Wikipedia describes the term hackathon as a “collaborative software and hardware development event.” The word creation from “Hacken” and “Marathon” has been known since 1999. In the USA, the software industry and investors have been using the method since the mid-2000s to develop new programs or prototypes of existing concepts.
Over 80% of the Fortune 100 companies conduct hackathons. Over 1000+ hackathons are conducted every year around the world, and private companies conduct 48.5% of them. Hackathon has become a tradition as software engineering studios like Matellio.
Matellio hosts an in-house hackathon every year, opening new horizons for tech enthusiasts to innovate, grow, and build highly competitive teams. Once started as a fun activity in 2016 where engineers brainstormed to build the company’s cutting-edge software, today the competition has evolved into a more challenging arena with challenges around advanced technologies like Blockchain, AI/ ML, IoT, and more.
Here’s what the company’s leaders define this unique event and how they feel that it is an integral part of how they grow.
“The Positivity and Team Work that Marks Hackathon in Matellio are Just Beyond Word”- Deepak Singh Gehlot (CEO, Matellio Inc.)
Every year, this growing Matellio family of 100+ engineers comes together to put up the best tech-driven event- Hackathon. Every year, we wish to reignite the competitive spirits, and each year, we are spellbound. Positivity comes with great learning and application efforts, a spark that lights up everyone around. Yes, how these people learn new technologies, leave behind the limitations of their expertise and choose to sparkle is incredible. Earlier, it was AI/ Ml in 2018, then it was Blockchain in 2019, and then it was IoT in 2020. With each year, we have great milestones ahead of us, and these team crosses it to set a benchmark that teams to come have to achieve. All in all, it is soul food for engineers as well as us.
“It allows Us to Grow and Take Our Teams Along with Us”- Puneet Rao (COO, Matellio Inc.)
Matellio’s Chief Operating Officer, Puneet, identifies this event as an opportunity to fuel the growth of Matellio. At Matellio, the goal is to become a leading software engineering company and offer our engineers a platform where they feel challenged, get enough space to learn and build solutions around best-in-class technology, and rise above as engineers who are recognized for their out of the box thinking. It is truly exhilarating to see the competitive engineers give put in the best of their efforts, pull up their socks to win the competition, and bring their best on the D-day while working with great team spirits.
“If You Ask me, Hackathon is Knowledge Sharing at its Best”- Vijay Narwani (CTO, Matellio Inc.)
Hackathon is the arena that empowers people to learn and grow together. With teams from various engineering departments and different skill levels, there is in it for everyone. While budding professionals can learn from their seniors, experienced people practice their project management skills and become more confident leaders.
“For tech enthusiasts like me, events like hackathon ignites my engineering thrust, and this is what I’ve always wanted to see in my engineering teams. This is when every engineer has an opportunity to unleash their creative spirits and learn best practices. It’s not just about learning new technologies; it’s also about setting new goals with in-depth research for the problem statement and finding solutions. Matellio makes sure to keep its engineers updated with new technologies and provide them with challenging opportunities. So, with each hackathon, we raise the bar and make sure every single teammate makes the best of it”. He adds.
“It is simply the best time of the year, and I look forward to the great solutions that are conceived as a result of this event.”- Keith Amann (Senior Director- Architecture and Program)
“With the brains at Matellio, we have seen great ideas turn to cutting-edge software over the years. Hackathon is, however, different. Engineers from various areas of expertise combine together to form a team, explore the technological challenge thrown at them, and work together to deliver the solution to it. The catch is- limited time frame. It is worth seeing how these people work together to implement these ideas, present them and help each other to make sure no teammate stays behind. And isn’t it the whole point of engineering? Finding problems, solving them, and making sure every human overcomes that problem.” Keith continues.
“As the founder of Matellio and technology lover, I love the team spirit, fun, and thrill that only this event can ever deliver in a technology-based company like Matellio”- Apoorv Gehlot (Founder and Board Member)
One of the Matellio Hackathon’s primary goals was to create a family-oriented company culture. When recruiting, there are two things we focus on the most: skills and culture fit. Because at work, it’s not only about being the best engineer on the team; it’s about communicating with others and building teams that last. Maintaining the same culture fit profile and atmosphere between various locations of Matellio, is an easy task. Running an in-house hackathon might help us with that. The ideas that are conceived in this event are worth all the investment.
“Above all, It’s about to Build Technically Strongest Teams that Lead the Digital World”
With all that being said, the Matellio hackathon’s key aspect is to have fun in a way where the challenging landscape offers people to explore the learners, innovators, and application-driven mindset in them. Coding is exciting, creating new things is great. At its core, a hackathon helps every engineer at Matellio make the best of learning opportunities, work with great team spirit and deliver the world- the next technology masterpiece.