Monica Selby
This past summer Geeklist–the social platform for developers–launched a series of hackathons that had a global view from day one. #Hack4Good takes the typical hackathon/Startup Weekend format and turns it into a engine of social good. Rather than building companies in a weekend, participants work on real solutions for real problems. No photo sharing apps or black car service allowed.
Now, that’s something I can get excited about.
The hackathon doesn’t just happen in one city, though. On the announced date, developers around the world gather in their individual cities and hack their way into some social problem solving. The first #Hack4Good was held in June, with events in San Francisco, San Diego, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Tel Aviv, and Lisbon. There were some pretty cool projects produced.
The next #Hack4Good will be held October 4-6 in cities like New York, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Minsk, and more. Cincinnati (host also to a certain national startup conference) is also participating in the global event. If your city isn’t involved yet, you can hop online to participate.
The hackathon is mobile-focused, meaning projects are built on Android, iOS, Windows phone, or special sponsor Moovweb. Various API’s are opened for participant use, and each location offers prizes for the best teams.
#Hack4Good is looking to solve real world problems, which means many of the projects are instantly scalable. Natural disasters, famine, and war affect most our world, and the problems they cause extend to the majority of the population. Solutions that come from #Hack4Good could “change the world” in the best possible way.
“We feel the team at Geeklist knows what the developer/tech community is capable of solving and is organizing hackers for social good, honest efforts, to solve real serious problems with their second global hackathon for good,” said Charlie Key, CEO of Modulus, one of the sponsors of the Cincinnati hackathon.
Are you a developer, UI/UX guru, or design specialist interested in changing the world? It’s not too late to sign up in your city or online.
