Across Europe, AI startups are reimagining how they find fresh talent. Instead of relying solely on formal recruitment or polished resumes, more founders are inviting aspiring engineers and innovators into hackathons — intense gatherings designed to spark creative problem solving.
These high-energy events, popularized in the United States through Silicon Valley’s relentless pursuit of innovation, had gone quiet during the pandemic. That lull did not last long. With the arrival of new careers shaping workforce and a sudden surge in AI interest in late 2022, hackathons experienced a dramatic comeback, especially in places not previously known for their tech scenes. Organizers are finding that these competitions now draw an unusually wide spectrum of talent, not just the experts in coding.
Benjamin Wolba from European Defense Tech Hub has seen firsthand how these settings help startups stand out. Without the resources to outspend tech giants on recruitment efforts, young companies lean on hackathons to demonstrate agility, energy, and a more personal approach. That genuine atmosphere sometimes tips the balance in their favor for attracting top candidates who might otherwise overlook a lesser known employer.
Hackathons: A Shortcut to Hidden Talent
Instead of waiting for applicants to come through job postings, startups mingle directly with hidden gems. Some participants, like Angelo Giacco, make their mark at a hackathon and get a call with a job offer just weeks later. Giacco’s story is becoming increasingly common, with companies like ElevenLabs making a habit of snapping up impressive contributors from these gatherings, regardless of whether they would have applied in the first place.
But it’s not limited to early career hires. Higher level candidates have also caught the eye of investors and founders at hackathons, with some going on to secure senior roles or special project positions within emerging companies. As Zoe Qin from Dawn Capital notes, the nature of these events matches the energy of people who want to tinker and experiment, not just those who fit the classic computer science profile.
For labs and infrastructure providers building the technology behind the scenes, these gatherings serve another purpose. While they may not use hackathons to hire pure research minds, it’s a fast-track for finding people who can turn new discoveries into viable products for paying customers. Bela Wiertz, who organizes events like Tech Europe AI Hackathon in Berlin, points out that these labs are looking for engineers who can quickly bring new features to life and help expand the reach of their technology.
Hackathons are changing who gets a seat at the innovation table. The rise of AI coding assistants means those who come from finance, business, or analytics can jump in too, using new tools to build and demo projects with their more technical teammates. Franziska Harzheim, a venture scout, regularly joins AI hackathons by leveraging her business analytics degree, proving that the best teams aren’t always the most traditional ones.
Watching how someone works under pressure in pursuit of a solution gives an employer a candid, sometimes chaotic, but always valuable perspective, says Wolba. Instead of a sterile interview, companies watch potential hires tackle problems in real time — and in the end, everyone walks away with something learned, a trend mirrored in entry level tech job reductions.
