The Co-op Hackathon
Vica
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Dear Open Co-op community - I'd like to invite you to this event. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the thread! I'm aware quite a few of you are working on relevant projects, so I hope this can be a way to showcase them to the broader co-op movement.
The Co-op Hackathon
Promoting digital innovation in the co-op movement is a major part of our strategy. We want to amplify and increase collaboration around tech – how we develop it, how we share it, how it empowers co-ops across our movement.
The Co-op Hackathon takes place on 19 and 20 October 2023 in London. It will bring together tech co-operators to collaboratively develop digital solutions for the UK co-op movement and beyond.
The Hackathon has three parts:
19 October, 6-8pm: Event launch, initial project pitches and networking
20 October, 9am-5pm: Co-op Hackathon
20 October, 6-8pm: Presentation of projects developed during the day
The Co-op Hackathon is being delivered by Co-operatives UK in partnership with The Co-operative Bank – supporting fair and ethical business together.
Ways to get involved
We’re inviting anyone with a passion for collaborative tech to get involved – you can do this in different ways:
1. Submit an idea, project or product to developAre you working on an inspiring tech or digital idea, project or product for a co-op or for the co-op movement? Submit it to us for the Co-op Hackathon. We will shortlist projects to collaborate on during the Hackathon and one could be yours!
Examples of projects we’d like to see:
Platform co-ops
Community tech projects for co-ops
Software or digital infrastructure for the co-op movement and beyond
Protocols/standards/licences for the co-op movement
Please submit your proposal by midnight Wednesday 20 September 2023. Selected teams will get the chance to present their proposal at the launch event and will be promoted in the build-up to the event. We have a limited number of bursaries for the people working on shortlisted projects – up to £150 towards the cost of travel and accommodation. Please indicate on the form if you'd like to be considered.
2. Contribute your skills, experience or expertise to a projectThis is a great opportunity to contribute your skills and expertise to some inspiring ideas – and meet the people behind them.
Do you have digital skills or expertise you can share? We particularly welcome developers, data scientists, designers, project managers, etc. But if your skills are from a different field, there are lots of ways to contribute. Register to take part as a contributor.
3. Attend the presentationsIf you aren’t able to join the full Hackathon, there are two evening events (6-8pm on 19 and 20 October). Here you will learn about the inspiring projects we'll be collaborating on and meet the teams working on them. Register to attend one or both evening events.
Where is the event taking place?
The Co-op Hackathon will take place on 19 and 20 October at The Foundry, London, SE11 5RR.
Graham Sun 23 Apr 2023 1:17PM
A question: the blurb states that in the follow-up to the event itself, there is a competition to win £10K prize, and that to be considered for the prize you need to submit a slide deck by 31 May. Does this mean that you can be in contention for the competition and prize if you submit a slide deck, but aren't able to be at the event on 11/12 May? I ask because I'm involved in what I would consider to be a highly relevant project, but it's one that isn't able to be actively involved in the London event, but would potentially want to be considered as part of the Congress awards ceremony, and which could certainly benefit from a £10K grant.
Danyl Strype Sun 23 Apr 2023 4:32AM
This looks like a great initiative. I went to a similar hackathon in Hong Kong a few years ago, which took place just before the Platform Cooperative Consortium conference there. One thing that would be great is to plan in organizing follow-up, so there's a greater chance that the projects getting prototyped at the hackathon actually end up getting to production use. The HK event seemed to completely lack any consideration of this and apparently this is par for the course with most hackathons.
Billy Smith Fri 21 Apr 2023 9:08PM
Hi Vica,
I already registered to take part, both as someone with an idea, as well as someone with skills to share, but i haven't heard back from them after i got the application-received email. :D
Do you know what the turn-around time will be for people applying to the event?
What's the overall schedule?
Oli SB Fri 21 Apr 2023 6:22PM
Excellent. Thanks for sharing @Vica
It sounds like a great event. I’m already thinking of several different things we could build on top of Murmurations… perhaps something from the list, here: https://murmurations.network/2022/07/05/what-can-you-build-on-the-murmurations-protocol/ 😏
Billy Smith · Sun 23 Apr 2023 4:53PM
From having seen and taken part in a few hackathons that had corporate sponsors, before anyone took part, the event organisers had to release the Terms & Conditions that the event would be using.
Most of the time, those T&C's contained clauses to the effect that all IP created during the event would belong to the sponsors.
i was in the habit of calling this out as BullShit.
I'm a professional.
If you want to own the work i create, then you need to pay me.
"The only people who will agree to those T&C's are the inexperienced, the naive, the unemployed, and, the desperate. Any company that is recruiting from that category is following a poor long-term strategy."
In this situation, as it's aimed at co-operatives, it should be a little different, but i haven't been able to find the paperwork yet.
I emailed Unfound about this, so when i hear back from them, i'll drop the links here. :D