LA TECHWEEK HACKATHON

August 15 - 20, 2022

Los Angeles is the birthplace of the student hackathon movement in the West Coast and our team helped build the hackathon ecosystem that continues to drive the city forward. In celebration of LA Tech Week, we are bringing together 250 designers, data scientists, and engineers for a week-long hackathon to create meaningful solutions to the challenges Angelenos face.

08/20 Expo @ BioscienceLA

HACKATHON TRACKS

Choose one of the three tracks and build meaning tech for Angelenos!

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HELPING THE DISADVANTAGED

This track will solicit projects that engage foster youth, low-income communities, underrepresented business owners, & more.

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EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY

This track will solicit projects that increase the personal and professional capacity of Angelenos, including financial literacy, & more.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT

This track will solicit projects that solve the city's challenges with climate change, recycling, the blue economy, & more.

SCHEDULE

The full schedule below is tentative and subject to change.

Monday

Kickoff

Join us for a virtual kickoff event that will provide an overview of the hackathon rules, tracks, and how to earn a spot at the expo on August 20th. Hacking will begin after kickoff and teams will be able to work remotely.

Tuesday - Friday

Office Hours & Coworking

You will be able to book office hours with elite technologists who work at companies with offices in Los Angeles, including Google, Plug and Play, NGL, ThinkSys, and Beamlink. Coworking sessions and venues will be announced via Slack.

Thursday - Friday

Workshops & Panels

You will have access to workshops and expert panels hosted by our mentors.

Saturday

(12pm - 6pm)

Live Expo & Closing Ceremony

We will host an in-person "codechella finish-up" between 12pm and 3pm at BioscienceLA where teams will be able to put the finishing touches on their projects and then engage with street vendors, creatives, and LA's top funders (including VCs, foundation grant officers, and government representatives). Judges will choose the top teams to present at closing ceremony where the winners will be announced and prizes will be awarded.

JUDGES

We've gathered hackathon judges who are subject-matter experts and are leading LA's technology revolution.

Krystle

TikTok

Krystle Ongjanco leads global marketing strategy at TikTok and has empowered nonprofits to raise million-dollar capital budgets through corporate social initiatives.

Andrei

Coinbase

Andrei Lyskov is an elite hackathon hacker who has built a career as a data scientist through his work at Apple and now Coinbase.

Lilly

i.am Angel Foundation & FYI

Lilly Kam is Senior Product Manager at FYI, Director of S.T.E.M. at i.am Angel Foundation, and cofounder of Hack for LA where she evangelized civic hackers.

Jason

Popl

Jason Alvarez-Cohen is CEO and chief engineer at Popl, a Y Combinator technology company that launched a digital business card platform.

Sean

Google

Sean is a software engineer at Google and S.T.E.M. educator who launched the first Hacker Fund Mentor Chapter in Los Angeles.

Brandon

Primary Ocean

Brandon Barney is co-founder and Director of Research at Primary Ocean, a public benefit corporation that reverses climate change through seaweed cultivation.

Lindsey

Snap, Inc.

Lindsey Heisser is Program Manager of Global Philanthropies at Snap, Inc. and develops internal programming at the intersection of diverse talent, community, and education.

Dana

KidsX

Dana Le, MHA is Head of Operations at KidsX, an international pediatrics accelerator and consortium for digital health startups and hospitals operated by Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Frederick

Forbes

Frederick Daso writes stories about recent graduates building companies as Senior Contributor at Forbes and helps startups tell their stories to the broader tech ecosystem as CEO of Founder to Founder.

Carolyn

Grid110

Carolyn Jones is Program Director at Grid110, an LA-based early-stage accelerator where she breaks down barriers for underrepresented founders.

Priscilla

30 Miles North PR

Priscilla Vento is Founder of 30 Miles North PR, Board Member of Rock to Recovery, and was featured on Builtin LA's "The Women Who are Leading the Way in LA's Tech Boom".

Matt

Cooley, LLP

Matt Hallinan is Partner at Cooley, LLP where he focuses on representing companies in venture capital financings, public offerings of securities, M&A, corporate governance matters and other general corporate matters.

Dave

BioscienceLA

Dave Whelan is CEO of BioscienceLA whose mission is to ensure LA has a collaborative ecosystem that encompasses biotech, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical diagnostics, bioinformatics, healthcare IT, medtech, digital health, and more. 

Raychel

Alliance for Southern California Innovation

Raychel Espiritu is Venture Outreach Manager at The Alliance for Southern California Innovation where she helps match Seed and Series-A-ready startups with institutional investors.

Taj

Include Ventures

Taj Ahmad Eldridge is the cofounder of the $250 million fund of funds, Include Ventures, that invests at the intersection of alpha, inclusion, and sustainability.

Eva

Hacker Fund

Eva Zheng organized Cal Hacks, the largest student hackathon of all time, and as a board member of Hacker Fund, built the empathy framework for the mentorship program that now serves 50k+ students.

Eric

Los Angeles County

Eric Espinosa is Director of Quarantine and Isolation Medical Shelter for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services where he oversees the network of quarantine isolation sites created by the County.

Justin

Hacker Fund

Justin Brezhnev is the Executive Director of Hacker Fund and launched the student hackathon movement in the West Coast when he hosted LA Hacks and Hacktech in Los Angeles in 2014.

FAQ

Is the hackathon full?

No. We are doing our best to ensure everyone has a chance to hack.

How many hackers to a team?

1 - 4. 1

Where is the hackathon expo?

The hackathon expo will take place at BioscienceLA - 4130 Overland Ave. Culver City, CA 90230.

What if I want to join a team?

We will host team-building sessions where you can meet other hackers and join a team.

Does everyone get invited to the hackathon expo on August 20th?

The top teams selected by the judges will be invited to demo at BioscienceLA.

How do I find out about workshops, office hours, and expert panels?

You will receive notifications about how to join sessions on Slack. If you are having trouble getting access and have been approved to hack, please email us.

What else should I know?

We are updating this FAQ as fast as possible. We have received overwhelming demand.

Who can I contact if I have questions?

Email us at latechweek@hacker.fund.

PARTNERS

Are you ready to hack?

You must upload a high concept pitch to Devpost by 11:59pm PT on 8/18 in order to be considered for the hackathon expo on 8/20. Join the Slack to get help with your project.

upload pitch