August 19 - 22 | Hybrid Event
Hack the 6ix
We hack to
- collaborate.
- network.
- win.
- create a project.
About Us
Hack the 6ix is the largest summer student-run, not-for-profit hackathon now in its eighth iteration, based in Toronto.
We take pride in the diversity and talent of our hackers, who help us become a key player in the Toronto tech ecosystem. We provide an outlet for students to present their ideas of the future.
Last Year We Had
600+Hackers
90+Project Submissions
20+Workshops & Activities
$17k+In Prizes
Why Get Involved?
Want to land your next internship?
Hackathons are an amazing place to meet mentors and industry professionals in the tech community. A pandemic won't stop us from fostering important conversations.
Looking to learn from experts?
We value sharing knowledge and applying the things we learned. We'll host live workshops all weekend to give you the inspiration you need to get your project off the ground.
Want to be rewarded for your work?
With $17K+ worth of prizes, there's something for everyone.
Need projects for your portfolio?
Complete a project worth showcasing within 48 hours from scratch and land your next job. Check out what our hackers created last year!
2021 Project Gallery
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“Inspiring, challenging, and exciting.”
Just a few words I would use to describe the past weekend I had at Hack the 6ix, all from the comfort of my own home! Working on our hackathon project remotely was definitely a unique experience and had its own set of challenges, but it was super rewarding and was an incredible learning opportunity.
— Willson Wang, Hacker
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“So honored to chat about diversity & inclusion at @HackThe6ix today.”
It's the most organized hackathon I've ever been to (from what feels like millions), and it's all virtual! Well-moderated, great questions, diverse backgrounds+views of the panelists. Kudos to the HT6 team 👏🏻
— Aaiman Aamir, Speaker
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“Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity.”
I had such an amazing time this weekend. I really enjoyed my first hackathon and stepping out of my comfort zone and I am definitely looking to participate in more in the future.
— Samson Hua, Hacker
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“It was so nice to guide students through their projects.”
Whether it was simply providing feedback on project ideas, or helping hackers deploy apps, connect their React apps to backends, and build API's for their projects, I had a great time.
— Sam Eskandar, Mentor
Sponsors
Past Keynote Speakers
Jonathan Javier
CEO/Founder @Wonsulting
Jonathan's mission at Wonsulting is to “turn underdogs into winners”. He's also worked in the Strategy and Operations team at Snap, Google, and Cisco coming from a non-target school/non-traditional background. He works on many initiatives, providing advice and words of wisdom on LinkedIn and through speaking engagements. In total, he has led 125+ workshops in 8 different countries including the Mena ICT Forum in Jordan, Resume/Personal Branding at Cisco, LinkedIn Strategy & Operations Offsite, Great Place To Work, Talks at Google, TEDx, and more. He's amassed 52,000+ followers on LinkedIn as well as 15+ million views yearly on his content.
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Cathy Tie
Serial Entrepreneur & VC
Cathy is a serial entrepreneur and VC working on a new stealth company. She was most recently a Partner at Cervin Ventures, a $200M technology investment fund based in San Francisco. Prior to Cervin Ventures, Cathy was the CEO and co-founder at Ranomics, a venture backed company known for its gene variant synthesis platform that enables antibody optimization, drug target validation, and enzyme, protein and organism engineering. Cathy founded Ranomics at the age of 18, and was the youngest person to raise venture capital in biotechnology. Cathy was also named a Thiel Fellow in 2015 and a recipient of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list award in 2018.
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Pei Li
Founder @ Hack the 6ix
Pei founded Hack The 6ix during his time in the EngSci program at University of Toronto. He dropped out in 2016 to join Wealthsimple in its early stages and to pursue entrepreneurship. In 2017, Pei founded Beatcamp, a music licensing platform for hip-hop producers. After the platform was acquired in 2018, he founded CodeMode, a technology consultancy that specializes in digital transformation for enterprises. Pei is now working on Venue, an all-in-one live online events streaming platform. They are working closely with early customers such as TechTO to deliver a unique and engaging experience to event attendees.
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Frequently Asked Questions
General
Hack the 6ix is a live event where “hackers” (participants) design, develop, and pitch a software or hardware project built from scratch over the course of 36 hours. We will provide you with the resources and mentorship needed in order to make this happen!
We’ll be hosting a variety of workshops ranging from introductory to advanced topics facilitated by our amazing sponsors and mentors. In addition, there will also be interesting tech talks by industry leaders from different companies. For breaks, we’ll have a ton of fun activities planned for you, such as games, contests, and more! Hack the 6ix is much more than just a hackathon – we want it to be an event that you’ll thoroughly enjoy while expanding your skillset and network.
No. To maintain competition integrity and fairness, all work on your hack must be done at the event. All projects with prior work done will be eliminated from judging. However, you are encouraged to touch up on your skills or bring any hardware in preparation for the event!
Application
Hack the 6ix applications for the 2022 year have closed. Subscribe here if you’d like us to notify you when applications are out next year!
Any post-secondary students or recent graduates (>1 years of graduating) are eligible to participate in our event.
Nope! Our mentors and workshops make sure that even if you’re new to coding, you’ll definitely pick up enough skills at the event to make a project. In addition, if you’re a designer or business student, your design and pitching skills are also very valuable!
We allow team sign-ups of up to 4 people. All team members must sign up individually and specify the other team members on their application.
Don’t worry, you will have a chance to form or join a team by messaging the participant groups/chats that we’ll put you in during the weeks leading up to the weekend, as well as through team formation activities during the event.
Preparation
On Saturday, August 20th from 8:30am to 5pm, there will be an in-person venue for optional use for hackers hosted at Wealthsimple offices located at 80 Spadina Avenue, 4th Floor. Toronto, ON M5V 2J4. Attendance is limited by RSVP to accepted hackers ONLY.
Make sure to bring your laptop (or desktop) and a piece of valid student ID or government ID! You can also bring a pillow and blanket if you want to get comfy. Everything else will be provided for you!
We have a variety of hardware that can be borrowed at our hardware station for free, including Raspberry Pi’s, Arduinos, sensors, and breadboards. Due to limited quantity, hardware will be lent out on a first come, first serve basis. If you are unsure whether or not we have a certain piece of hardware that you will need for your hack, bring your own to the event!
Absolutely nothing! Hack the 6ix is a completely free event run by a non-profit organization. All food, resources, and accommodations for hacking for the entire event will be provided free of charge.
Health & Safety
We will be following the guidance put forth by the Ontario Government for large events at the time of the event. More details will follow closer to the event and any major changes to guidelines or precautions will be communicated to event participants.
Still have a question?
Send your question our way and we'll get back to you within 48 hours!