I”™ve been hearing a lot of concern about how much tech talent there is in Connecticut.
While we”™ll obviously never be the same as San Francisco, New York or Boston, it is too easy to dismiss what is actually an amazing place, a place with a lot more tech talent and innovation than meets the eye, and we have lobster rolls.
It is with this in mind that we created the Stamford Hackathon last year. For those that aren”™t familiar, Hackathons are weekend-long events where developers, designers and the tech-savvy get together to build software projects, usually around a theme or technology.
Developers love these for several reasons. First, coders like to code and this is the ultimate geek-out. Second, most developers try to stay up to speed with what”™s going on in the industry and hackathons are a great way to learn something new. And third, they get a chance to win the hackathon, showing everyone who”™s the best. I”™ve heard more people brag about winning a hackathon than almost anything else.
The Stamford Hackathon, which this winter will be from Friday, Feb. 19, through Sunday, Feb. 21, at the Stamford Innovation Center, is unique among hackathons for several reasons.
First, this hackathon will have three related, open-to-the-public events going on during this weekend. These three events are designed to broaden our tech community and get everyone involved. On Saturday, Feb. 20, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., we”™ll have maker spaces and the Westport Mini Maker Faire on our second floor. These will have 3-D printers, robots and some amazing Virtual Reality headsets, among other things. We”™ll also have a series of tech talks, including a cybersecurity panel. Finally, we”™re hosting a high school “STEM” hackathon. All of this so that we as a community can see and experience the latest in technology.
Second, we”™ve built, again, some serious technology for the city and for developers. The first time, we created a high resolution, 3-D interactive map of Stamford, using government surveys. This time, with the help of the city government, BLT and our friends from Flowthings.io, we”™re building a unique “IoT Corridor” in downtown Stamford, running from the Stamford Innovation Center to Harbor Point. We built these so that our hackathon will truly give access to the latest in technology.
Finally, the Stamford Hackathon brings together startups, developers, city government, state government, universities, high schools and the Stamford Innovation Center, all in one place to celebrate Fairfield County and its growing tech scene.
So come by, have a look at Stamfordhackathon.org, or just pop by on Saturday, Feb. 20, and see the makers, hackers and us.
 ”” Hugh Seaton
A Stamford native, Hugh Seaton has spent more than two decades in technology marketing. He serves as head of education and events at the Stamford Innovation Center and as CEO of Aquinas Training, an enterprise software firm. A graduate of Columbia Business School, he is an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University. He speaks Mandarin fluently and spent nine years working in China. He can be reached at Hseaton@stamfordinnovationcenter.com.
