HSO education hackathon: impetus for innovation and collaboration

A hackathon is a collaborative meeting where new ideas are implemented, problems solved or products developed together. At the beginning of this week, the HSO Business and IT School organized the largest educational hackathon in Europe to date.

The focus was on innovation, networking, interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of new approaches for real business cases. The task tracks came directly from Cupra Switzerland, which contributed concrete business cases from the fields of mobility, green city and e-commerce as the main partner. The students were supported by Isolutions as their tech partner, who assisted them in the implementation of innovative prototypes.

The venue was Barcelona, the home of Cupra and also one of the most dynamic start-up hubs in Europe. In this inspiring environment, the interdisciplinary teams developed solutions that have an impact far beyond the lecture hall. "It is important to me to provide our students with real challenges and encounters. In Barcelona, they were able to experience how innovation works in practice - and they actively contributed to developing new approaches for our partners," says Michael Segrada, Director of the HSO.

The partners are also impressed: "The hackathon is a source of inspiration for us - young talents think boldly, quickly and just as unconventionally as we do at Cupra," says Nicolas Hobi, Head of Marketing SEAT | Cupra Switzerland.

In addition to the specialist work, HSO Connect offered a unique platform for networking: young talents, innovative companies and experts from various sectors came together to learn from each other and explore new paths together. For HSO, this bridge-building is key: students return with increased self-confidence and concrete practical experience, while the partners receive impetus for their innovation work.