What is a Hackathon?

When they ask me what a hackathon is, I say “like a marathon, but for nerds”.

But it is not loaded, at least on my part, with any kind of negative connotation. I have always been a nerd, empowered by it for less time and I celebrate that, AT LAST and more and more, being a #NERDRULES.

But I admit my mistake, Hackathons are not just for nerds!

They are for competition lovers, for those who enjoy working in a team and creating impact by creating or imagining without limits, for those who want to try something new and get out of their comfort zone. Hackathons are for everyone who wants to test themselves against the clock behind a challenge. Exciting, isn’t it?

The old school hackathons

It is believed that the term hackathon was created in 1999 independently by the developers of OpenBSD and the marketing team of Sun Microsystems. Hackathon integrates the concepts of marathon and hacker, alluding to a collective experience that pursues the common goal of developing applications collaboratively in a short period of time.

In its beginnings, a hackathon was an exclusive meeting for programmers with the aim of creating new hardware or software systems collaboratively.

For this task, the participants met for several days to work in groups intensively, feeding their programming souls with pizza and sleepless nights.

A hackathon today

As the only constant in this VUCA environment is change, it is impossible for contemporaneity not to transform, also, this innovative competition.

Today we could say that a hackathon is a collective experience where multidisciplinary professionals gather to achieve a common goal. Diverse profiles can participate in this experience: from software developers, product owners, project managers, marketing specialists, sales, human resources or business.

But why has it changed? Simply because, over time, we have learned that diversity is the path to success.

What to expect if I sign up for a hackathon?

Each hackathon is a unique experience, but in general, the following model is followed:

• Group creation: Participants gather in physical or virtual spaces and are separated into groups of 2 to 5 people. Some hackathons allow you to register in groups, others individually and the organization assigns them.
• Objective: The mission or general objective, the motivations of the organizers and what is the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to be presented are shared with them.
• Brainstorming: The team, already equipped with all the necessary tools by the organization, begins the process of developing their idea or solution.
• Solution development: At this stage they have the support of mentors and specialists in the topics addressed and in work methodologies. Sometimes even, parallel activities are carried out, such as masterclasses with industry leaders, or activities to enhance creativity: meditation, yoga, games, etc. Each hackathon is a world!
• Presentations: At the end of the time, the teams present their results (apps, prototypes, business models, strategies, etc.).
• The judges choose and recognize the winners.

The most important thing in this work dynamic is to have an open culture, a friendly atmosphere and diverse groups of people. The objective of a hackathon beyond the specific one is always to stimulate creativity, teamwork and innovation. A ‘hackathon’ is a free space for creation.

Why should I participate in a hackathon?

There are many advantages of a hackathon for both the companies that organize them and the participants.

For companies:

• It is a way to solve their problems and needs creatively in a short period of time and with a minimum investment.
• They help to turn ideas and concepts into realities by fostering effective and equal collaboration.
• They are an excellent way to discover new talent.
• They offer a learning opportunity based on real cases and create a community of specialists and interested parties in the topic addressed.

For participants:

• You put your skills to the test. But not only the HARD ones, but also the SOFT ones. Imagine working in an environment under pressure, with a marked deadline and with a group you did not know previously. Will there be a better way to put these to the test?
• Networking: Both for the networking, for the beers afterwards, for the invaluable Linkedin contacts and for meeting people with your same interests, and many of them in your same work situation, it is worth it whichever way you look at it.
• For the experience itself: Getting out of your comfort zone, facing a challenge, learning from the best mentors and professionals in the industry and meeting people very similar to you along the way.
• It looks cool on the CV: If you are looking for a job, having this experience on your CV shows how proactive you are and that you like to try new experiences.
• And finally: For the prizes.

The prizes

Those of us who organize hackathons know that prizes are important. They give the competition the bonus track that never detracts from the challenge posed. In addition to cash prizes, gift cards, subscriptions, scholarships, training, and so on.

Even today, many companies choose to propose as a prize to the winning team, to finance the development of the winning idea within the company. This type of prize, of course, is accompanied by the relevant hiring and articulations within the company, which, objectively, is a great opportunity for those who are unemployed or want to give a new direction to their career.

As you can see, hackathons have a lot to offer. And the exciting thing about this story is that it is just beginning.

😅 Without intending to have influenced you… Now: Are you signing up for a hackathon?

And if you want to organize corporate events, hackathons or your company needs help with the event strategy, discover our customized event services, contact us and we will give you a hand.