Returning with amplified anticipation, the HackAdTech Hackathon 2023 is primed to be Cyprus' premier IT competition. Scheduled for November 25-26 at the opulent Parklane Hotel in Limassol, this 48-hour technical brawl offers participants from all skill levels a golden chance to network, learn, innovate, and clinch up to €10,000 in prizes. But that's not all; special rewards are in store for the most ingenious use of technology, along with some delightful offerings from the sponsors. This gathering calls upon everyone with a knack for the AdTech industry – from designers and programmers to analysts and budding enthusiasts.

To delve deeper into the world of hackathons and understand the driving forces behind this exhilarating event, we caught up with Konstantin Kuznetsov, Chief Product Officer at AdTech Holding, and a key jury member for this year's Hackathon. In our candid conversation, Konstantin shines light on the transformative journey of AdTech Holding over the past 12 years. He also elaborates on the genesis of their Hackathon initiative, which has evolved from an internal event to an external extravaganza, aligning with the company's core mission to propel the AdTech industry forward. In addition, Konstantin offers invaluable advice for budding specialists, providing a sneak peek into the judging criteria.

For 12 years, AdTech Holding has been at the forefront of advertising solutions, delivering technology that matters and changing the way businesses do advertising. Our goal is to build an ecosystem of connected startups based on our innovative technologies.

I'm sure you've heard about some of our projects:

PropellerAds: a huge global advertising network and leader in its market.

Notix: the most technological solution for retention and monetization, based on push notification technology.

Adex: our powerful anti-ad fraud solution, which protects our clients and helps them work only with real users.

Zeydoo: our unique solution for offer distribution.

AppLabz: our laboratory of mobile applications and their monetization, and many others.

Our main goal is to drive the AdTech industry forward with our truly unique projects and inventions.

For more than 5 years, we’ve been holding an annual internal hackathon at our company, which is very popular among our employees and yields excellent results. Every year, teams come up with great ideas and implement them. Some of these ideas are still around today, and some have evolved into full-fledged startups. During this time, we created a complete framework for holding a hackathon, and last year, we finally decided to go beyond our company and held our first external hackathon.

We have set several goals that are directly related to our company's mission and internal culture:

The first goal has two areas of focus in mind. Headquartered in Cyprus, we are committed to developing the local environment, participating in various environmental initiatives, supporting animal shelters and other organizations, and taking part in sports activities. At the Hackathon, we set ourselves the task of coming up with new technological solutions that will help improve the lives of those living in Cyprus, making it easier, better, and more innovative. The second area is directly related to our area of interest. We are keen to find new creative ideas that will allow us to go beyond the current framework and achieve even more outstanding results in Internet advertising.

The second goal is all about bringing talented people together and networking. We believe that any business can only be successful through people. We are interested in meeting new people and creating conditions where people can find each other and make useful contacts.

And the third goal, of course, is fun. I am a firm believer that you should enjoy what you are doing. A hackathon is an excellent opportunity to get a lot of positive and unforgettable emotions and experiences!

I would share a few tips:

Get out of your comfort zone. Especially if you are attending your first hackathon, believe me, you will face many challenges that require you to do something for the first time. For the first time presenting a project in front of 100+ people, for the first time trying to be a designer, analyst, or something else, etc. Don't be afraid; give it a try; everything will work out fine!

Remember the criteria by which the judges will evaluate your project; try to see your project from the judges' point of view. This is actually one of my favorite tips for any product development: look at your product through the eyes of the end user/customer/etc.

And regardless of your outcome, every experience is an experience. Finally, do a retrospective to see what worked/didn't work, what to improve next time, and what to focus on. Learn from the experiences of other teams. Gain useful knowledge and improve your skills!

There are only 4 criteria, so let's look at each in detail:

Your prototype is functional – It's not enough to make a nice presentation; don't try to surprise the judges and the audience with many features. Think in advance about what will best reflect the idea of your project and what can realistically be implemented in the 2 days and 1 night you have been given. This is the kind of MPV you want to take to the hackathon.

Your Idea has business potential – Does your project solve a widespread problem or a problem for several people? How big is the market? Is there a way to further develop and distribute the project? Don't be afraid to think globally; great products come from the most ambitious ideas!

Technological solution is effective – We live in the age of information technology, and the world has long entered a stage where complex technological products have replaced simple solutions. We keep up with the world and analyze not only the essence of the product but also its technological component and take it into account when choosing the winners.

Presentation was clear and insightful – Presentation is one of the key components of success. You can create a great product, but you will fail to communicate your idea to the judges if you present it poorly. Consider the structure of your presentation in advance, keeping in mind the time limits. What key messages do you want to convey to the judges? What impact do you want to make? Study the experiences of outstanding speakers in advance, and do not hesitate to rehearse your speech before the Demo Fest.

All of these 4 criteria are the result of many years of running our internal hackathons. We polished and refined them before applying them to our external hackathons.

That's right; Hackathon is not only about prizes but also:

- A great opportunity to meet interesting and talented people. Last year, we had many teams made up entirely of participants who didn't know each other before the event, but thanks to the Hackathon, they got to know each other before the event started, united around cool ideas, and were able to create working prototypes and present them in a limited time. In addition, at the end of the hackathon, we will host a special afterparty where you can network with other teams and guests of the event. Seize the moment and expand your circle of friends!

- Often, we have a great idea in our head that can change the world for the better, but we don't have the time/the right people/enough expertise/power to make it happen. During these two days, you will be able to implement what you have been thinking about for a long time, and no matter what place you end up, you will be able to develop your project further and bring tangible benefits to the world. Isn't that a great feeling?

- And the third, as I said before, is of course fun. Live now and have a good time! And we, for our part, will try to do everything we can so that you will remember this event with warmth and joy for a long time to come!

In the last few years, the IT community in Cyprus has been actively growing. And that's great! There are a lot more meetups, conferences, communities, and just cool people with interesting experiences!

Through the hackathon, we can make a tangible contribution to the development of this community by helping future participants meet and form teams during the preparation phase.

You can register for the hackathon with a team already in place, or you can just come up with an idea or a willingness to be part of someone else's team, and we'll help you with that.

To do this, we gather all participants in a special Slack, where they can find each other and form teams. And as we know, nothing brings people together like a common cause, a goal, and a competitive spirit!

But that's not all! At the end of the second day, after all places have been determined and prizes awarded, we will have a special networking event called the AfterParty - a great opportunity to meet other hackathon participants, guests, judges, and organizers!

Thank you, and see you at the Hackathon!

What: AdTech Holding

Where: Limassol, Cyprus

More Info: adtechholding.com

Who: Konstantin Kuznetsov, CPO at AdTech Holding, has been working in the AdTech industry for the last 12 years, building some of the best product teams and creating innovative projects & products. Over 5 years ago, Konstantin started an annual internal hackathon, which is very popular among employees and generates many valuable ideas. Last year, they decided to go beyond the walls of the company and hold their first external hackathon. This year, they are hosting their second hackathon, turning it into an awesome annual tradition!