When I was invited to attend the ElevenLabs and Project Europe hackathon in Warsaw, part of me wondered if it would live up to its buzz. Having spent years immersed in both deeptech and founder ecosystems, hackathons are far from new to me. Yet, within twenty minutes, it was clear, this hackathon wasn’t just different; it was setting a new benchmark.
The event, hosted in a repurposed censorship ministry building, carried symbolism that resonated with anyone involved in tech: dismantling barriers and embracing freedom of creativity. Add in the presence of top-tier AI engineering talent, and this setting in Warsaw created the electricity needed to ignite remarkable ideas.
What Made This Hackathon Exceptional?
Most hackathons rely on the promise of creativity under pressure, fostered by endless pizza boxes and overstretched Wi-Fi. ElevenLabs flipped that script entirely. Here’s what stood out and how it can inspire other hackathons globally:
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A Curated Participant Experience
- The invite-only list ensured high-quality collaboration. With only 130 participants, the mix included seasoned builders from 22 countries.
- Provisions like personal care kits (everything from deodorant to eye masks) elevated participant well-being over the usual caffeine-and-junk-food approach.
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Venue Design: From Historical to Forward-Thinking
- The chosen venue, once a seat of censorship, is now a place where innovation thrives. This intentional contrast reinforced the overarching theme: empowering freedom of expression through technology.
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Structure and Resources
- The setup was straightforward but precise: twenty hours to conceptualize, create, and pitch a technology-driven project.
- Beyond just a physical space, ElevenLabs provided access to tools and resources that fueled rapid iterations, including voice-enabled APIs.
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Atmosphere
- There were food trucks instead of soggy sandwiches, Santa-clad servers for humor, and a flame-throwing dancer, a touch of festivity that shifted the mood from grind to excitement.
- It felt like a festival for ambitious minds, underscoring how environment design plays into productivity and innovation.
What Was Built?
The projects produced in just 20 hours were inspiring and versatile. They cut across accessibility, self-care, enterprise productivity, and even relationship building. A few highlights:
- Winner: A hyper-personalized game developed by Warsaw locals. Their immersive platform was engaging and technically rigorous, earning the €10,000 first-place prize.
- Runner-ups: A dating app with voice-based matchmaking that had already paired two UK users for a coffee date before the hackathon ended, alongside a project automating tedious morning stand-up meetings for enterprises. Both received €2,500.
- Impactful Ideas: Teams tackled ambitious problems, including building tools for hearing-impaired users and managing scientific research aggregation.
This wasn’t just about AI for entertainment or convenience. It was a showcase of how builders can take on meaningful societal issues, amplifying impact with a limited time frame.
What This Hackathon Taught Me About Community-Driven Events
From my position as a serial entrepreneur, two things stood out. First, the priority placed on storytelling made a difference. Project pitches weren’t just technical, they were crafted in a way that drew the audience in and humanized the solutions. More hackathons, and startups in general, need to embrace this skill.
Second, mentorship and collaboration were front and center. The ElevenLabs team, alongside sponsors and an impressive judging panel, emphasized open dialogue with participants. Judges didn’t just “score” projects, they asked questions that promoted reflection and growth.
How Entrepreneurs Can Leverage Events Like These
Here’s why stepping into curated hackathons like this one matters, especially for early-stage founders:
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Validate Ideas Quickly
These environments force participants to focus and prioritize, teaching founders to refine their pitch in under 48 hours, a key founder skill. -
Network Strategically
With only 130 participants, plus judges and invited sponsors, the networking wasn’t just convenient; it was impactful. Learning how participants forged connections here can serve as a lesson in networking quality over quantity. -
Generative Collaboration
The diversity of participants (languages, professions, and skill levels) encouraged cross-pollination of ideas. Instead of staying rigid in your niche, this type of event encourages founders to branch out.
What to Avoid at Hackathons (Based on Lessons Learned)
- Don’t focus solely on the end prize. Your competitors today may become your co-founders tomorrow.
- Avoid over-prioritizing perfection. Hackathons are pressure-cookers by design. Focus on delivering and learning, not obsessing on final details.
- Be mindful of your energy. Even with well-provisioned spaces like ElevenLabs, I noticed some attendees burning out quickly due to overstretching themselves.
Conclusion
The ElevenLabs and Project Europe hackathon succeeded in redefining the experience not only because it had resources or a competitive edge but because it placed people, stories, and connections first. These lessons extend far beyond the event itself. Founders, whether you’re attending events or hosting your own initiatives, consider what it means to lift the overall experience, not just the output.
For those curious about ElevenLabs’ approach to fostering innovation globally, you can learn more through their official page. If anything, the example set in Warsaw confirms what I’ve long believed: innovation flourishes best when it’s genuinely human-centered.
FAQ
1. What was the venue for the ElevenLabs and Project Europe hackathon in Warsaw?
The event was held in a former censorship ministry building in Warsaw, symbolizing a transition from control to freedom of creativity in technology. Read more about the event venue in Sifted
2. Why was this hackathon considered unique?
Unlike traditional hackathons, it focused on fostering well-being with curated amenities, a festival-like atmosphere, and engaging event design. Explore insights from Sifted
3. How many participants attended, and from where?
A total of 130 participants were invited from 22 countries, creating a diverse and high-quality collaborative environment. Discover more about the participants
4. What projects stood out during the hackathon?
Some standout projects included a hyper-personalized game, a voice-based dating app, and tools for accessibility like hearing-impaired user support. Check out the winning projects
5. Which project won the grand prize?
A Warsaw-based team won the €10,000 grand prize by creating an immersive and hyper-personalized game platform. Learn about the winning project
6. What was the judging panel’s emphasis during the event?
Judges focused on open dialogue, reflection, and growth, encouraging participants to craft impactful and well-presented projects. Find details about the judging process
7. What amenities were provided to ensure participant well-being?
Participants received personal care kits, high-quality food options, and comfortable venues to focus on innovation and productivity. Explore the focus on participant care
8. Who were the key figures behind the hackathon?
Mati Staniszewski and Piotr Dabkowski from ElevenLabs, alongside Kitty Mayo from Project Europe, were instrumental in organizing this innovative event. Learn about the event organizers
9. What were the broader impacts of this hackathon?
The hackathon highlighted the importance of storytelling, accessibility, and generative collaboration, setting a new benchmark for community-driven tech events. Read more on global impact trends
10. How did participants describe the atmosphere of the event?
Participants likened the hackathon to a festival for ambitious minds, appreciating its unique mix of innovation and festivity. Explore participant experiences
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.