• What is We Hack Too?
• What is the purpose and goal of We Hack Too?
• Who should participate in the virtual hackathon?
• What if I don’t know how to program/code?
• What are the dates of the virtual hackathon?
• What is the goal of the virtual hackathon?
• What is the theme of the virtual hackathon?
• What are the themes of the multi-city 1-day events?
• What is the multi-city 1-day event?
• Where are the multi-city 1-day event?
• Who can participate in the multi-city 1-day event?
• Where do I register for the virtual hackathon?
• How do I form or join a team?
• How do I register for the 1-day event in the select Microsoft Stores?
• What is the criteria for being invited to the 1-day event in the select Microsoft Stores?
• If a team is not invited to the 1-day event in the select Microsoft Stores, does it mean the idea isn’t a good one?
• Can I / team submit a product I already have?
• When and where is the 1-day event being held?
• How much will participation cost me?
• What should I bring to the 1-day event if invited?
• Do I need a team?
• Is there a limit on attendees?
• Is there a waiting list in the event than an invited team cancels or doesn’t attend the day of?
• What deliverables are expected?
• Will there be prizes?
• How will the pitch presentations be judged for the 192 hour virtual hackathon?
• How will the pitch presentations be judged for the 1-day event?
• Who are the judges?
• Who owns my project and IP?
• Who’s sponsoring the Hackathon?

General

• What is We Hack Too?

  It is a virtual hackathon that brings together a community of high school girls and college level women with an interest in business and product development. They come together to brainstorm, create ideas, develop prototypes and business strategies within 192 hours (8 days).

  It includes an invitation only, multi-city 1-day launch event inside select Microsoft stores (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Connecticut, Houston, New York, Santa Clara, Seattle and Toronto). The event is what we call our Business Development & Design Incubator. The 1-day event also includes three 2-hour “Introduction to Coding & Gaming” workshops for girls 8-13 years of age.

• What is the purpose and goal of We Hack Too?

  We Hack Too is designed to help young girls and women engage, learn and grow around product design and business development. We not only introduce the world of coding to beginners, but we also support and empower those who are experienced. The overall goal is to encourage more young girls and women into tech.

• Who should participate in the virtual hackathon?

  High school and college aged girls across any discipline. The girls must participate in groups of 3.

• What if I don’t know how to program/code?

  We’re passionate about making We Hack Too very welcoming and beginner-friendly. If you are willing to learn and full of ideas there are people eager to teach you what you need to know and put your creativity in motion. Additionally, we will be evaluating teams for “skill diversity.” It is preferable for each team to have one member who is familiar with coding however other team members should have interest in other disciplines i.e. visual design, business, project management or industry specific interest.

• What are the dates of the virtual hackathon?

  We Hack Too will last 192 hours, starting on Friday, June 23rd through Saturday, June 30th.

• What is the goal of the virtual hackathon?

  Teams come together for 8 days (192 hours) to develop solutions that puts inspiration, creativity, and ingenuity center stage.

• What is the theme of the virtual hackathon?

  Each city has a specific theme. Those who attend the events must develop their ideas and products according to that theme. Virtual participants can chose from any of the event themes across the 11 cities only. Ideas, prototypes and business strategies that are not within the themes indicated will not be accepted.

• What are the themes of the multi-city 1-day events?

  • Atlanta – STEM Education
  • Austin – Clean Energy
  • Chicago – Gaming/Interactive
  • Connecticut – STEM Education
  • Houston – Energy
  • Los Angeles – Entertainment & Digital Media
  • New York – Gaming/Interactive
  • San Francisco – Biotechnology
  • Santa Clara – Tech Startups
  • Seattle – Tech Startups
  • Toronto – STEM Education

• What is the multi-city 1-day event?

  A Business Development & Design Incubator that is geared towards building a presentation deck that explores your project’s business model and go-to-market strategy. At the close of the day, teams will pitch their ideas to industry leaders who will rate the viability of the idea. The incubator experience is for high school and college level women that runs from 8:30 am ~ 7:30 pm.

  The day also includes 3 two-hour coding / gaming workshops for ages 8 ~ 13. The sessions run respectively at 9 am, 12:30 pm and 5 pm.

• Where are the multi-city 1-day event?
  • Atlanta (The Perimeter)
  • Austin (The Domain)
  • Chicago (Oakbrook Center)
  • Connecticut (Westfarms)
  • Houston (Houston Galleria)
  • Los Angeles (Westfield Century City)
  • New York (Fifth Avenue)
  • San Francisco (Westfield San Francisco Centre)
  • Santa Clara (Westfield Valley Fair)
  • Seattle (Bellevue Square Mall)
  • Toronto (Toronto Eaton Centre)
• Who can participate in the multi-city 1-day event?

  High school and college level students can participate in the Business Development & Design Incubator. We also host three 2-hour “Introduction to Coding & Gaming” workshops for girls ages 8 – 13.

• Where do I register for the virtual hackathon?

  All participants must register by visiting wehacktoo.org or bstemproject.org/we-hack-too.

• How do I form or join a team?

  To participate in the virtual hackathon or 1-day incubator experience, you must participate in teams of three. You can register as a team or form a team with other individual participants. We will help to facilitate connecting participants. Participating in teams does not apply to the coding / gaming workshops.

• How do I register for the 1-day event in the select Microsoft Stores?

  You must first register for the virtual hackathon through wehacktoo.org or bstemproject.org/we-hack-too. Participation is by invitation only and you will be contacted via email or phone if your team has been selected. We will have a waiting list in the event an invited team is unable to participate.

• What is the criteria for being invited to the 1-day event in the select Microsoft Stores?

  A committee of professionals will invite teams based on aspects such as: diversity of team members’ skill; interest and variety of ideas; relation to the specified industries. Please note that each store will have industries of focus.

• If a team is not invited to the 1-day event in the select Microsoft Stores, does it mean the idea isn’t a good one?

  Absolutely not. Again, it’s not solely based on the ideas. We are striving for diversity in industry, product and team members. For example, your product may focus on a health app, but we’ve already invited a team working on a concept in the same industry.

• Can I / team submit a product I already have?

  We ask that all participants start their projects from scratch. The first day teams can begin designing their product is June 23rd. The prototype and go-to-market strategy must be completed within the 8-days.

• When and where is the 1-day event being held?

  On Friday, June 23rd inside select Microsoft Stores. The Business Development & Design Incubator runs from 8:30 AM-7:30 PM. The 3 two-hour coding / gaming workshops for ages 8 ~ 13 run 9 am, 12:30 pm and 5 pm.

  The locations are as follows:

  • Atlanta (The Perimeter)
  • Austin (The Domain)
  • Chicago (Oakbrook Center)
  • Connecticut (Westfarms)
  • Houston (Houston Galleria)
  • Los Angeles (Westfield Century City)
  • New York (Fifth Avenue)
  • San Francisco (Westfield San Francisco Centre)
  • Santa Clara (Westfield Valley Fair)
  • Seattle (Bellevue Square Mall)
  • Toronto (Toronto Eaton Centre)

  *Invited teams must be able to attend the entire day to participate.

• How much will participation cost me?

  We Hack Too is 100% free! All we ask for is your enthusiasm, honest efforts, collaborative spirit, and positive attitude. Our Business Development & Design Incubator at select Microsoft store locations is also free.

• What should I bring to the 1-day event if invited?

  Please bring a laptop, power supply, and above all else your energy and brainpower. If you don’t have a laptop computer, come anyway.

• Do I need a team?

  Yes. Everyone must participate in teams of 3 for both the virtual and in-store events. You can form a team independently or we will assist with putting together individuals with others who are looking for a team. All participants must register independently.

• Is there a limit on attendees?

  There is not a limit on teams participating in our 8-day (192 hours) virtual hackathon. However, our 1-day event on Friday, June 23rd has a limit of 60 participants per store.

• Is there a waiting list in the event an invited team cancels or doesn’t attend the day of?

  Yes, we call this our reserve list. The teams on this list will be notified of any changes immediately. On the day of the event there will be a fifteen minute grace period for teams to arrive. If an invited team does not arrive by 9 am, the next available team on our reserve list will be able to participate. Thus, reserve teams must be willing to arrive at the location understanding they may not be able to participate in the day’s activities.

• What deliverables are expected?

  At the end of the Business Development & Design Incubator, teams will be expected to pitch their product and go-to-market strategy. At the end of the 8-day (192 hours) virtual hackathon, a prototype and go-to-market-strategy should be submitted.

• Will there be prizes?

  There will be awards, prizes, and opportunities for those with the highest cumulative scores from our panel of judges. Participants in the 8-day (192 hours) virtual hackathon must submit both a working prototype and go-to-market strategy. Those who participate solely in the 1-day Business Development & Design Incubators must develop and idea and pitch their go-to-market strategies to a panel of judges. The national prizes go to the team with the highest scores participating in the 8-day (192 hours) portion. The local prizes are awarded to teams with the highest scores attending the 1-day event. Teams can participate in both and win locally as well as nationally.

• How will the pitch presentations be judged for the 192 hour virtual hackathon?

  At the end of the 192 hour virtual hackathon, a virtual panel of judges will evaluate the finished prototype based on the following criteria: technical complexity, visual design, ingenuity, market viability and adherence to We Hack Too’s themes.

• How will the pitch presentations be judged for the 1-day event?

  Projects will be judged on ingenuity, design, market viability and adherence to the themes presented at the Microsoft stores.

• Who are the judges?
  Judges are all industry leaders and top executives across industries.
• Who owns my project and IP?

  The team that develops the project is the owner of the project & IP.

• Who’s sponsoring the Hackathon?

  B~STEM Project and Microsoft.