ESMT Berlin: Student-led hackathon on the future of business education a great success
The student-led ESMT Berlin Entrepreneurship Club organized the hackathon. Full-time MBA and Master in Management (MIM) students from ESMT, INSEAD, HEC Paris, and MIP Politecnico di Milano joined coding students and professional developers to work on solutions for the future of education during the overnight challenge.
“This topic is of major relevance to business schools and to society as a whole,” said Demis Estabridis of the Entrepreneurship Club. “In a world where new technologies are more accessible and new job titles appear every day, we need to rethink our educational systems and structures to prepare future workers adequately.”
Creative thinking, teamwork, no sleeping, and many energy drinks were the main ingredients of the first ESMT Hacknight. The winning team, Athena, developed a project on personalized learning, powered by machine learning and Artificial Intelligence. Each team member received an award of 1,000 EUR, sponsored by the Helix Foundation.
Mengwen Shen, ESMT MIM student and member of the winning team, said, “It was my first time in a hackathon. I really enjoyed the team dynamics and the one-on-one coaching from our mentors. It was amazing to get the chance to work with teammates from different schools, countries, and backgrounds and receive very detailed feedback from professionals with expertise and industry insights.”
Experts from global corporations, startups, and digital ventures, such as The Lean Startup Co., IBM, Daimler, Delivery Hero, TechStars, HelloFresh!, BCG Digital Ventures, Founder Institute, Outfittery, Charité, and Helix mentored teams. The Helix Foundation was the main sponsor of the hackathon, and IBM, BRLO, Red Bull, Delivery Hero, and METRO also supported the event.
About the Entrepreneurship Club at ESMT Berlin
The ESMT Berlin Entrepreneurship Club allows ESMT students and alumni to exchange ideas, support and experience around all subjects related to the entrepreneurial environment. Its purpose is to allow members to get first-hand insights into all phases of the lifecycle of a company, from the business idea to market penetration and establishment all the way to the IPO, acquisition or insolvency. Through discussions with members of the entrepreneurial community, visits and events like this hackathon the club has built a strong network and gives support to entrepreneurs taking the risk of funding.
More info about the event: www.hacknight.berlin
About ESMT Berlin
ESMT Berlin is a leading global business school with its campus in the heart of Berlin. Founded by 25 global companies, ESMT offers master, MBA, and PhD programs, as well as executive education on its campus in Berlin, in locations around the world, online, and in online blended format. Focusing on leadership, innovation, and analytics, its diverse faculty publishes outstanding research in top academic journals. Additionally, the international business school provides an interdisciplinary platform for discourse between politics, business, and academia. ESMT is a non-profit private institution of higher education with the right to grant PhDs and is accredited by AACSB, AMBA, EQUIS, and ZEvA. It is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion across all its activities and communities.
