Insights into Our Hackathon 2024
Innovate, Code, Create
29. Oct 2024 | 3 min.
Innovate, Code, Create
29. Oct 2024 | 3 min.
This was the motto of this year’s avodaq Hackathon, organised by the software department, which took place in our Hamburg office. Our software team and individual interested colleagues met at the avodaq office in Hamburg from 22 to 24 October and the team in Singapore joined remotely. The aim of the hackathon was to develop ideas and concepts for a secure and highly automated IT infrastructure. The focus was clearly on team building and cooperation.
The term ‘hackathon’ is made up of two words. ‘Hacking’ stands for solving technical problems and “marathon” refers to the limited time available to develop this solution. A technical hackathon is about solving problems related to digitalisation. A typical outcome would be the creation of a software MVP (minimum viable products).
Originally, it was mainly security companies that organised hackathons with the aim of testing their own systems and concepts for security. Today, the aim is to work on real problems and create ideas for possible implementation. The aim of a hackathon is therefore to find suitable solutions without external support and using only the skills of your own employees, for which there is rarely time or resources available in everyday life.
A variety of tools and technologies are used as part of a hackathon. In addition to the development of innovative ideas, the main focus is on team building, further development, networking and fun, as well as communicating the concepts developed. Participants use the opportunity to discuss current topics and trends and therefore stay up to date.
The event organised by our software team was a mixture of a classic hackathon and team building. The topic was introduced by the organisers in an initial team workshop. They also had the freedom to develop initial ideas on the topic. The kick-off and the first work phase took place remotely.
On the next day, the ideas were then developed and finalised in face-to-face discussions. The teams primarily used Gitlab, Webex and Microsoft applications as tools for collaboration. Lunch together and a barbecue event in the evening provided the ideal opportunity for networking.
On the third and final day of the hackathon, the final pitches were prepared and presented. The teams were able to win in various social and technical categories. For the overall victory, the cooperation and team spirit within the group also had to be on point. A jury from the areas of marketing, service and software development evaluated the results based on their added value for avodaq and crowned the winners. The winners were then celebrated at a relaxing end of the evening.
„A great team event and a good opportunity to meet colleagues away from the daily office routine. Regardless of an individual's skills, everyone was able to get involved.“
David Melamed, Dual Student in Software Development at avodaq
Practical solutions were developed in a broad portfolio for both internal and external projects. The participants particularly praised the personal exchange, team building and interdisciplinary interaction. The hackathon will now become a tradition at avodaq and will continue to develop every year.
A big thank you to all the organisers. We are already looking forward to hacking together next year!