Space hackathon due for lift-off in Christchurch

Space hackathon due for lift-off in Christchurch

An exciting global space event is coming to New Zealand for the first time, and it’s looking for Kiwis with a passion for space, data and startups to pitch new ideas.

The event, ActInSpace®, is a 24-hour hackathon in Christchurch on the 25th and 26th of May, hosted by the Centre for Space Science Technology (CSST) and the New Zealand Space Agency.

ActInSpace was started by the French Space Agency (CNES) four years ago and now takes place in over 60 cities across five continents. It brings together entrepreneurs, students, job seekers, scientists, developers and creatives to work on real-life challenges alongside business mentors and technical experts. In fact the only criteria for participating in ActInSpace 2018 is having a keen interest in space (or the data delivered from space) and the willingness to work in a team to build an idea from scratch.

You can join ActInSpace as a team, or as an individual looking for a team - we’ll help you all the way. You might be a:
• Visionary - you see what the future could be and have ideas about how to make it happen
• Hustler - you can build relationships and turn a vision into a reality
• Hacker - you take a vision and work out how to prototype it and get feedback
• Designer - you walk in the customer’s shoes and work out the look and feel of the vision
...or anyone who can be part of a team that imagines and designs innovative services and products that find everyday use for space technologies and data.

The winning team will be sent to the international final in Toulouse, France to pitch their startup idea to a jury of experts on technology transfer and business development. All teams with promising projects will receive guidance from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Business Incubation Centres and partner incubators to accelerate their project and turn their idea into reality.

ActInSpace aims to:
• support young people to dream big and develop their entrepreneurial spirit,
• show how the space sector can positively impact on our daily life,
• demonstrate the social economic potential of the space sector and its ability to boost startup creation,
• build a bridge between civil society and space agencies, and
• encourage people from diverse backgrounds to start technical companies.

ActInSpace is sponsored internationally by Airbus and supported by ESA and the ESA Business Incubation Centres network.

ActInSpace NZ is hosted by CSST in partnership with the New Zealand Space Agency (NZSA), the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment and ChristchurchNZ, with support from the French Embassy in New Zealand.

Spaces are limited! Visit www.actinspace.nz to register for ActInSpace New Zealand.

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