Hackathon

Want to organize a hackathon or learn more about these events? Hackathons are suitable for any organization facing specific challenges that are critical to achieving major objectives. Whether within or beyond the IT world, hackathons are a unique way to bring together diverse backgrounds and expertise.

In a relatively short event, enthusiastic participants, motivated by the challenge, collaborate intensively to come up with creative and concrete solutions. The event may lead to follow-up projects and foster close collaboration during a unique experience.

Curious about what a hackathon is and some examples of successful events? With experience organizing hackathons for companies like Microsoft, ING, Google, and KPMG, we are excited to show you what’s possible. Here are three different types of hackathons you can explore, though a custom-made event can also be organized to suit your needs.

What is a Hackathon?

A hackathon is an event where participants from diverse fields collaborate intensively, often over a short period (from half a day to up to 48 hours or more), to solve specific challenges. The term “hackathon” combines “hack” and “marathon” to emphasize creative, out-of-the-box problem-solving. The first hackathon was held in 1999 during the JavaOne Conference in the United States, where participants worked on a program for the Palm V digital assistant.

Hackathons, initially popular in the IT world, have since expanded to other industries and become a go-to format for creative problem-solving across sectors. Whether your organization is large or small, there’s a hackathon style to suit your unique challenges and goals.

Our team provides consultation, guidance, and full-service organization to ensure your hackathon is a success. Below are examples of successful hackathons we’ve organized.

Examples of Successful Hackathons

Here are three notable hackathons we’ve hosted:

HUH Hackathon (University of Applied Sciences Utrecht)
For the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, we organized a 24-hour hackathon focused on three key themes. We brought together companies, students, and educators to collaborate on six practical solutions for the future of education.

World Hackathon Day
With over 500 young specialists from six countries, we worked around the clock to tackle global challenges, making the world a better place. This event was covered by over 150 media outlets and won three awards. It also marked the launch of Tomorrow, an online community founded by Jesse van Doren and two other entrepreneurs.

Mobihack (Gelderland Province)
The Mobihack addressed traffic chaos in the Nijmegen Heijendaal district within 30 hours. Specialists combined data from multiple sources to develop a dashboard for school schedulers, allowing them to align their hours with available public transportation.

These examples highlight how hackathons have evolved beyond IT, using data from various sources to tackle challenges in any field.

Hackathon Types: 3 Options

We offer three main hackathon formats, but we can also tailor a hackathon to meet your organization’s specific needs:

Sprint Hackathon
A shorter hackathon, typically lasting just a morning, afternoon, or evening, where participants focus on a single challenge in a compressed timeframe.

Classic Hackathon
The traditional 24-hour hackathon, where teams work intensely to achieve a major organizational goal.

Festival Hackathon
A multi-day event, usually lasting 48 hours, where experts from different fields and industries come together to solve complex problems.

In addition, we offer custom hackathons tailored to your organization’s specific challenges, available talent, and preferred working style. You can choose to hand over full control to us or use a workshop format, where we equip you to run the hackathon yourself.

Key Questions About Hackathons

We understand you may have some questions about hackathons, so here are answers to a few of the most common:

Do participants actually ‘hack’?
Not necessarily. Hackathons are not about hacking data, but about finding smart, innovative solutions to organizational challenges. These solutions are often created through the collaboration of IT professionals and other specialists.

Is a hackathon suitable for my organization?
Yes, almost certainly. We work with governments, non-profit organizations, and businesses—even those whose core business isn’t technology. We tailor the theme and approach to match your organization’s needs.

What does a hackathon produce?
Hackathons deliver value to both your organization and participants. The event yields creative solutions and provides participants with a unique, memorable experience. That’s why organizations like Google and Amazon host monthly hackathons.

Organize a Hackathon

Curious about how a hackathon can help your organization? With full-service support or as a workshop format to guide you, we can ensure that your hackathon drives new insights and solutions.

Got questions or want to organize a hackathon like the ones we’ve run for other companies, governments, and non-profits? Fill out our online contact form, and we’ll get back to you promptly.