What a weekend that was!
Kicked off by quite possibly the largest game of scissors-paper-rock as an ice-breaker, a personal message from the cofounder of Apple and world renowned inventor, Steve Wozniak (see here), along with motivational openings by HBF’s CEO Rob Bransby and Spacecubed’s Managing Director, Brodie McCulloch, Spacecubed hosted over 120 participants and observers for the HBF Activate hackathon launch night.
Tasked with finding innovations in the health sector, and challenged with the pressure of time, Spacecubed and HBF welcomed over 80 eager participants to take part in our newest hackathon, stage two of the HBF Activate programme. Applications are now open for the accelerator programme, click here to apply by 11.59pm Wednesday.
Launched in early August, HBF and Spacecubed teamed up to promote local entrepreneurs, idea creators and innovators in developing prototyped businesses, aimed at solving the key challenges facing the health sector.
“We were blown away by the quality of ideas formed and the incredible energy and passion maintained by the participants over the weekend,’ Spacecubed’s Partnerships and Programmes Manager, Tom Riordan, said.
"The intellect of the people involved and their ideas were of the highest calibre. I was seriously excited by at least seven pitches last weekend, it's going to be very difficult to decide a top three for the accelerator programme after Wednesday's applications," said HBF's Chief Information Officer, David Gollan, who was a keen observer and sounding board for participants across the weekend. He's also a member of the programme's judging panel.
This weekend’s event provided a taster of startup life to our eager participants, and introduces idea creators, critical thinkers and innovators to experiencing what it takes to create a successful business and align it to a model that will help it grow.
"Amid an intense and demanding 54-hour health centric hackathon, it was vital for us to inspire our participants with healthy tips too, so we ran mentorship sessions, and even put on yoga to keep those creative thoughts flowing," Hackathon Facilitator and Web Developer Sam Mead said (see image below).
What Now?
As the second stage of the HBF Activate programme draws to a close, it’s now time to apply to the third and final stage, the HBF Activate Accelerator. Three early stage ideas will base themselves at Spacecubed for 12 weeks and take part in the HBF Activate accelerator.
With expert mentors, a community of over 800 business teams and experienced startup founders on hand everyday; the transition from ideas to ready-to-market business prototypes will be supported by $30,000 funding for just a 6% share in equity.
Didn’t attend the hackathon but still have an idea you want to pitch? Don’t worry!
Applications onto our latest accelerator are due before 11.59pm on Wednesday August 31st. From there, shortlisted applications will be invited to privately pitch to the judging panel at the HBF head office.
Remember, if you couldn’t attend the hackathon for any reason, you are still encouraged to apply onto the accelerator. We’re excited to see even more innovations so apply here and get in quick for you chance to grow a HBF and Spacecubed supported local business.
Click here to Apply here today.
