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Hack the Globe

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March 2nd, 16th-17th, 2019
BCG Toronto Office


Join our 2019-2020 team!  Sponsor

The first social impact hackathon of its kind in Canada

Hack the Globe is bringing 150 passionate university students together to tackle some of Canada’s largest social challenges, alongside mentors from BCG, the LEAP|Pecaut Centre, and Google.org. Hackers will work in teams of 4 to innovate open data solutions to problem spaces from the Google Impact Challenge. Hack the Globe is cross-sectoral in nature and will emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving. Students of all backgrounds and disciplines are welcome to apply!

2 weeks to formulate
24 hours to execute

Unlike traditional hackathons, each team will be paired up with a dedicated BCG mentor on the kickoff day and have 2 weeks to prepare a solution. The kickoff will feature a keynote speaker and connect hackers, mentors, and past winners from the Google Impact Challenge. During the 24-hour hack, teams will develop both a business strategy and technical prototype that uses public open data to tackle one of the social impact problem spaces.

Kickoff Day Schedule

am

9:00

sponsor & hacker registration

10:00

opening remarks

10:20

keynote speaker: Vinay Shandal

10:45

sponsor introductions

11:10

GIC introductions

11:30

activity rotations: sponsor booths, meet your mentor, GIC Q&A

pm

2:00

event ends

Day 1 Schedule

am

9:00

registration

10:30

opening remarks

11:00

hacking begins

pm

12:00

lunch

1:00

mentor office hours begin

1:00

machine learning workshop

3:30

UX principles workshop

5:00

mentor office hours

6:00

BCG workshop & dinner

7:00

focus time!

Day 2 Schedule

am

12:00

midnight yoga

1:30

late night snack

8:00

breakfast

11:00

hacking ends - submissions due

pm

12:00

lunch

12:30

first round judging begins

3:00

finalists chosen

3:30

final presentations

5:00

closing ceremony

5:15

prizes

5:30

event ends

FAQ

What is a Hackathon and why is this one different?
A hackathon is a short, typically 24-hour event where participants (hackers) come in and build a software or hardware project. Hack the Globe is more than just a hackathon; it will begin with a kickoff where the theme and prompts will be revealed two weeks before the hackathon weekend. During those two weeks, teams will work with a mentor from BCG to formulate and refine their solution to one of those prompts. Finally, teams will build their project and prepare their submission materials during the Hackathon. The final solution will involve both a software (open data) prototype and a business case presentation.
When and where is Hack the Globe happening?
The main two events will be the kickoff day and the hackathon weekend. The kickoff day will take place on March 2nd, 2019, and the Hackathon will take place March 16th-17th, 2019. Both the kickoff and Hackathon will take place at Boston Consulting Group’s Toronto office in the Bay-Wellington Tower.
How much does it cost to participate?
Hack the Globe is free for participants! We'll also be providing meals at the event.
Who can participate?
This year, only university undergraduate and graduate students will be considered. Please check back next year when we will be expanding the event to accept participants from all experience levels!
Do I need to apply in a team?
You can certainly apply solo and be accepted, and we’ll match you with other solo applicants closer to the event. Hack the Globe will be a team-based hackathon, so everyone will be formed into teams of 4 in time for the kickoff.
What’s the deadline for applying?
The deadline to apply for Hack the Globe is February 10, 2019.
What if I don’t know how to code?
That's no problem - Hack the Globe involves much more than just coding, and we'll have technical workshops and mentors on the day to help you learn. We encourage students from all backgrounds to apply! Hack the Globe is all about multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving and we look forward to welcoming a diverse pool of applicants and participants.
Will there be travel accommodations or reimbursements?
Unfortunately, we will not be funding travel for participants this year. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause.
Will there be areas for me to sleep during the event?
Due to the spatial capacity of the venue, there will not be any designated sleeping areas, though you are welcome to stay at the venue overnight. We encourage any out-of-town participants to connect to local hackers who may be able to provide a place to stay for the night.
What should I bring to the event?
The kickoff day will be business casual dress code, and you won’t need anything except perhaps a notepad and pen. For the hackathon, you’ll definitely need a laptop, charger, and a comfortable set of clothes!

Interested in sponsoring?

Hack the Globe will be your hub to connect to the brightest tech and business talent working on the most pressing social challenges. You’ll have a chance to recruit, mentor hackers, speak or host a workshop, demo an API and get immediate feedback, and more.

Contact us →

Interested in volunteering?

If you are excited by our mission, interested in global engineering, and want to help make Hack the Globe a huge success, join our team! We will be accepting volunteers of all backgrounds and experiences on a rolling basis.

Join the team →

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