I’m very excited that once again I’ll be involved in organizing and facilitating HackOut for 2021. HackOut is the world’s largest LGBTQIA-themed startup hackathon. I originally got connected to HackOut in 2018. Having been a part of around 50 Startup Weekend events I was excited to get involved with an event that was directed at the LGBTQIA+ community. Pre-COVID HackOut was hosted in Austin, one of my favorite cities to visit.
Last year’s HackOut was by far the most challenging event to date. Sure, an online event does not require us to deal with logistical concerns regarding venue, parking, or food. But it replaces the physical challenges with much more daunting digital challenges. Our team spent a lot of time brainstorming a redesigned event for the virtual world that would not feel like a multi-day Zoom call.
In the end we were able to incorporate amazing tools such as StreamYard, Miro, HopIn, and Slack to create a virtual event that built community, entertained participants and most importantly provided a great educational opportunity for members of the LGBTQIA+ community to learn about entrepreneurship and explore what is possible when you pursue your dreams! Check out the HackOut site to learn about the details of this event and see some of the awesome sessions from last year.
