A Journey to MHacks V
We don’t want to make a startup, we don’t want to become overnight internet billionaires, we want to change the world. The Hackathon world.
Not too long ago Vikram Rajagopalan posted in the famed Hackathon Hackers Facebook group about an opportunity to be directly admitted into MHacks V. All you had to do was comment a great idea that fell in the top three likes. Simple right? I sat at my computer, letting my hands trace the contours of my beard and I pondered about what to post to get the most likes — something popular, something daring, and something EPIC!
10 minutes later I was ready for a nap. I just couldn’t think of anything. Then I realized that if I couldn’t think of the next billion dollar app, I’d just solve a real problem, something that stressed me and so many others out! Aha! How about something that builds hackathons? I mean why not? Not just something to get you started, but the whole thing, from recruitment to marketing, and even a proposed budget. So I posted, sat back and waited for the likes to come in.
Nothing.
I waited and waited for what felt like hours, the time continued to pass as the comments poured in. And then something! Bloop. The sound of notifications drowned overshadowed all the time I waited. Likes, comments, and even people who wanted to work on the same idea started to flood in. I sat back relaxed, and moments later there were 142 comments on the thread. People chatting about Tinder for Dogs, A truly anonymous email, and my favorite, a hovering Segway powered by an array of quadcopters, but I didn’t care anymore, I wanted to build, and I wanted to build now. I messaged a few people that really liked the idea and we were off. We talked for hours on end, bouncing around features that we thought truly shaped defined hackathons. The Dream Team had been born.
11 days 3 hours 38 minutes and 12 seconds later I got an email from Dylan. “Congratulations! You and your team are going to MHacks.”
Need I say more? We were pumped. No, we were READY to build something beautiful!
MHacks V will be my first hackathon as an attendee and I feel like a kid on christmas morning. I’m ready to meet brilliant people working on unforgettable projects. I’m ready to be freezing cold, tired, and feeling accomplished at the end of the journey. Ultimately I’m ready to dive into a project surrounded by friends who are going to push me to throw my ambitions out and climb higher. Forget the prizes, forget any misconceptions or any limitations, I’m ready to embrace the special weekend the organizers are putting on so that my team can give the same experience to anyone who wants it.
The gift that keeps on giving, the gift of hackathons.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to open up a a web page, throw in the theme, size, anything you want and it’ll it spits out venues, sponsors for you to follow up with. Optimal times of throwing said hackathon, different marketing strategies. A mentor who can answer questions, and a network of directors just in case you want to partner with others. We will build a thorough cookbook for preparing an amazing hackathon. It is time to put the tools to launch such an event in front of everyone. The power to attract students, sponsors, and greatness, all in one room for one purpose — To make awesome things!
To me, hackathons are a means of discovery, an opportunity to dive in to the unexplored, and a chance to build the unexpected. They’re about people coming together to transform reality, and MHacks is the world stage to make that happen. Hackathon attendance is exploding and we want to be the catalyst the allows for them to skyrocket. The innovation of today is nothing compared to whats locked in the mind of someone who simply needs a medium to express themselves. We can’t wait to see the sea of hackathons to come.
Conclusion
When planning and throwing DubHacks, there were just so many details to consider and things to do. Because we either didn't know the right questions, or who to get answers from we ended up reinventing things that every hackathon has to go through: registration, food planning, budgeting, the list goes on. So we’re going to fix that, so you, your friends, and your friends friends can plan a hackathon as easily as you can order an Uber. So you, your friends, and your friends friends can build a platform for others.So you, your friends, and your friends friends can be a part of creating a bright future for others. Its about to pop off like nothing ever before, so get ready to be a part of changing the hackathon game by putting the power of such a fulfilling event in the hands of more people.
Thanks to Jennifer Apacible, Sei Unno, and Karan Goel for reading the draft of this post.
