LaunchPad Westbury to host First Ever Long Island Hacks
LaunchPad Westbury to host First Ever Long Island Hacks
LaunchPad Westbury, the sixth and newest addition to the entrepreneurial incubators springing up across Long Island, will host Long Island’s first ever LI Hacks the weekend of August 27 and August 28, according to LaunchPad founder and CEO, Andrew Hazen. The 24-hour marathon involves more than 100 high school students under adult supervision, with nearly a dozen corporate sponsors supporting the endeavor.
“Long Island has been known for its technology and entrepreneurial spirit for decades,” said Hazen, a serial entrepreneur himself. “This Hack-A-Thon provides an excellent opportunity to immerse our next generation of business and community leaders in both, and have a good time while doing so.”
LIHacks is a 24-hour computer science marathon, explains Aaron Lafazan, LI Hacks co-founder and CEO. “Hackathons provide a venue for self-expression and creativity through technology,” the Syosset high school senior said. “People with technical backgrounds or ‘newbies’ who want to learn come together, form teams around a problem or idea, and collaboratively code a unique solution from scratch. These generally take shape in the form of websites, mobile apps, and robots.”
LaunchPad Westbury, located at 1025 Old Country Road, Westbury, was chosen because of its convenience (just a half-mile west of the Wantagh Parkway, with plentiful parking) and because the building is home to 1025Connect, which offers direct access to multiple submarine cable systems on Long Island to Europe and Latin America. “Few, if any, buildings on Long Island have this kind of connectivity,” Hazen said.
Although it doesn’t officially open until the fall, LaunchPad Westbury is also planning a Pitch Night – where entrepreneurs get the opportunity to present their projects to potential investors in a “Shark Tank”-like setting, for Monday, September 12. Anyone wanting more information about the LaunchPad Westbury Pitch Night – or LaunchPad Westbury itself – should contact LaunchPad Community Manager Michael Watt at 516-874-7212 or michael@launchpadli.com.
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding LI Hacks
What If I’ve Never Coded Before?
You may want to know the basics, but nothing is required. There will also be workshops where you can improve your skills and on-site mentors to assist in your projects.
How Much Will This Cost Me? What Do I Need To Bring?
This event, including food, swag, and awesome prizes, is completely free! The only cost is upfront – to ensure you’re as serious about LIHacks as we are, you’ll be charged $5 for a ticket and reimbursed at the door. You should bring a laptop, chargers, a blanket or pillow / sleeping bag, deodorant, toothbrush / toothpaste, and/or any hardware that you cannot hack without or that your hack is based on.
Who Can Attend? Do I Need A Team?
Any high school student may apply for and attend the hackathon.
You can join a team on the day of the event based on your interest in a particular challenge or a match of skills. Mentors at the event can help you to find the right team for you. You are also welcome to form your team in advance and come to the event together.
How Can I Get There?
LaunchPad Westbury, the venue for LIHacks, is about a 10-minute walk from the Westbury LIRR stop. Shuttles will be provided by the organizers’ family – if you need a ride, contact aaron@lihacks.com.
Is The Event Limited to Just Software Development?
Absolutely not! We need people with all types of skills to participate! Teams need project managers, designers, artists, educators, writers – anyone who can help advance the cause. You can definitely contribute! Participants in the event will collaborate to build software, open hardware, and more! In fact, most teams will benefit from having non-programmers working with them.
Can I Be A Mentor?
Definitely! Simply click the registration button above and enter your information to be registered. Then send us an email at team@lihacks.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
I Have Another Question! How Should I Ask?
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at team@lihacks.com
For more on hackathons in general, please check out this Medium post: https://medium.com/hackathons-anonymous/wtf-is-a-hackathon-92668579601#.8gfgz9r6p.
Many hackathons happen all over the world, but the vast majority of them are college-based. The following are the biggest college hackathons:
http://2015f.pennapps.com/ – Penn Apps, the literal Gold Standard of hackathons
https://2016.hackatbrown.org/ – Hack At Brown
https://hackthenorth.com/ – Hack the North, Canada’s biggest hackathon
