What is UITHACK24?

A hackathon for the community, from the community.

As the LGBTIQ+ Tech Community, our hackathon is geared to bringing our community together while developing solutions for issues we face. On the 12th of April 2024, participants will be brought together and we will unveil the challenge of the hackathon to them. With the challenge set, participants will form teams and prepare for the second day of the hackathon. Then, on the 13th of April 2024, participants will gather to create a business pitch, optionally with a demo of an app or a website that supports their solution to the challenge.

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COLLABORATION

Pitch your ideas and form a team in a matter of hours. What better way to develop one’s soft skills and make new friends?

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OPPORTUNITIES

Meet potential colleagues and mentors, and inspire one another to expand your horizons.

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AUTHENTICITY

Simply come as you are, the whole spectrum of LGBTIQ+ techies and their allies are welcome.

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APPLY

Fill out this application to be considered for the 2024 UIT Hackathon! Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and confirmed by March 2024.

Our Timeline

Application Phase

Applications for the UITHACK24 are now closed. Thank you for your interest! We’ll be in touch with participants soon.

Day 2: Saturday 13th April

07:30 Doors Open, Breakfast available & Networking

08:00 Welcome to UITHACK24 Day 2

08:15 Hacking starts!

20:00 End of Hacking. Thank you for all your hard work! It’s time to present your work!

21:30 Jury‘s Vote

Does this have business value?
Will it make an impact?
Is it realistic?
Have the team innovated to build this product?

21:45 Winner Announcement & Prizes 🥇🥈🥉

Important Info:

Free Food & Drinks will be available on both days; the food will be primarily vegan.

On the 13th, mentors will be available throughout the day to provide guidance.

You will need to bring your own computer, paper & pens.

Day 1: Friday 12th April

18:00 Check-in

18:30 Welcome to UITHACK24

19:15 Speed Networking & Warm Up

20:00 The Challenge & Specs of UITHACK24

20:20 Pitching, Networking, Team Formation (Teams of 4-6 people) & Registration of Team Names

22:00 Time to wrap things up and for everyone to head home to get some rest!

@heressomeofmywork

Application Phase

Applications are now open and will close in mid-March! We are looking for 70 Unicorns, each with their own expertise – marketing, UX/UI, software developers, engineers, data analysts, everyone! So if you are ready to invest your skills into giving back to the community, apply to participate here.

Day1: Friday 12th April

18:00 Check-in

18:30 Welcome to UITHACK24

19:15 Speed Networking & Warm Up

20:00 The Challenge & Specs of UITHACK24

20:20 Pitching, Networking, Team Formation (Teams of 4-6 people) & Registration of Team Names

22:00 Time to wrap things up and for everyone to head home to get some rest!

Day 2: Saturday 13th April

07:30 Doors Open, Breakfast available & Networking

08:00 Welcome to UITHACK24 Day 2

08:15 Hacking starts

20:00 End of Hacking. Thank you for all your hard work! It’s time to present your work!

21:30 Jury‘s Vote

Does this have business value?
Will it make an impact?
Is it realistic?
Have the team innovated to build this product?

21:45 Winner Announcement & Prizes 🥇🥈🥉

Important Info:

Free Food & Drinks will be available on both days; the food will be primarily vegan.

On the 13th, mentors will be available throughout the day to provide guidance.

You will need to bring your own computer, paper & pens.

WeWork is kindly hosting us in their Warschauer Platz location 🏢

How to get there:

S & U-Bahn Warschauer Straße

Tram M10 S-Bahnhof Warschauer Straße

Bus 300 – Stop: Berlin Warschauer Straße

📌 WeWork – Warschauer Platz →

What did 2023 participants think?

“UITHACK23 offered me hope and perspective for the near future of our community, and it proved yet again that the queers know best what the queers need. By the end of it, I gathered new skills, confidence, new friends, a sense of belonging, and a reminder of our potential as a collective.”

— Alex

“It was my first hackathon and I was quite nervous tbh, because I am a newbie in the tech world. I felt super welcome and I learned new things! It was also great to be surrounded by like-minded people, made me feel safe and appreciated.”

— Patricia

“It meant for me the very first time being in a safe space where I can pitch my ideas and be surrounded by a community who won’t judge me and can actually understand my problems/ feelings. It means a lot, both on a professional and private level. Please keep going!”

— Anonymous

I WANT TO APPLY

Prizes

🥇 First Place 🛀

After their well-deserved win, each team member will enjoy a relaxing trip to a spa.

Plus, the whole team will get a prime-time speaking slot at UITS24 to present their solution.

🥈 Second Place 🎬

Each team member will receive a cosy movie night to enjoy the latest riveting motion picture.

🥉 Third Place 🥖

Each team member will get to indulge in a tasty gourmet box (vegan or veggie).

The Jury

Valeria Barsukov (she/her)

Frontend Developer
Freeyou
→ LinkedIn

🏃‍♂️ A fun fact about Valeria:
As a child I played a small role in the german series ‘Tatort’.

💡 Which of your experiences will you be relying on to Jury the UITHACK24?

Presenting at conferences, as well as my past participation in the hackathon and the ongoing work on the app (Peer+ the UITHACK23 winner), which includes pitching the idea to business partners.

👀 What are you excited to see from contestants at UITHACK24?

I am especially excited to see their ideas and see if and how clearly they can communicate their vision.

🧑‍🏫 Which three things are crucial to any presentation?

Clarity in communication and the visual presentation; captivating and short outlines of the idea, the process and the future outcome.

🦉 What advice do you have for contestants?

Stay calm and grounded. Rome wasn’t built in one day 🙂

Ghonche Tavoosi (she/they)

Product Lead
Adevinta (Mobile.de)
→ LinkedIn

🏃‍♂️ A fun fact about Ghonche:
I have a dog named pishi which means Cat in my native language.

💡 Which of your experiences will you be relying on to Jury the UITHACK24?

I was a startup founder (for two seperate startups) and had the chance to pitch to small investors to very big international VCs. I also worked for a VC and observed many pitches.

👀 What are you excited to see from contestants at UITHACK24?

I’m looking forward to very clear problem and solution statements.

🧑‍🏫 Which three things are crucial to any presentation?

Clarity of Message, Effective Delivery, and managing the audience’s engagement

🦉 What advice do you have for contestants?

Spend your time with validating riskiest assumptions, don’t worry about the execution aspect yet.

Alexandru Țanțu (he/him)

Senior Database Developer
International Campus
→ LinkedIn

🏃‍♂️ A fun fact about Alex:
I won the heart of my partner by creating and maintaining detailed calendars, spreadsheets and to-do lists for our relocation, vacations, weekend activities and cleaning days. Either that, or I scared him.

💡 Which of your experiences will you be relying on to Jury the UITHACK24?

Part activism, part product and brand design, part daring and committing to stepping outside of one’s comfort zone.

👀 What are you excited to see from contestants at UITHACK24?

I’m looking forward to them designing an accessible product that involves and excites their target audience, something that makes best use of their skills while staying in touch with the real needs of the community.

🧑‍🏫 Which three things are crucial to any presentation?

Speaking their audience’s “language”, leading them from point A to B, giving them something to talk about afterwards.

🦉 What advice do you have for contestants?

Go in with a clear, genuine intention to change one person’s life for better. Check in with each other constantly. Always ask “Why?”.

Melinda Jacobs (she/her)

Chief Product Officer
Mindstone
→ LinkedIn

🏃‍♂️ A fun fact about Melinda:
I’ve gotten into speed puzzling, and look forward to competing for the first time at the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship this year.

💡 Which of your experiences will you be relying on to Jury the UITHACK24?

Having been a founder and c-suite executive in early stage startups for over a decade I know what’s important to look for in ideas for products and businesses.

👀 What are you excited to see from contestants at UITHACK24?

I’m excited to see what ideas everyone comes up with. Even more so, I’m curious how many people will be able to not just find a good idea, but actually create a plan or steps toward making it really happen.

🧑‍🏫 Which three things are crucial to any presentation?

Storytelling, Clarity, and Passion

🦉 What advice do you have for contestants?

A good pitch tells an interesting story that helps us understand not just the what but the how and even more importantly the why. Don’t try and tackle everything in your idea – pick an aspect and really focus on that.

Michelle Torres (she/her)

Senior Engineering Manager
→ LinkedIn

🏃‍♂️ A fun fact about Michelle:
If I could have a superpower, it would be teleportation.

💡 Which of your experiences will you be relying on to Jury the UITHACK24?

I have helped many aspiring entrepreneurs build successful startups through training following the “Disciplined entrepreneurship, 24 steps to a successful startup” methodology. I also participated as an organizer and mentor -bringing my engineering background- in the Startup Weekend in my city back in Mexico.

👀 What are you excited to see from contestants at UITHACK24?

I’m looking forward to seeing people from different backgrounds coming together in multifunctional and balanced teams to solve LGBTIQ+ problems.

🧑‍🏫 Which three things are crucial to any presentation?

Compelling storytelling, engaging visual materials, and taking it slow.

🦉 What advice do you have for contestants?

“People with great passion can make the impossible happen.” Be passionate about your idea, bring your entrepreneurial mindset, and have fun while doing it.

Chris Philipps (he/they)

Managing Partner
Philipps & Byrne
→ LinkedIn

🏃‍♂️ A fun fact about Chris:
I have spent 10 years of my life with a pack of 70-80 dogs and I am a fanatic dog person.

💡 Which of your experiences will you be relying on to Jury the UITHACK24?

I will rely on my 20+ years of experience in the tech and startup scene. I have played a pivotal role in scaling dozens of startups, in CTO and Interim CTO roles. I supported startups as an angel investor, and have seen 600+ tech companies from the inside through tech assessments and due diligence.

👀 What are you excited to see from contestants at UITHACK24?

I’m excited to see how contestants will empower the queer tech community and apply technology to address diverse needs. I’m eager to see the innovative projects that emerge and how they contribute to building a more inclusive tech ecosystem.

🧑‍🏫 Which three things are crucial to any presentation?

In any presentation, it’s crucial to connect emotionally with your audience: Tell a compelling story and explain the “why” behind your idea. This way, you are more likely to engage and captivate your audience.

🦉 What advice do you have for contestants?

Don‘t overengineer your idea and avoid being too complicated. Focus on solving real problems rather than getting bogged down in unnecessary details. Keep your solution simple and user-friendly to maximize its impact and appeal.

The Mentors

Lucie Le Naour (any pronouns)

Content Designer
Co-founder of Yourequal
→ LinkedIn

Lucie is a freelance content designer working with Better Standards Club and co-founder at Yourequal*. Thanks to their experience in entrepreneuship and shaping inclusive and accessible digital products.

Lucie can offer guidance on: prototyping (defining high-level requirements, wireframing and information architecture) and defining the business value of your project.

Liselot Ramirez (she/they)

Frontend Developer
DKB Code Factory
→ LinkedIn

Liselot is a software developer from the Dominican Republic, currently working as a Frontend Developer in DKB Code Factory. She holds a masters in Human-Computer Interaction, so she focuses a lot of their work in user experience and the value of the digital product for the end-users. She is also interested in ubiquitous computing, user interaction, and smart electronics. When Liselot is not online, you can find her watching football, playing mini-golf, or tinkering with Arduinos and Raspberry Pis.

Liselot can offer guidance on: human-computer interaction, prototyping, design, coding, strategic thinking, planning, product and software architecture, presentations & elevator pitches.

Carlo Cantarini (he/him)

Community Building at Berlin Product Managers; PM at HelloFresh
→ LinkedIn

Carlo is originally from Italy, currently based in Berlin, and working as a Product Manager (recently transitioned from a Project Management role). He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University. He is passionate about learning new skills, from data analysis to acquiring new languages, and enjoys mentoring aspiring Product Managers through ADP List (a free platform for mentorships).

Carlo can offer guidance on: business strategy, product management, presentations & elevator pitches.

Sujin Lee (she/her)

Senior Frontend Engineer
Adjust
→ LinkedIn

Sujin is a senior front-end engineer at Adjust, based in Berlin. She has a track record of winning hackathons within her company and in local competitions. Outside work, she finds fulfilment in running and contributes to tech communities by volunteering at the ReDi School and participating in open-source projects.

Sujin can offer guidance on: software development, various bug fixing, and low-code platforms to build MVP solutions & demo showcases.