#BKVenture: Invasion of the Hackathons


Brooklyn Venture Community meetup partnered with the NYU Poly Tech Incubator in DUMBO to bring together hackathon experts — both winners and organizers– to talk about the growing trend of hackathons and how they evolved. But the conversation drifted in another direction — how hackathons are no longer a playground for developers but are now big business.  While these competitions have been around for years, now that thousands of dollars are being poured into sponsoring, organizing and iterating hackathons, is this a case of jumping on a trend while the “getting” is good?

AngelHack produces hackathons around the world. Panelist Sabeen Ali said, “Our organization is quite possibly the largest hackathon in the world. In a matter of one year we have done at least 20 to 30 hackathons.” Ali’s company wants to support the community, including both technical and nontechnical companies. “We also believe that someone is going to come up with some amazing idea that will ultimately change the world.”

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