Form a team, Create a prototype, Win the pitch, Build the future: HackOps

Harbor Entrepreneur Center, April 19-21st 2024

Requirements

What to build?

The goal of HackOps is to bring together the tech and business communities to build innovative startups using the latest technology. In 48 hours, participants will form teams, then create both a prototype and a pitch for their best collective idea that addresses an issue impacting our community.

The project must be socially responsible, technologically innovative, and viable as a business. The teams will be evaluated on their project's creativity, impact, technical feasibility and scalability. The winning teams will recieve prize support and resources to help turn their tech-driven idea into a reality and make a positive impact on the community. 

What to Submit

Live tech demo and pitch: Teams will give a 7-minute presentation that pitches the project and shows the prototype built during the hack. The pitch should be a concise yet complete view of an idea, including:

  • The Problem
  • Your Solution (demo this)
  • Business Model
  • Your Team
  • Next Steps

The team will pitch to the HackOps audience and judges at the end of the final day. There will be a Q & A session after each of the pitches. Teams must upload their presentation materials to Devpost.

TOOLS FOR PARTICIPANTS

HackOps offers fifteen-minute workshops on a range of topics. Participants can also get personalized help with their product from subject matter experts during office hours. Click here to find the workshop and office hours schedule, product guidance, presentation template, and a copy of the judging form. The guidance also includes tools such as Guy Kawasaki's Only 10 Slides You Need in Your Pitch and the Business Model Canvas to help guide your thinking and build out the business model portion of the pitch. We highly suggest you read it before starting your work!

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$1,400 in prizes
First Place
1 winner

$1000 will go to the winning team.

Second Place
1 winner

$400 will go to the second place team

Honorable Mention
1 winner

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Lancie Affonso
Honors College Faculty Fellow, College of Charleston

Will Horn

Will Horn
Founder, g/d/n/a

Bradley Dalton-Oates

Bradley Dalton-Oates
Product Consultant, CharlestonHacks

Troy Knauss

Troy Knauss
Faculty Member, Entrepreneurship, College of Charleston School of Business

Eric Thome

Eric Thome
Fractional COO, Consultant

Matt Brady

Matt Brady
Economic Development Manager /Town of Mount Pleasant

Brian Gillespie

Brian Gillespie
Partner/Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough

Brian Cashin

Brian Cashin
Vice President /Teamworthy Ventures

Venkat Ramshesh

Venkat Ramshesh
Community Lead at g/d/n/a

Judging Criteria

  • Presentation Criteria: Value Proposition Clarity
    Clear articulation of the value proposition.
  • Presentation Criteria: Problem Statement
    Effective communication of the problem the app aims to solve, including its significance and potential impact.
  • Presentation Criteria: User Specifics
    Effective communication of the product's user/s, specifics of who they are.
  • Presentation Criteria: User Pain Points
    Effective communication of how the design and execution of the product is user-centered, and how user pain points were solved, anticipated, or considered within the product.
  • Technical Implementation Criteria: Feasibility Assessment
    Evaluation of the technical implementation's feasibility, considering available resources, skills, and technology. Explanation of initial prioritization. Explanation of technical decisions and tradeoffs made, if any.
  • Presentation Criteria: Solution Demonstration
    Technical demonstration of working code, showcasing how the application addresses the identified problem and its unique feature/s or solution/s.
  • Business Model Criteria: Market Understanding
    Identification of a specific target market, end users, and competitors. Assessment of the market size and potential customer base.
  • Business Model Criteria: Monetization Strategy
    Clear explanation of the proposed monetization scheme and revenue generation strategy.
  • Business Model Criteria: Competitive Advantage
    Identification and communication of the application's competitive advantages and differentiation from existing solutions.
  • Technical Implementation Criteria: Usability and Design
    Assessment of the user experience design and usability of the application.
  • Opportunity Analysis
    Identification of various opportunities for creating a solution.
  • Social Responsibility
    Consideration of ethical implications such as privacy, security, fairness, and inclusivity in the solution.
  • Hackathon Theme
    Does the product dovetail with the theme of this Hackathon?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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