Book Image

Dream! Hack! Build!

By : Ann Molin, Love Dager, Mustafa Sherif, Carolina Emanuelson, Dr. Kristofer Vernmark
Book Image

Dream! Hack! Build!

By: Ann Molin, Love Dager, Mustafa Sherif, Carolina Emanuelson, Dr. Kristofer Vernmark

Overview of this book

Discover the transformative power of hackathons with expert guidance from Ann, founder of the Hack for Earth Foundation. With a background in psychology and years of experience as Head Project Manager at Hack for Sweden, she brings unparalleled insight into human behavior and citizen-driven innovation. In this book, Ann introduces the innovative Dream! Hack! Build! method and guides you in taking action through the hackathon process and implementing solutions fast. The book is divided into three parts. Part I explains why hackathons are effective for innovation in today’s complex business landscape, showcasing real-world examples of citizen-driven innovation and how to use them to drive impact in your organization. Part II delves into organizing a hackathon, emphasizing audience engagement by creating challenges with a deep sense of urgency. You’ll learn how to choose the right hackathon platforms, structure, and communication strategy, and manage hackers, mentors, jury groups, and partnerships to serve your hackathon purpose and achieve impactful results. Part III is where you’ll bring hackathon solutions to fruition by designing a customized acceleration program grounded in science and established facts of start-up success. By the end of this book, you’ll be on your way to becoming a change maker of the future.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Part 1: Why We Hack
5
Part 2: Introduction to How to Hack
11
Part 3: Introduction to How to Build
15
Glossary
Appendix A: Appendix B

Driving impact through hackathons

A hackathon is a competition in innovation, often organized during a short period of time. A common timeframe is 24-48 hours, and traditionally, this timeframe is set during a weekend so that the participants can devote their time completely to the task at hand. The powerful force of the hackathon setup is that it provides people the possibility to come together to create solutions to difficult problems in a short timeframe, giving them both hope that it’s possible to do something about a seemingly very complex problem and the experience that you can accomplish things faster than you would think. Another important aspect is that people are working in teams, and this amplifies the notion that collaboration is the key to success. Connecting minds to create solutions has been a successful way of dealing with complex problems for the human race since the dawn of time.

In large organizations, as well as in society, there is a need for smooth collaboration...