A hackathon, sometimes referred to as a Sprint (they are not necessarily one and the same and have different structures generally) is a structured, time-limited event where multidisciplinary teams work intensively to develop a solution to a defined problem. Despite the name, modern hackathons are not just for software developers—they often involve engineers, designers, military personnel, subject matter experts, entrepreneurs, and end users collaborating to rapidly prototype new ideas.

For Defence, a hackathon is less about writing code for 48 hours and more about accelerating innovation around real operational challenges.

How a hackathon generally works

A typical hackathon follows this sequence:

1. Problem statement released

   • Organisers present one or more real-world challenges.

   • In Defence, these are often provided by operational units or capability sponsors.

   • Example:

     "How can an infantry section rapidly detect and classify autonomous drone swarms in a GPS-denied environment?"

2. Teams form Teams usually consist of people with complementary or cross-functional skills and in terms of a hackathon like TAK-HACK, they primarily consist of:

• Engineers (mechanical, electrical, software, aerospace)
• Defence personnel and veterans
• AI and data scientists
• Designers and UX specialists
• Product managers
• Entrepreneurs
• Defence industry SMEs
• University researchers

The best teams usually combine operational experience with technical expertise. A soldier might explain the problem, an engineer designs a solution, and a software developer builds a prototype.

3. Discovery and problem validation

Rather than immediately building something, high-quality hackathons encourage teams to first understand the problem.

This often includes:

• Speaking with end users (e.g. soldiers, sailors, aviators, police, emergency personnel)
• Understanding the operational environment