Australian start-up incubator Tech Pilot Fund plans to host a weekend-long hackathon event in Sydney with a difference.
The event is the initiative of Tech Pilot Fund founder and CEO Simon Anquetil to help foster a healthy start-up scene in Australia and reinforce the crucial role of women in the tech industry.
Taking place at the Rydges Camperdown from the 1st of September, contestants in the Sydney Hackastars will be locked in together for an entire weekend to work on their ideas in the company of high-level investors and representatives from the tech industry, as well as over 10 keynote speakers who will be there to offer guidance and advice to teams.
The applicants for this contest will be hand-picked on merit, will consist of an equal representation of men and women, and will be tasked with solving a challenge for charity in addition to developing their own start-up ideas.
What is this hackathon looking to achieve?
“There is so much evidence – anecdotal and otherwise – that women are underutilised, undervalued and unsupported in the tech industry,” says Anquetil. “We’d like to see that paradigm shift, one start-up at a time.”
The other defining characteristic of Tech Pilot Fund’s idea of a healthy start-up scene is to shift the focus of some of the best and brightest minds towards worthy causes. In this particular case, Batyr, who provide preventative education on mental health issues for Australian youth.
“There’s no reason why social and charitable causes should be left behind. One of the best things about technology and The Internet is its availability to everyone” says Anquetil.
“We wanted to harness some of the star-power in our country’s brightest minds and set them to task to have immediate impact on a worthy cause.”
What does the contest entail?
With over $30,000 in prizes to be given away, applications will be hand-picked on merit via a 200 word application here. Only the best in Australia will get to compete.
Contestants will be competing against each other to build and pitch the best tech-based startup idea, with a main prize of $15,000 going to the winning team.
A secondary prize of $15,000 will be awarded to the team who is able to best respond to a challenge put forward by Batyr. The startup with the best solution to the Batyr challenge will win the $15,000 prize either on its own, or in conjunction with the main prize.
