The importance of Hackathons in the Development of a nation

India is not as it was 10 years back. There have been a lot of changes. Companies such as Ola, Swiggy, Flipkart have brought about behavioural changes. Jio as spearheaded an internet revolution. There are schemes such as Digital India & Swachch Bharat(Clean India) to aid in development.

 We as a nation face lot of problems which are compounded by the population — equal access to public space, education, health and housing, traffic and congestion, pollution, lack of rainfall, environmental degradation due to commercial exploitation poverty. Efficient modes of transport are the need of the hour for metros as well as towns and villages. Smart cities need to be created. The safety of women needs to be strengthened. The fight against man-made and natural disaster continues. The list of problems goes on.

There are various Hackathons held by different colleges, companies & communities. For instance, IFA Hackathon is a renowned community-driven Hackathon in Chennai. 

Every year its a Disruptive December!

Popular Hackathons

Hackathons are the latest trend in India the helps tech to grow by leaps and bounds. It involves collective problem solving through team work. For example, let us consider a few events conducted in 2019.

TN police conducted a Hackathon in association with IIT-Madras.

Karnataka Police organised the India Police Hackathon in association with IEEE.

The Government of India has its own Smart India Hackathon to get solutions to problems with the help of technology. It is the largest in India and started in 2017. In 2019, the event was organized across 48 centres in the country involving 1 Lakh+ technical students, 3000+ technical institutions, 200+ organizations. The participants worked non-stop for 36 hours.

The Singapore - India Hackathon was jointly organised by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India & NTU, Singapore at IIT-Madras in 2019.

Chennai was one of the host of the first International Flutter Hackathon, with the venue being Makers Tribe, in 2019. Throughout India there are Hackathons conducted by IITs & IIITs. There are global series of Hackathons as well also held in India, the prominent one being AngelHack.

What goes behind a Hackathon?

To conduct a Hackathon, the theme should be clearly defined to achieve its purpose. There can be repetitions but at the end the marketability, feasibility, tech & innovation matters. Hackathon is a non-stop event. While some are held within a day, some go for as long as 24–36 hours with ample breaks, snacks, beverages and food served appropriately. There are mentors to aid teams. What can be achieved within a limited time is less but it is more about forming a team, executing the idea, coding and the right pitching. A pitch is a short presentation made by a team. It can also consist of a live demo if available. One can use screenshots or screen record as required. For mobile apps, the live relay can be shown on mobile or a simulator. 

Female participants are welcome in large numbers to participate as there will be volunteers and mentors to help them feel secure. This provides equal opportunities across gender barriers.

Hackathons can be held either online or in spacious venues like a College, Office or a Coworking space

Hackathons are a great platform to mould people to find solutions to various problems. It provides good exposure for college students. Even for corporate employees, it is a great opportunity to show their talent. Today’s Hackathon leads to tomorrow’s startups.

Opportunities for Corporates and Startups

One of the best opportunities for a startup or any other company is hiring fresh talent. It is easy to identify people and offer them internships or jobs. Sponsors, Incubators, Co-working spaces and organisations associated with startups have ample marketing opportunities. Most often, sponsorship is very important for different expenditure like infrastructure, food, goodies etc. A Hackathon is a great avenue to market a startup or a brand.

Opportunities for Individuals

There are so many ways to associate with a Hackathon. You can be a volunteer to do different tasks or take up design, website, photography or digital marketing. You can also be a mentor in aiding different teams in executing their idea without putting the actual effort. Emcees(MCs)are the people who present the audience with a memorable event by making it interactive and fun-filled. One gets to learn a lot and also execute it within a team. You get a lot of connections through this and there is also scope for job opportunities.