select a short list of six key challenges to be tackled at Zeptopalooza. Zepto people then form cross-functional teams around the projects that resonate with them.
These teams then assess the talent and skill sets in their cohort, and develop strategies to tackle their problem, and consider how they'll pitch their solution back to the business just 48 hours later. Ways-of-working take shape uniquely and naturally. It's a dynamic blend of intellects, skill sets, tech skills, presentation skills, planning and problems solving.
Frankly it's a little bit magic.
The Zeptopalooza Experience 2025: Reflections
Clint Gilmore, Technical Support Specialist, highlights the event's value: "Zeptopalooza was a massive success. It demonstrated the power of cross-functional collaboration, dedicated time for problem-solving and the potential for quick wins that make a significant impact. It's not just about efficiency, it's about empowering our teams, improving their overall experience, and getting back time in our days even if it's just one zeptosecond at a time."
Rich Miller, Chief Technology Officer, notes Zeptopalooza's potential for unexpected revelations:
"Like the accidental discovery of penicillin by Fleming in 1928, as teams get into their projects, new things, new solutions and unexpected benefits are unearthed during Zeptopalooza. You can feel the energy that Zeptopalooza generates. Teams of people who wouldn't typically work together collaborating, thinking laterally and bringing diversity of thought to develop ingenious, practical solutions that we can start using immediately. It's really incredible."
A Collaborative Prize Giving
After the solutions are presented back to the entire business, the Zepto team votes for the winners in four categories:
- The Innovation Excellence Award
- The Automation Avengers Award
- The Next-Gen Tech Award
- The Zepto Innovator Award
"It's interactive, democratic, collaborative and a lot of fun," says Rich.
Jackson Calverley, Zepto’s People & Culture Lead, also finds the collaboration vibe compelling. As he puts it, “Not only is Zeptopalooza about our incredible Engineers flexing their engineering muscles, it’s also about coming together from all different departments, experiences, and synergising ideas to build something out of this world. The ‘rush’ and sense of achievement is mesmerising!”
Connecting Remote Teams
To enhance the sense of connection within our remote team, we send out Zeptopalooza swag packages before the event. This tangible element reinforces our shared experience.
"I just get so pumped by all the creative energy and juices that flow during Zeptopalooza. The presented solutions are always incredible,” says Zepto’s President, Chris Jewell.
“This year I loved those that leaned into optimising our resilience and reliability at scale, but everyone performed and presented amazingly. For me, Zeptopalooza comes back to our culture and core Zepto values like 'stronger together', 'pioneer perspectives' and 'embrace uncertainty'. I love being part of this stuff. It really brings to the fore the culture and the energy of what we're creating at Zepto."
Chris Jewell
The Value of Zeptopalooza
Zeptopalooza exemplifies our commitment to innovation and collaboration. It provides a platform for diverse teams to work together, solve problems, and contribute to the company's growth.
If you're seeking a company that values innovation and collaboration, Zepto could be a great fit. Join us and experience the collaborative spirit of Zeptopalooza.