Coding competitions have a way of bringing people together. And GlobalHack's next weekend hackathon will bring them to Ferguson
“Some of these people came from MIT, Wash U [Washington University], some of them came from their mom’s basement. Truth of the matter is, the only thing that matters in our world is that you can actually produce,” said local startup CEO Gabe Lozano, who co-founded GlobalHack.
GlobalHack III is the company's third quarterly competition and promises $50,000 in prize money.
Ferguson-based Emerson Electric is the event's primary sponsor. Coders and designers will be asked to build a program or find a solution that the company can implement for its own use. Lozano said sponsors look at GlobalHacks as a chance to recruit talent.
“If they want to know who would be the best people to work on this project going forward, some of those people that are sitting right there in the room,” Lozano said. “It’s like a very, informal job interview where you can learn on the fly what someone can produce.”
Lozano estimates that more than half of GlobalHack competitors live in Missouri, but others will travel to the St. Louis area for the weekend, which is slated for Dec. 5-7.
Emerson has sponsored multiple initiatives in Ferguson over the past month, including a ‘Ferguson Forward’ program. The initiative includes approximately $4 million for scholarships, early childhood education and a youth jobs program. The company also announced plans to build a 150,000 square foot facility for 200 employees, who will be transferred to Ferguson from another location.
