Got serious coding chops? Then mark your calendar for June 14-16, because Techstars, 43North, ACV Auctions, and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus are hosting Code:Buffalo, a weekend-long hackathon where Buffalo’s top tech talent will compete to build an application utilizing GraphQL, an open source query language for applications.
Code:Buffalo offers Buffalo’s seasoned and aspiring tech talent a chance to show off their skills, network with Buffalo’s top startup and corporate talent, learn new technology, and compete to win the top cash prize of $10,000, along with $3,000 and $1,500 prizes.
Professionals and students who have at least basic coding skills are invited to attend. Code:Buffalo is free and open to the public, though preregistration is required. Individuals and teams of three to five people are encouraged to register as soon as possible here. Those who sign up individually will be placed on a team.
All competitors will be assigned the same project to complete, but the details of the project will remain a secret until the event's kick-off on Friday, June 14, at The Innovation Center on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. That evening, participants will also join Geoff Schmidt, co-founder and CEO of Apollo GraphQL, for a tech-focused roundtable discussion and workshop.
“Buffalo has more startup activity today than we’ve seen in generations. To keep that momentum going, we need to continue to cultivate Western New York’s tech talent. That’s why I’m excited to see some of our community’s best coders come together to compete and network at the first-ever Code:Buffalo hackathon,” said Alex Gress, 43North president.
“The health and resiliency of an entrepreneurial ecosystem is positively correlated to the volume of recent connections and interactions taking place between passionate, creative innovators and collaborators,” said Jack Greco, executive director of the Techstars Buffalo Startup Ecosystem Development Program. “The Code:Buffalo hackathon represents a platform for tech talent to develop relationships among the group, grow together as teammates and a community, and take another step toward forming a more sustainable, integrated tech startup culture in Western New York.”
“The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is proud to support events like Code:Buffalo, which help bridge the gap between the tech community working in the corporate world and those working in early-stage companies. Whether you are an expert in React or Java, or just learning the basics of coding, Code:Buffalo is the perfect opportunity to meet like-minded peers and show off your skills,” said Sam Marrazzo, CIO of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
In addition to Techstars, 43North, ACV Auctions, and the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Code:Buffalo receives support from Campus Labs, HiOperator, Immersed Games and M&T Bank.