
START hack IS BACK
START Hack unites coders, designers, and business students to celebrate technology and push innovation forward in one continent-spanning hackathon - programming skills not required
We partner with dedicated growth partners that enable you to learn fundamental business skills to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey
For the first time ever, START Hack will take place virtually, hosted on a professional event platform conveying the beloved hackathon vibe
From Hacker to tech entrepreneur
01 | Business Foundation
At START Hack, we equip you with the skills needed in the world of entrepreneurship. Learn about founding and running startups, using the ecosystem to your advantage, profiling and getting to know how to transfer your ideas into a valid business case. We offer tailor-made online content before the event and workshops during it.
02 | START Hack
Our hackathon is the perfect opportunity to connect with like-minded people, share and exchange ideas and start building a working prototype. START Hack provides a truly engaging environment with challenging cases by our partners, workshops, and, of course, all the other benefits a good hackathon brings.
03 | START Summit
To strengthen the bridge between entrepreneurship and technology, every participant will receive a free ticket for START Summit - Europe's biggest student-run entrepreneurship conference. Here, participants can find their future co-founders, meet investors and challenge their ideas to bring them to the next level!
04 | Growth
Having a working prototype is great! However, how to go about it from there? As we want to leverage the potential that lies in our creative and innovative participants, START Hack is partnering with incubators, mentors and more to help them make the next steps into launching their own startup.
by students, for students

Mobility
Mobility is a fundamental human need, and an essential enabler of prosperity. Sadly, the current mobility paradigm is not sustainable; car travel causes millions of deaths every year, significant greenhouse emissions, and congested highways, causing huge financial losses. Nevertheless, there is hope – the global mobility system is in the early stages of massive transformation as new technologies enable innovative related businesses, and as policy-makers seek out ways to foster mobility that is smarter, cleaner, and more inclusive.
This year's Mobility Case is presented by:
Healthtech
Whether it’s software as a medical device, clinical decision support (CDS), predictive diagnostics, health IT systems, health apps, fitness trackers, wearable devices or telehealth systems – digital health is rapidly changing how we predict, monitor, manage and make decisions about health. Currently, dozens of established companies as well as emerging startups are constantly working on disrupting this innovation-dependent industry. As such, healthtech is one of the fastest growing vertical markets within the health sector.
This year's Healthtech Cases are presented by:
Urban Innovation
As more than half of the world’s population lives in cities nowadays, urban innovation is a topic that can influence quality of life for billions of people – dense cities provide the testbeds for innovative solutions, more efficient and sustainable processes and new forms of governing. Urban Innovation enables not just smarter things, but smarter decisions. A truly data driven smart city uses technology to promote better decision-making for city officials and its residents living in and around it.
This year's Urban Innovation Cases are provided by:
Future of Work
The world of work is changing fast – and creating healthy new work models will be necessary to build a sustainable and safe labour environment for our society. The most successful approaches will take into account shifting demographics, changing job roles and digitalization, and will leverage disruption as a means to design workplaces that best serve everyone’s long-term needs. Having been affected by COVID-19 this year, the current labour market and working models are ready to be challenged and disrupted.
This year's Future of Work Cases are provided by:
Frequently asked questions
What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is best described as an “invention marathon” in which teams collaborate on a project within a 36-hour time limit. It is where you turn your crazy ideas into real projects. We provide software, mentors, fun activities, speakers, workshops, friends, and so much more. You take care of hacking; we’ll take care of you.
What is START Hack?
What differentiates START Hack from other hackathons is our emphasis on fostering entrepreneurial spirit within our participants. We strive to spark thinking and creating beyond just this one weekend. This is why we encourage students with both business or tech backgrounds to apply!
What can we build?
There are no limits set to your creativity! Any creative prototype linked to an entrepreneurial idea or any other cool project is what we are looking for – keep in mind, a shiny pitchdeck alone won't take you far!
How big are the teams?
Teams are usually 2-4 people in size. Teams bigger than 4 people are split up into smaller ones, as we've found large teams aren't the best solution for a 36h event.
When can I apply?
Applications open on the 8th of December 2020 and close on the 18th of March 2021.
How much does it cost?
Thanks to our partners, START Hack is completely free! We will provide food, swag and awesome tech gadgets as prizes.
Do I need to be able to code to apply?
Anyone with an interest in technology can attend to learn, build & share their creations over the course of a weekend in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. You don’t have to be a programmer and you certainly don’t have to be majoring in Computer Science.
What if I don't have a team?
Not a problem! We’ll have team-forming activities to help you find teammates and idea brainstorming sessions for all our challenges. Some of our best hacks have been from teams that met and formed on the spot!

Dalith
Steiger
Co-Founder | SwissCognitive
Dalith Steiger is the Co-founder of the award-winning start-up SwissCognitive - The Global AI Hub. With her extensive knowledge and passion for cognitive technologies, she is a global AI advisor and speaker on international stages. She is also CEO of the Swiss IT Leadership Forum and sits in the Digital Economic Award jury. She teaches AI & Machine Learning in a CAS module at the Applied University of Luzern. In 2020 she was named one of the top 50 tech influencer women and one of the top 10 women influencers in AI.

Cédric
Waldburger
CEO | Tomahawk.VC
Cédric Waldburger invests in early-stage technology companies through his venture capital firm [Tomahawk.VC](http://tomahawk.vc/). Prior to that, he built companies in the agency, consumer and blockchain sector. Most recently, he co-founded DFINITY, the Silicon Valley unicorn. Cédric has a master’s degree in electrical engineering from ETH Zurich and HKUST in Hong Kong, a passion for difficult riddles and decluttering everything that’s not essential – he has lived without an apartment for several years and only owns 64 things, all of which are black. On YouTube he regularly vlogs about his life experiments and insights into his life as an investor.

Alex
Ilic
Co-Founder | ETH AI Center
Alex is an experienced deep tech entrepreneur and AI researcher. He leads the ETH AI Center which is with over 81 professors one of the leading global AI research hubs. Previously, he co-founded the computer vision spin-off Dacuda (exit to Magic Leap in 2017) and built up Magic Leap Switzerland. He was named 2x Entrepreneur of the Year and won several awards.

Nicole
Büttner
Co-Founder & CEO | Merantix Labs
Nicole is an entrepreneur, economist and tech optimist. She believes that artificial intelligence has the potential to create deep positive impact on individuals, businesses and society as a whole. Currently Nicole Büttner is the CEO of Merantix Labs in Berlin. Before having joined Merantix, she founded DataQuotient, a data analytics and AI consulting firm and expert platform helping companies implementing machine learning projects to create real value.

Massimo
Banzi
Co-Founder | Arduino
Massimo Banzi is the co-founder of the Arduino project. He introduced the first FabLab in Italy which then lead to creation of the Officine Arduino, a makerspace and FabLab based in Torino. Throughout his career, he has not only worked as a software architect for clients such as Italia Online, the Labor Party or Sapient, but also as a consultant for clients like Prada, Artemide or Adidas.

Marc
Langenbrinck
CEO | Mercedes-Benz Schweiz