Which Goal Do You Pursue With the Hackathon?
We want to bring more innovators into defense tech — to get their brain power to develop solutions that will save lives and solve real problems rather than optimize ad click rates or grocery delivery. Through the hackathon, we want to put you in a position where you can take the next steps to bring your project into the real world — be it through founding a startup or joining an existing defense tech startup.
Is the Hackathon About Networking/Concept Papers or About Creating a Prototype/MVP in a Short Period?
It’s about creating a product in a short amount of time. There are many conferences already where people meet to talk and network – we want you to get active and work together with others on real projects. It’s also a really fun way to get to know others and potentially even find a co-founder.
Do I Need to Be There On-Site for All Three Days?
Yes, we strongly recommend coming on-site for all three days, Friday noon till Sunday evening. While mentors can be remote, there’s no option to join online as a participant. Many projects will involve hardware, mentors can give you feedback in person that they can’t share online with a broader audience, and you’ll have a much better event experience in person.
You’ll learn about the challenges on Friday and have the first 24 hours to prepare and form teams; then, you have another 24 hours from Saturday 12 pm to Sunday 12 pm to build a prototype and present what you built on Sunday afternoon.
What Are the Mentor Tickets For?
Mentor tickets are for folks with military and technical expertise whom we have invited to support us with the hackathon and to come on-site and give feedback to participants.
Are There Challenges Available, or Can People Bring Their Own Projects?
You can bring your own project, and we’re preparing challenges for folks who are new to defense tech. Those challenges are based on real-world problems and are informed by experts from Ukraine and NATO countries.
Do I Need a Team to Join?
If you have a team already in mind, you can hack with them. Team formation will take place at the event, and there will be many opportunities to network and form teams.
What Should I Bring to the Hackathon?
A positive attitude, laptop, and any hardware you would like to work with (reach out to us if you need something special, and we will try to arrange it). Sleeping bag, if you would like to sleep at the event place.
What Should I Not Bring Along?
As a rule of thumb, if you can’t bring it to the airport, don’t bring it to the hackathon.
What if My Background Is Not Tech or Defense Tech?
That’s great! The aim of the hackathon is to bring folks from various backgrounds together to solve some of the biggest challenges of our times. There will be many participants who do not have a background in tech or defense tech, and a well-balanced team does have more than one function. At the end of the day, the event is to learn more about this space and innovate on the spot; no prior experience is required.
Who Can I Ask if I Have More Questions?
Simply reach out to us via e-mail to mail [at] eurodefense [dot] tech for anything that might be missing from this list. You can also get in touch using the Luma event page.