Hack Midwest offers coders freedom through 24-hour app creation competition
April 6, 2018 | Bobby Burch
Technologists are often surprised by what they’re able to accomplish when they work together in a competitive format, Mike Gelphman said.
That’s part of the reason Hack Midwest is returning this summer with the objective to inspire more techies to embrace their imagination, said Gelphman, founder of the competition, as well as KCITP, an area tech professionals group.
“The mission is to get people to create more — there’s a freedom that comes from that,” Gelphman said. “It is where they realize their own potential and what they’re truly capable of.”
One of Kansas City’s largest coding competitions, Hack Midwest challenges about 300 techies to build a mobile- or web-based app in 24 hours for a chance at winning a variety of prizes. A panel of judges will review the apps, judging on creativity, user interface originality and usefulness.
Prizes include an Amazon Alexa device, drones, tech gadgets, $500 in Ethereum cryptocurrency and more.
Hack Midwest can also serve as a first step on the road of entrepreneurship, Gelphman said. Some participants have gone on to launch companies from their projects, he added.
“When you get a bunch of smart, motivated people who love what they do in the same room, you never know what could be built,” Gelphman said. “You’ll get a chance to connect with other passionate developers and make connections that last a lifetime, and you’ll get to demonstrate your skills, get feedback on your ideas.”
Applications to compete in the July 21 competition open April 16.
Learn more about the competition with the video below.
2018 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
KC-based OYO Fitness closes a historically successful Kickstarter
To say that OYO Fitness has a successful Kickstarter campaign would be an understatement. The Kansas City-based fitness firm folded up and then crushed its recent crowdfunding effort, which raised a stunning $659,000 for its collapsible and compact exercise device. OYO’s DoubleFlex Black campaign — which snagged pre-orders from 4,200 backers — was the second…
Survivor, innovator Kim Gandy rewards patients for sticking to treatments
In her 20 years working as a transplantation clinician, Kim Gandy found it baffling that a seemingly simple problem had such a difficult time finding a solution. Transplant patients consistently struggled to adhere to their health regimens, resulting not only in significant costs for care providers but also death. “We were literally losing patients,” Gandy…
Kansas City to host national student entrepreneur competition
Kansas City will soon host a national competition for student entrepreneurs. Set for March 6 and 7 at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards will bring its top 25 national finalists to Kansas City. To qualify, student entrepreneurs must be the primary operator of a business less than six years old…
Area experts dive into uncertainty and hope for immigrant entrepreneurship
Now more than ever, it’s important for the community to come together to gain new perspectives. That notion was a driving force behind the February Innovation Exchange in which Startland News dove into the subject of immigration and entrepreneurship. Hosted in partnership with Think Big, the event welcomed a researcher and a policy expert from…