Success of the participants is bringing the hackathon back
Garage48 co-founder and mentor of the
first Garage48 Wood hackathon Priit Salumaa says that Garage48 Wood was a fascinating experiment for Garage48 to expand the scope of their hackathons. And what turned out, was an event that gathered the brightest minds and most skilled hands of the wood industry to co-create an inexplicable magic of saw-dust, amazing energy and ideas. “Wood hackathon now holds a special place in the Garage48 team and we are really excited to bring it back,” says Priit.
Laima Engere, Wood and Furniture project lead at Vidzeme Planning Region is in close contact with the wood industry companies on a daily basis and she has seen how the first Garage48 Wood hackathon has activated the wood industry. Multifunctional team work has helped SMEs to redesign their processes in the companies later and since last year, the wood hackathon has become one of the most anticipated event in the industry.
The impact of the prototyping weekend carries on in the activities of the participants and the companies they work in. Arturs Veveris and Harijs Balodis, members of the management board of a furniture manufacturing company Wega LLC have taken the experience from the Garage48 Wood hackathon into the everyday manufacturing processes of the company. „The hackathon inspired us to work through and develop the prototyping processes of our new products and we have even made similar mini-hackathons inside our company and team,“ says Arturs.
“The hackathon inspired us to work through and develop the prototyping processes of our new products and we have even made similar mini-hackathons inside our company and team.
Arturs and Harijs with their team at Garage48 Wood.
The needed push and next step to making the idea into reality
“The Garage48 Wood hackathon gave me a big push and the next step in making my idea into reality.
„The event was a true inventor’s party! It was a very great experience, in a friendly environment and with lots of young inventors, with whom I made really good new acquaintances. The Garage48 Wood hackathon gave me a big push and the next step in making my idea into reality. Additionally I gained lots of positive experience from Ajujaht business ideas competition, to where we received a pass from the Wood hackathon as the idea with greatest business potential. It is definitely a great event, that gives participants lots of diferent new experiences and the chance to meet new people working in the same field as you,“ says Tiit.
VIISK team member Remo Allikas, the CEO of Võru Empak AS, also a furniture manufacturing company, says that he also had some ideas to present at the hackathon: „I wanted to get feedback to my ideas – are they also valued by ohter people, are they relevant and potentially give solutions for many. I had never attended an event like this and didn’t know what to expect, but I would have never imagined it to be such a positiive experience, together with Ajujaht journey that followed. I definitely reccommend to take part in the Wood hackathon as it gives a very good opportunity to realize your idea, get honest and clear feedback and gather a bunch of useful thoughts for developing your idea and product.“
“Garage48 Wood hackathon gives a very good opportunity to realize your idea, get honest and clear feedback and gather a bunch of useful thoughts for developing your product.
VIISK prototype testing at Garage48 Wood.
Garage48 Wood 2
The opportunity to test out new ideas and product developments, make new acquaintances among the students, practitioners and mentors of the wood industry in Estonia and Latvia comes again on Nov 23-25th, when Garage48 Wood 2 hackathon takes place in Cesis, Latvia. Participants are provided free transportation, accommodation, catering, equipment and materials and support of industry mentors. Read more HERE.