Hack The Hub Tech Event Returns To Belfast

The UK and Ireland’s number one leading hackathon series has announced their return to Belfast this month for #HackTheHub22.

Founded by a group of Data Science students in Northern Ireland, this year’s annual event will take place on Saturday, May 28 hosted in McAuley House, Belfast and marks the return of the in-person innovative tech event that combines all things code, creativity and community.

#HackTheHub Director Conor Graham, revealed the 2022 theme is Data and AI, both increasingly popular developments in the tech industry: “This year we are bringing together the intersection of data and artificial intelligence. Teams will explore areas such as forecasting, time series analysis, natural language processing and machine learning techniques.”

“We chose this theme because that’s the way the economy is going. Everyone wants to be using data and analytics to learn more effectively and run their businesses better but many don’t know how to do that.”

The hacking extravaganza runs from 09:00am to 10pm and welcomes developers, data scientists, designers and product owners of all levels who will spend the day developing innovative solutions and tackling a number of challenges within the space of 12 hours. 

Senior Director of Data Strategy and Governance at Slice, Marion Rybnikar said: “#HackTheHub is back and Slice is delighted to be part of it. At Slice we believe in community. We tackle challenges, we collaborate, we persevere and we celebrate our successes together which is at the heart of HackTheHub and exactly why we are sponsoring this year.

“We’re excited to finally get the Belfast tech community back together and what a way to get things started. As a company, we value big ideas and bold goals and we can’t wait to see what the teams dream up at this year’s Hackathon.”

Conor said that the #HackTheHub22 hackathon is ideal for both those breaking into the tech space, but also those already in the industry that haven’t had the chance to develop these sought after skill sets.

He added: “#HackTheHub provides the perfect opportunity to try something different. Being in a team with people who have a wide array of skill sets ensures there’s a solid kind of proof concept there that they can then go to look to take further on down the line.

“In the past it has helped people secure jobs or companies have straight up offered multiple job offers. There’s also been people starting businesses, building products and starting their careers from it.”

With Slice as the headline partner, other partners include: Insider Inc, Confluent, Enthuse, Github, Nigma, Datactics, Analytics Engines, Barclays Eagle Labs and help from the community groups PyBelfast and Women Tech Makers, all tickets to the event are free and will begin on Saturday morning. 

Judges will decide which solution is the “Best Application Use of Data & AI” in Northern Ireland and will score based on the level of innovation, business value and quality of pitch.

Previous attendee hacker, Kathleen said that her time at the event was a great opportunity to connect with other like minded individuals: “I met so many people working in tech at HackTheHub. They were so willing to help out, so supportive and I am so glad I got the opportunity to attend.”

For more information and tickets go to hackthehub.com

#HackTheHub22 is sponsored by Slice, Confluent, Insider INC, Enthuse, GitHub, Datactics, Analytic Engines, Barclays Eagle Labs and Nigma.