University of Leeds Hackathon

  Everyone is invited to join our 24 hour non-stop hackathon looking at the challenging and exciting area of Financial Technology in partnership with major technology leaders (PWC, YBS and others). Join us for this event, work in a team and propose a concept, or build a prototype, or design a start-up. Our sponsors have provided a set of topics in the areas of financial tech, digital identity, security, and personal digital assistants. Once you've been allocated a team, you will have 24 hours to propose a great idea for a particular topic and produce an initial prototype. You will then present your idea to a judging panel on Sunday afternoon. A winning team will be chosen for each topic area. Throughout the event you will be given mentoring and support by research staff and engineers in designing and building your concept. Mentors will also be on hand to look at your CV and give you tips on employability etc. PRIZES The winning teams will each receive a £500 Amazon voucher.  TEAMS Teams will consist of 4 people, you can either register as a team or we can help you form a team at the reception event. We encourage multi-disciplinary teams to give you the best the chance of success. AGENDA Fri 26 Oct18.30 Check-in (University House)19:00 – Welcome and Sponsors announce the challenges20:00-21:30 –  Buffet, networking and team building Sat 27 Oct10:00 –  Team registration (Michael Sadler Building)12:00 – Hack, hack, hack with refreshments, lunch, & pizza dinner in between. This runs through the night. Mentoring support will be available throughout the event. Sun 28 Oct8:00  – Breakfast & carry on hacking9:00–11:00 – Opportunity to practice pitching the solution12:00-14.30 –  Pitch presentations, lunch & announcement of winners15:00  – Scheduled close FAQs Are there restrictions on who can take part? There are no restrictions on who can take part (other than age requirement of 18+). The event is open to individuals with an interest in computer programming, students from universities across the country (undergraduates and postgraduates) and staff from the universities in Leeds. We'd also love to see a great mix of disciplines, although having someone with a computing background on your team will help. Are meals provided? Yes, at the reception on Friday we'll provide a buffet. On Saturday we'll provide lunch and dinner. On Sunday we'll provide breakfast and lunch. There will be coffee and soft drinks available throughout as well. There is not cost for the food or drink. Do we need to register as a team? No, teams will consist of 4 people. All members of the team should register individually before the event and you can let us know on Friday that you've got team sorted. If you haven't got a team yet, we'll help you either form or join a team during the reception on Friday and Saturday morning. Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event? Yes, hackathon participants must be over 18 as the event runs throughout Saturday night. What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event? After 5PM the University Edge and Multi-Storey car parks are open to the public. Payment is made before exiting. Further details can be found here: http://carparking.leeds.ac.uk/visitors/ What can I bring into the event? Please bring a laptop. How can I contact the organiser with any questions? Either use the contact details on your registration form or contact the School of Computing on 0113 343 5430. Do I need to be a computer scientist or programmer to take part? No, you can either present a concept or form a team with people who can build a prototype with you. Multi-disciplinary teams are often most effective. Do we go home on Friday evening after the welcome reception? Yes, after the welcome reception the hackathon kicks off on Saturday morning and then runs through the night until Sunday afternoon.