Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) announced the winner of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District’s 2020 Congressional App Challenge: Ethan Saadia.  His app, Wayt, allows businesses to stay open safely and provides customers with flexible shopping options with curbside pickup, bookable shopping appointments, and virtual lines, and it is available on both iOS and Android.

“It was a pleasure to host our second annual Congressional App Challenge, and I am thrilled to announce this year’s winner, Ethan Saadia,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “His design clearly meets the needs of our community for this moment, allowing customers and businesses to interact safely.  I would also like to thank all of the students who submitted their apps and demonstrated such incredible talent and ingenuity in our community.”

Ethan’s app has also been featured in Houston InnovationMap and on chron.com.  In his competition application, Ethan explains: “Wayt’s goal is to prove that safety does not mean compromising the shopping experience or business revenue. Wayt feels the pain of businesses both large and small during COVID-19, and aims to provide a platform to support them and connect them with customers while building for safety first.”

Every year, the Congressional Internet Caucus sponsors the Congressional App Challenge to inspire, include, and innovate efforts around STEM, coding, and computer science education.  Since the competition’s inception in 2015, more than 14,000 students have submitted art for display.