Abu Dhabi is to host 'hackathon' competition

A global computer programming competition will be held in Abu Dhabi for the first time next month.

More than 100 programmers from across the region have registered for AngelHack hackathon, which will be hosted at New York University Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat campus on September 4 and 5.

The aim of the 24-hour contest is to provide software developers with a platform to turn their ideas into viable business opportunities.

Stages of the competition are held in cities across the globe throughout the year. Winners from each city get a 12-week mentorship programme and an opportunity to enter the AngelHack Silicon Valley final, where they can pitch their ideas to technology companies in Silicon Valley, California, such as Google, Intel and Qualcomm.

"The event is a great platform to connect students and the community to the world of tech entrepreneurship,” said Robyn Brazzil of Idea Lab, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship programme at NYUAD that is sponsoring the event.

Dubai's AngelHack event was held in May, while the most recent contest concluded on August 16 at Davao in the Philippines.

The next will take place this Friday, in Iraq.

People can register for the Abu Dhabi event until September 4 atangelhack.com.
Source: The National