Hackathons are like marathons. But instead of running shoes and sweatbands, you’ve got laptops, energy drinks, and a questionable amount of snacks. It’s an intense, caffeine-fueled weekend sprint where tech enthusiasts team up to tackle big problems, build cool stuff, and maybe even save the world—all in one day.
Here is how to make the most out of a European Defense Tech Hackathon:
1) Contribute a Challenge
Think of a problem statement that hackers can work on overnight that’s interesting and non-trivial to solve but doesn’t require heavy machinery or a biotech laboratory.
Please send us a high-level problem statement (1-2 sentences) and prepare any data sets, software, or hardware tools needed to solve the challenge. Specify key metrics or attributes of how the desired outcome would look like.
All the challenges are shared with the hackers in advance and presented before the hackathon. So, it’s a great way to get visibility and get several teams to work on your challenge to compare different solutions and identify the smartest teams.
2) Prepare Picks and Shovels and a Sandbox
Think about what hardware and software tools you could provide for the hackers, either directly relevant to your challenge or simply to familiarize hackers with them.
For example, Auterion brought 20+ DJI drones to the Munich hackathon, Nordic Semiconductor provided printed circuit boards for the Copenhagen hackathon, and Palantir offered Foundry accounts for hackers for the Paris hackathon.
Getting 3D printers, drone equipment, soldering stations, or welding machines to the hackathons is always tricky for us organizers, but it’s your place to shine as a partner to get hackers hands-on experimenting with equipment. And it’s the perfect place for your logo, a little sticker, or attaching some merch.
3) Bring Useful Merch
Pen and paper, bottle openers, or even bottled (non-alcoholic!) drinks – please feel free to bring merch that is useful during the hackathon. It will get hackers to engage with your team and brand naturally and carry the merch even beyond the hackathon.
How about branded protective cases to keep hardware components organized? Modular add-ons for existing hardware, like a branded keychain? Or RFID/NFC tags linked to hidden challenges or bonus materials in online repositories?
4) Come On-Site
Please make the time to travel and attend the hackathon on-site. We’re putting a lot of effort into making these events happen in person. While we can have mentors online, it’s not the same experience and team spirit as being in the same room together for 24 hours and hacking on important problems.
Being on-site is your best chance to get visibility, engage with the teams, learn about different solution approaches, and identify potential candidates for recruiting and collaboration partners.
Designate mentors or point-of-contact individuals who can guide hackers on both technical and practical matters. Ideally, find a team of 2-3, including engineers and product people, but also people with military expertise or who can help on the commercial side. Find members of your team who are cool with wearing a t-shirt and getting their hands dirty—no suits and ties.
Showing up, showing interest in the projects, or asking a question means a lot to the hackers, values their work, and goes a long way in establishing a valuable human relationship.
5) Post About the Hackathon and Follow-up
Please post on social media about your participation in the hackathon before, during, and after the event. For example, highlight which teams worked on your solution, how you got involved in mentoring, and all the cool stuff you provided. All the hackathon projects will be public.
We will share your posts on our channels and cover your attendance with posts as well, but the more people start posting about the hackathon, the more buzz and, thus, visibility for what you’re doing gets created.
Finally, if you are looking to hire people or start a joint project and think you have found a perfect match at the hackathon, please contact them directly. Someone has to make the first move, so show them you are really interested and will go the extra mile. We’re also building a talent pool for EDTH to connect you with talent post-hackathon.