#startathon - Learn & Play!

#startathon is a 30-hour intense innovation experience designed for entrepreneurs, designers, makers, scientists and coders to rapidly ideate, prototype and validate business ideas. 

Unlike traditional hackathons, #startathon emphasises learning and actualising. Several masterclasses are held during the event, on topics such as Internet of Things, Mobile App Development, Digital Fabrication, and Business Modelling. You will also be creating a prototype of your idea with the latest tools in open source hardware (Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Particle Photon, ESP8266) and IoT development boards. There will also be equipment, tools and materials for traditional and digital fabrication, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and many more. Expect actual technology practitioners working side by side with your team to bring your prototypes to reality (not just 2 hour "mentorship" sessions)!

*Workshop topics subjected to changes.

FAQs

What is the theme for this edition?

This edition, we are designing #startathon for Learners! We welcome all students from various institutes to join us. Don't worry about competition and skills. Come learn and enjoy this innovative experience!

During this edition, we will be exploring ways to innovate and enhance learning experiences, teaching effectiveness, and gamifying education. To achieve these, we have put together a choice of 2 challenge statements for you to address.

What are the Challenge Statements?

1. Learn - The world of learning has transcended beyond the classroom walls. In an age of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCS), gamification and open educational sources, students can practically learn wherever they are. How can technology and design facilitate collaborative learning and interaction between teachers, students and learning communities outside the classroom? 

2. Play - Play is a much desired experience that is sought to be injected in work or chores. Also, increasingly, it is found that entertainment consumers are actively seeking for control, community and interactivity. Given the advancements in virtual and augmented reality, as well as holographic technology, how can we make everyday activity be fun and entertaining?

What are the prizes?

The first prize is $2000 cash, followed by the second prize at $1000 cash and the third at $500 cash. While the cash prizes may be attractive, we hope that is it the learning experience and not the prizes that is the biggest attraction! 

What is the duration of the event? Do I have to stay overnight?

The event will open its doors on Saturday, 20 February at 9am. It will continue for the next 30 hours until Sunday, 21 February at 3pm. Teams are encouraged to stay throughout the event in order to tap on the resources provided by our Consultants and to allow sufficient time to complete your project.

What do I need to bring?

Yourself! That is the most important. A survival kit list will be provided to everyone who registered closer to the event date. Some items to bring will be laptop and its charger, power bank for your mobile phone, water bottle, jacket, sleeping bag (maybe?), and writing materials. Please wear covered shoes to protect your feet and toes from dropping materials, equipments, and even hot glue! (NASTY)

What resources are available for teams to use?

All teams will have access to electronics prototyping kits which include development boards ( A choice of either the Arduino + ESP8266 or the Particle Core/Photon), a basic sensor package (Temperature. Light, Distance, Heart Beat, Pressure) and a basic actuator package (Micro Servos, LEDs, Switches, Buzzer). You will also be able to purchase additional electronic components from an on-site pop-up store. You are welcome to bring your own materials, sensors and tools to the event.

#startathons are the only hackathons to have pop-up makerspace. There will be digital fabrication equipment (3D Printers, Laser Cutter), power tools (Dremel, Drill, Bandsaw, Sewing Machines etc), materials (Cardboard, Plywood, Polymorph, Fabrics, Sheet Metal) and design software made available.

Perhaps the most important resource will be the Consultants. These are experienced professionals in the area of hardware electronics, software, fabrication and entrepreneurship who will be assisting teams throughout the duration of the hackathon (not just "mentoring" for two hours). We have 15 of them this year. Many past participants have credited their fantastic learning experience at #startathon to our awesome Consultants. 

What masterclasses will be held during #startathon?

We will having masterclasses on Connecting Things to the Internet, Working with Sensors & Actuators, Android App Development, Fast & Furious Prototyping, Microsoft Azure and Building Great Business Models.

Must my idea me original? Can I just re-submit whatever I had done before?

Our intention is for teams to develop their ideas on-site during #startathon itself. Teams may come up with prior ideas but most of the execution needs to be done during the event itself. How will we know this? Well, our consultants who will be with the teams throughout the day will be able to tell and if we become aware of such incidents, the teams involved may receive lower scores during judging.

What do you mean by the Experiential Booth presentation format?

Every team will be given a 1 metre by 1 metre floor space to create their experience booth. An experience booth should ideally allow a visitor to the booth to experience your smart nation concept in a tangible manner. The concept can either be a product or a service. Let your ideas run wild! You can see past examples of experience booths in this photo album.

Do I need to have a team already? Can I register as an individual?

Participants often sign up for #startathon as a team but if you're signing up as an individual, don't fret! We will have a team formation session right in the beginning where you can meet other like-minded individuals and form teams for the weekend with them. The minimum size for a team is 3 persons and the maximum is 5 persons. Every team must have at least 1 Coder, 1 Dealer, and 1 Maker.

Where can I contact the organiser with other questions?

You can direct your questions via email to ideasinc@ntu.edu.sg. Please expect a three working days response time.