The countdown is on! The first TECHFEST Munich kicks off next Friday under the motto: "More than a Hackathon." We asked Alexander Waldmann, responsible for the TechAudit on the TECHFEST team, what makes TECHFEST special, which startups are participating, and why you shouldn't miss it.
1. More than a hackathon! So what can we expect at the first TECHFEST Munich?
The TECHFEST Munich is a Combination of hackathon, makethon and festivalThere's nothing comparable yet! The participants are diverse – tech enthusiasts, hackers, founders, biologists, and designers come together here.
What you can expect: unusual topics such as "Hacking the Chemistry Lab of the Future" or "How Virtual and Augmented Reality Are Influencing Our Future," the high-tech MakerSpace workshop with laser cutters and 3D printers, and, of course, plenty of prizes. We'll also have well-known speakers from the industry, such as Johann Romefort from Stylight and Amazon and Ciro Nunes, Google's Angular Expert. A supporting program with DJs, live bands, Tai Chi, and plenty of surprises will ensure a relaxed festival atmosphere.
2. How did the idea of setting up TECHFEST come about?
UnternehmerTUM has been organizing hackathons and similar events for a long time – such as Think.Make.Start. It's incredible how many great ideas can be generated in just 72 hours, and the innovative power of the hackathon format! Unfortunately, hackathons have sprung up like mushrooms in recent years – but the content, innovative power, and atmosphere have often fallen by the wayside. We therefore wanted to rethink and further develop the hackathon format – more than a hackathon Our motto is therefore:
- more disciplines – the TECHFEST is open to participants from various fields such as computer science, robotics and mechanical engineering, but also to makers and designers.
- more impact – we want a hackathon project to become more – that's why we offer selected teams the opportunity to further develop their idea with UnternehmerTUM and perhaps even build a startup.
- And of course: more fun!
3. Who can participate in TECHFEST? And in which areas should projects be implemented?
The TECHFEST is for clever lateral thinkersIt's a large, cross-disciplinary event where we want to bring together hackers, makers, and designers who will then create something completely new. For example, a biohacker, a virtual reality designer, or a data scientist who wants to analyze football. They all have one thing in common: they're passionate about new technology, can and want to think outside the box, and are interested in what's happening in other areas or industries.
We present a wide variety of topics and technologies from our partners: "Mobility" from MAN, "Illumination" from OSRAM, and "Smart Automation" from AstraZeneca. The goal is to develop simple solutions to complex problems – so “where does the shoe pinch?” or also “What can you do when you combine two technologies?” For example, Adidas will provide sensor balls or sportswear, but maybe the participants will also make evening dresses glow? Amazon will offer AWS Cloud Credits, next47 by Siemens The HTC Vive and Hololens, a load of Arduinos from Intel, and an entire bus to hack from Flixbus. We want to motivate our participants to come up with the craziest ideas possible. And for anyone who wants to try something new and crazy, there's the city of Munich's "Wild Track."
4. Which startups are participating? And what role do they play at TECHFEST?
When we designed TECHFEST, it was clear to us from the outset: Startups must be there. Many lateral thinkers, inventors, and hackers are there. With the diverse mix of startups at TECHFEST, we're trying to show that things get exciting when very different people come together!
Hence comes eGym the “smart” training device, Unity experts from General Interfaces are involved, NavVis provides a mobile 3D scanner and SynBio.info holds a workshop with AstraZeneca on the laboratory of the future. Startups are both participants and partners They show participants that a spark created at a hackathon can quickly spread into a fire. After all, some of them started out that way.
5. Why shouldn’t you miss TECHFEST?
The TECHFEST offers exciting topics, new technologies – a hardware library with many gadgets, from Arduinos to the Hololens – and great prices – Oktoberfest tables, plane tickets, tablets, and, of course, cash. DJs will keep the party going all day, food and drinks will be available around the clock, and anyone who wants can stay overnight in the tent. The highlight, however, is the Midnight Surprises, to which I say nothing more than: It's worth staying until night!
Alex Waldmann studied computer science at the Technical University of Munich and MIT and is responsible for the Tech Audit on the TECHFEST team. He is Project Leader Tech Talents at UnternehmerTUM.
