Hack the North
Hack the North is a not-for-profit, annual 36-hour student hackathon held in-person at the University of Waterloo, serving 1,000+ student hackers worldwide. It is organized under parent entity Techyon and funded entirely by corporate sponsorships across multiple tiers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersWaterloo, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Hack the North does
Hack the North is a not-for-profit student hackathon organized under the parent entity Techyon (legal name: Techyon), held annually at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Founded in 2012 (some sources state 2013), the event runs as a 36-hour, in-person gathering that draws over 1,000 student hackers from around the world to build software and hardware projects in teams of up to four. The organization markets itself as Canada's biggest hackathon and operates as a single annual event with no proprietary technology platform; the closest ongoing artifact is the Museum of Hack the North (museum.hackthenorth.com), an online exhibition showcasing completed participant projects.
Its product surface is therefore deliberately narrow: a free, weekend-long hackathon experience that bundles food, accommodation, hardware access, mentorship, workshops, and travel support (including bus shuttles from six Canadian universities plus the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and airport shuttles to Toronto Pearson). Its distribution is exclusively in-person at Waterloo, with applications collected through hackthenorth.com via an online portal and email/social channels.
Hack the North does not sell tickets or subscriptions; admission is free and the event is fully funded by corporate sponsorships. Revenue streams come from tiered sponsorship packages — Gold (Federato, Dominion Dynamics, RBC, Shopify), Silver (Browserbase, Citadel, Hudson River Trading, Intact, OMEN Analytics, Phoebe, Rilla, Rundoo, Sentry, Solana, TD, Tether), Bronze, Startup, and Partner tiers — supplemented by a strategic partnership with Major League Hacking that lends operational infrastructure and community standards. The company's customers are corporate sponsors (B2B recruiting and brand marketing objectives), while end participants are university and college students globally. No revenue, funding, or M&A activity is publicly disclosed.
Hack the North firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hack the North
- Legal name
- Techyon
- Website
- https://hackthenorth.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hack the North is a not-for-profit, annual 36-hour student hackathon held in-person at the University of Waterloo, serving 1,000+ student hackers worldwide. It is organized under parent entity Techyon and funded entirely by corporate sponsorships across multiple tiers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hack the North industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hackathon Events
- NAICS
- Computer Training (61142), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits (THAHAMAH)
Keywords
Where Hack the North is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waterloo
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hack the North business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Sponsorship: Hack the North is a not-for-profit organization under Techyon that generates revenue through corporate sponsorships. Companies sponsor at various tiers (gold, silver, bronze, startup, partner) to connect with student talent, recruit participants, and support the tech community. Sponsors gain access to hackers for recruiting purposes and provide funding that covers event costs including food, accommodation, and hardware.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free admission for all participants |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Hack the North product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hack the North organizes Canada's largest annual student hackathon, a 36-hour event held at the University of Waterloo that brings together over 1,000 student hackers. The event is free for participants and provides food, accommodation, travel reimbursements, hardware, mentorship, and workshops. The hackathon is fully funded through multi-tier corporate sponsorship packages, allowing companies to recruit tech talent and gain brand visibility among top students.
Product overview
Hack the North operates as a single, unified offering: an annual 36-hour in-person hackathon event at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The organization runs Canada's largest student hackathon, providing resources including workshops, mentors, sponsors, and hardware to empower teams to build software and hardware projects. A complementary online component, the Museum of Hack the North, serves as an exhibition space showcasing past participant projects, creating a portfolio of completed works.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hack the North Hackathon A 36-hour student hackathon event held annually at the University of Waterloo, free for 1,000+ student participants and fully funded through corporate sponsorships. The event provides food, accommodation, travel reimbursements, hardware, mentorship, and workshops to participating students from universities across North America.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,000+ student hackers from around the world participate annually
Companies that use Hack the North
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hack the North technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hack the North partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
37 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FederatocoreGold tier sponsor for Hack the North 2026. Federato is an AI-native platform for insurance underwriting. The company participates to connect with prospective developers, designers, and builders from across the globe, making meaningful connections beyond just the hackathon weekend.
- Dominion DynamicscoreGold tier sponsor for Hack the North 2026. The company connects with student hackers for potential recruitment and brand awareness within the developer community.
- RBC (Royal Bank of Canada)coreGold tier sponsor for Hack the North 2026. RBC is a major Canadian financial institution that connects with student talent for recruiting purposes. They direct students to their early tech talent careers page.
- ShopifycoreGold tier sponsor for Hack the North 2026. Shopify connects with student hackers and directs them to their internship programs for potential recruitment.
- BrowserbaseminorSilver tier sponsor providing development platform services and connecting with student hackers for recruiting.
- CitadelminorSilver tier sponsor, a financial institution connecting with student talent for recruitment opportunities.
- Hudson River TradingminorSilver tier sponsor, a trading firm connecting with student developers for recruitment.
- IntactminorSilver tier sponsor, a Canadian insurance company connecting with student talent.
- OMEN Analytics IncminorSilver tier sponsor providing analytics services and recruiting student developers.
- PhoebeminorSilver tier sponsor connecting with student hackers for recruitment.
- RillaminorSilver tier sponsor, a technology company recruiting from the student developer community.
- Rundoo IncminorSilver tier sponsor. Rundoo Inc is listed as a sponsor with live job postings for Software Engineering Intern positions at the hackathon.
- SentryminorSilver tier sponsor, a developer-focused company connecting with student hackers.
- SolanaminorSilver tier sponsor, a blockchain platform connecting with student developers.
- TD (Toronto-Dominion Bank)minorSilver tier sponsor, a major Canadian bank connecting with student talent for recruitment.
- TetherminorSilver tier sponsor, a cryptocurrency company connecting with student developers.
- Aramco AmericasminorBronze tier sponsor, an energy company recruiting from student developer talent.
- BasetenminorBronze tier sponsor, a development platform connecting with student hackers.
- CohereminorBronze tier sponsor. Cohere offers AI engineering co-op positions and software engineer intern roles to hackathon participants. They participate at silver tier in job listings.
- Cubist SystematicminorBronze tier sponsor, an investment firm connecting with student talent.
- ElasticminorBronze tier sponsor, a search and analytics company recruiting from student developers.
- GenesysminorBronze tier sponsor, a customer experience platform connecting with student hackers.
- Interaction Co.minorBronze tier sponsor, a technology company recruiting from student developers.
- Jane Street CapitalminorBronze tier sponsor, a quantitative trading firm connecting with student talent.
- Jaza EnergyminorBronze tier sponsor. Jaza Energy offers AI Engineering Co-op positions and recruits from hackathon participants. Listed at silver tier in job opportunities section.
- OffDealminorBronze tier sponsor, a technology company connecting with student developers.
- OpenAIminorBronze tier sponsor, an AI research company recruiting from student developer talent through their EMT talent community.
- PersonaminorBronze tier sponsor, an identity verification platform connecting with student hackers.
- Scale AIminorBronze tier sponsor, an AI data infrastructure company recruiting from student talent.
- Unto LabsminorBronze tier sponsor, a technology startup connecting with student developers.
- ZipminorBronze tier sponsor, a procurement platform recruiting from student developers.
- Sequence HoldingsminorStartup tier sponsor, a startup company connecting with student hackers.
- WarpminorStartup tier sponsor, a terminal company recruiting from student developer talent.
- Human Computer LabminorPartner tier sponsor, an academic research lab connecting with student developers for potential research collaboration.
- Reve AIminorPartner tier sponsor, an AI company connecting with student hackers.
- Major League Hacking (MLH)coreHack the North is an MLH member event. The MLH Code of Conduct applies to all Hackathon attendees as part of the partnership. MLH provides support, resources, and best practices for hackathon organization.
- TechyoncoreTechyon is the parent organization that runs Hack the North as a not-for-profit event. The organizing team operates under Techyon's umbrella, with the copyright held by Techyon 2026.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Hack the North competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MHacks: University of Michigan's flagship hackathon (notably a bus-shuttle source city for Hack the North). Comparable in scale, MLH-member status, and large tech-sponsor roster.
- Cal Hacks: UC Berkeley's flagship hackathon, run on a similar sponsorship-funded model with 1,000+ attendees and major tech sponsors. Direct peer in the elite US/Canadian student hackathon tier.
- nwHacks: University of British Columbia's flagship Canadian hackathon — the closest geographic peer to Hack the North, comparable in size and sponsorship structure, competing for the same Canadian student talent pool.
- HackMIT: MIT's annual hackathon, similar in scale and structure — a large student hackathon attracting top engineering talent with tiered corporate sponsorships. Competes directly with Hack the North for prestige and recruiter mindshare.
- Hack the Valley: A Canadian hackathon that overlaps with Hack the North for the same sponsor and student segments, sharing the Canadian collegiate hackathon niche.
- PennApps: University of Pennsylvania's flagship hackathon — one of the oldest and largest collegiate hackathons. Closely comparable in format, scale, and sponsorship-driven economics; a direct competitor in the MLH ecosystem.
- TreeHacks (Stanford): Stanford's flagship hackathon, comparable in scale (~1,000+ attendees) and sponsorship-driven model. Operates as one of the largest US student hackathons with marquee tech sponsors, directly competing for sponsor dollars and top student talent.
Broad incumbents
- Devpost: A platform that hosts online hackathons and showcases developer projects (analogous to Hack the North's Museum of Hack the North). Serves the same corporate sponsor-to-developer talent funnel but at greater scale and continuously rather than annually.
- Major League Hacking (MLH): The umbrella organization that supports Hack the North and 200+ other student hackathons. Comparable in business model (sponsorships to fund student events) and audience, but operates at an industry-level rather than as a single event.
Others
- Techyon: The not-for-profit parent organization under which Hack the North operates. Directly comparable as the parent entity, sharing the same student-run governance model and not-for-profit mission.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Hack the North social profiles
Digital presenceHack the North financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hack the North leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hack the North funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hack the North M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hack the North
What does Hack the North do?
Hack the North organizes Canada's largest annual student hackathon, a 36-hour event held at the University of Waterloo that brings together over 1,000 student hackers. The event is free for participants and provides food, accommodation, travel reimbursements, hardware, mentorship, and workshops. The hackathon is fully funded through multi-tier corporate sponsorship packages, allowing companies to recruit tech talent and gain brand visibility among top students.
Is Hack the North a public or private company?
Hack the North is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hack the North founded?
Hack the North was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hack the North based?
Hack the North is headquartered in Waterloo, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Hack the North make money?
One revenue line is on record: sponsorship.
Who are Hack the North's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MHacks, Cal Hacks, nwHacks, HackMIT, Hack the Valley, PennApps and TreeHacks (Stanford). Broad incumbents are Devpost and Major League Hacking (MLH). Techyon is listed as an others.
Does Hack the North have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hack the North.
What industry is Hack the North in?
Hack the North's product category is Hackathon Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMALAD, Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps, with a secondary code of THAHAMAH, Training, Enablement & Talent Development Summits. Its NAICS code is 61142 and its SIC code is 8200.