Incoming Workshops at HackATL 2020
Every year, our organization Emory Entrepreneurship & Venture Management (EEVM) hosts HackATL, the most prominent business hackathon in the Southeast. In this year’s HackATL, participants will have 48 hours to develop a prototype centered around the theme “Adventure is Out There”. As HackATL is just around the corner, we wanted to spotlight the workshops and programs that allow HackATL to attract over 1000 students from top undergraduate programs across the United States.
During their 48 hours the teams have to develop their pitches, contestants will have access to various workshops that can help catalyze and fine-tune their ideation and prototyping processes. These workshops range from learning how to create functional AR/VR apps to ideation brainstorming sessions, so there is a workshop for every role on an entrepreneurial team- from the “coder” to the “designer”.
Can’t wait for HackATL? Here is a sneak peak of the workshops that you can experience soon.
HackATL Keynote Speaker: Matt Wallaert
Join Matt Wallaert, Chief Behavioral Officer of Clover Health, and innovative students from across the world at HackATL’s keynote address!
For over fifteen years, Wallaert has been applying behavioral science to practical problems, from startup exits to the Fortune 500 to an array of pro-social science projects. Wallaert is the author of Start at the End: How to Build Products that Create Change, a book that approaches product design from perspectives based on human behavior,the choices we make, and how products can influence human behavior.
echoAR: Build a Cloud-Connected AR/VR App in 15 Minutes or Less
Interested in the revolutionary technology of Augmented and Virtual Reality? Look no further, this workshop will show contestants how to quickly create AR/VR apps with no technical skills or coding required. Already created an app? This workshop will also teach participants how to scale existing apps by connecting them to the cloud. Workshop participants will learn how to create real-time cloud-connected augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) apps using the echoAR platform.
What is echoAR?
echoAR is a cloud platform for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) that provides tools and server-side infrastructure to help developers & companies quickly build and deploy 3D apps and content. echoAR has built management systems and delivery networks that allow developers to build an AR/VR backend in minutes.
Pitch Perfect Workshop by EEVM’s Excellerator Team
How can a team convince the audience and judges to truly believe and support in their product? Delivering your message or product in an impactful, unique way can be key to success. Learn the importance of a powerful pitch and how to create one at HackATL’s “Pitch Perfect Workshop”.
Pitch Perfect is a pitch workshop developed by the Excellerator team of EEVM. We will present on how to give an effective business pitch and advise on individual pitches after the main presentation. The presentation will cover how to communicate your idea(s) succinctly and at a level anyone from a teenager to a qualified investor can understand. The workshop will dive into what are the necessary parts for pitching a business idea to investors from the story behind the vision all the way to the financing costs and potential profitability of the venture.
Ideation & Design Thinking Workshop by Rangr
This workshop is intended to help you identify problems and solutions to those problems when you’re developing your HackATL idea. Whether you’re a seasoned hackathoner or a newcomer, we highly recommend going to this workshop. After discovering your specific idea, you need to make it a reality! As an entrepreneur, you want your product to be user-friendly and well-designed. This workshop will give you the skills to turn your idea into a product with the best user experience possible.
Want more tips about how to successfully navigate the Ideation and Design Process? Read the first article in our HackATL series, The Ideation and Prototyping Process!
Understanding the Product Design Process
It is no surprise that the successes of many products have been defined by clever and unique design. What makes a design effective? What captures the attention of consumers? At this workshop, a design professional will guide you through the ins and outs of product design.
Marielle is a five-term Product Design Intern at Mailchimp as part of the Channels team. In this workshop, Marielle will lead a discussion around the Product Design process and the importance of collaborative, user-centered and business-minded decision-making when strategizing, designing and building a product.
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HackATL also hosted two workshops in partnership with OxVentures, an entrepreneurial launching pad on Emory’s Oxford campus. OxVentures hosts HackATL alongside Emory’s Entrepreneurship and Venture Management, and these workshops can not only give valuable guidance for the Hackathon, but the entrepreneurial journey as a whole.
Pitching Yourself with Dethra Giles
Learn how to deliver a successful business pitch from Dethra Giles, Chief Bridge Architect at ExecuPrep, a prominent HR consulting firm in Atlanta. Understand the key elements needed to improve your business presentation skills and work effectively with a team to sell investors on your venture.
Giles, who has been a judge and investor at various hackathons, discussed the elements of what makes a successful business pitch- or what makes investors support ideas and products. Giles has helped many entrepreneurs take their dreams to execution and has a deep understanding of what can take an idea to a successful next level.
Business Strategy with Sumantra Sengupta
What are the key elements of a business plan that investors are looking to pressure-test in a startup?
The workshop will include a presentation by Sumantra Sengupta, managing director of EVM Partners LLC., followed by an open, interactive Q&A session, moderated by Andrew Varughese and Sophie Torosyan. Dr. Sengupta will discuss the key elements of a business strategy that angel investors are looking to pressure-test in a startup. These include feasibility assessment, efficiency, and niche in the market.
Sumantra Sengupta has worked with and consulted for companies in value chain management across the world and currently serves as the managing director of EVM Partners, LLC, an interim management and advisory firm based in Los Angeles, California that was founded in 2010. Previously, he was Assistant Dean and Program Director of the Executive MBA, MBA and Masters in Management programs at Cal Lutheran. He is a frequent contributor to Supply Chain Management Review and can be reached at sumantra@evmpartners.com.
*Links to the OxVentures workshops will be posted soon!
Written by: May Zhou | IQ Associate
