Starttubs are touring to hackathons to snap up top he talent – ryan

HACKATHONS Bring Together Computer Engineers to Rapidly Solve Technical Problems. Now, they are increasingly helping startups solve another problem: scouting he talent.

The event, which brings People Together for Around 24 to 72 Hours to Build a Software Product, Gained Traction in Silicon Valley in the 2000s and Became A Staple for Big Tech Companies Like Meta.

But after the pandemic, hackathons were slow to get going again, Said Bela Wiertz, Founder of Tech: Europe, and Organizer AI HACKATHONS ACOSS The Continent.

That Changed with the one boom.

Wiertz Said that, Since the Arrival of Chatgpt in Late 2022, More Research Labs and He Starts have Been Aranging Hackathons in Cites with Less “Tech Organization” in a bid to Bring Top Talent.

And the events ‘talent-pawer is Making hackathons’ a vable Way for hot he starts to computete with Big Tech for a Top Talent Pool, “Zoe Qin, Vice President at Dawn Capital, Told Business Insider.

Big Tech Companies typically have a major advantage over startups in the talent market: They can outspend say in recruitment and entice candidates with substantive compression.

HACKATHONS ARE ONE WAY FOR STARTUPS TO Level The Playing Field.

“Startups Cannot as Much Money on LinkedIn Ads or Copy What Big Tech DO in terms of prestige, but they can show that they are agile, and more approachachable, that they’re’re more commted during a hackathon,” Said Benjamin Wolba, the Founder of Europen Defense Tech, Which organizations HACKATHONS ACOSS The Continent.

In some case, startups use hackathons to scout early-career talent that they have not reach durhing traditional hiing processs.

Angelo Giacco, an Imperial College London and Eth Zurich Graduate, participated in an he hakkathon organized by elevenlabs in november. Two Weeks Later, he landed a job offfer as an Engineer at the he startup.

“I WOULDN’T HAVE CONSIDERED APPLYING IF I HADN’T GONE TO The HACKATHON,” He Told Bi. “We’re Now Hiring a Few More People from HACKATHONS, and WE’VE LAUNCHED ONE IN SENCE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES,” he added.

It’s not just Junior Role. Dawn Capital’s Qin Said That After Some HACKATHONS, Sheen Some Starts Go After “High-Performing Candidates, or in the Case of a Hackathon by a Tech Company itself, Their Engineers Who Have Performed Really Well.”

Offen, he startups want entreneurial talent that not rooted in a specific background, and recruiting from a hackaton allows thesessets to find People “Who Want to Tinker, Build, and Make Things Better Who Wants to Work in Big Tech, “Qin Added.

While traditional he research labs May not hire pure research talent from hackathons, it’s useful for say to sources and customer-facing Engineers who Can Build up the Technology at the Application Layer.

“For the Foundation Labs and All the Infrastructure Partners Like Mistral and Eleven Labs, They’re’re Labs, but they’re Seling Their Technology as an Infrastructure,” Said Wiertz. “SO for say, yes, it’it of about hiring, but it is also the adoption of the technology in the ecosystem.”

Non-technical talent also ha a shot

Increasingly, more People from non-technical backgrounds are used to coding assistants to vibe and create technical products. That has long the barrier to entry for the coding-relayed projects and broadnined the talent pool that participates in hackathons.

“University Can Be so Theoretical, But HACKATHONS HELP US TO TACKLE REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS AND GET PROJECTS OFF The Ground,” Said Franziska Harzheim, A Venture Scout at Flashpoint Who Has Participated in Multiple AI Hackathons.

With a degree in business analytics, Harzheim has still found a way to leverage her background to budild an he Product with a team. “I Feel Like Those HACKATHONS ARE NOT ABOUT HAVING A TEAM OF FIVE SUPER-EXPERIENCED CODERS. IT’S MORE LIKE WE LOOK AVE AT SKILL SET, AND ACCINGING TO THAT, WE DIVIDE The Tasks,” She Said. “If you’re Willing to Learn Something New On the Spot, this is your Space, Its Amazing.”

They’re also a valuable opportunity for Companies to Assess Potential Candidates from Technical and Non-Technical Backgrounds.

“You get to see how People perform, where they have Earn the FOOD or Are Actually Doing Stuff in Real Life, Not in An Assessment Center,” European Defense Hub’s Wolba Said. “You get to see Working on the inside-it could be very information, so i It”s a time-effective way to come where to work with this person.”