Frequently asked questions

In 1 to 3 days, mixed teams go from a business problem to working software. Not an idea on a slide, but something that can be demonstrated and developed further. Using ChatGPT, Claude and n8n as the main building blocks, participants build the kind of solution they would normally have to request from the IT department. A sharp problem goes in, a prototype comes out. 87% of teams at our hackathons have something running within 48 hours.

A traditional workshop produces lists of ideas and priorities. An AI hackathon produces software that works. The key difference is hands-on prototyping with AI tools: participants build something that can be demonstrated the next day. The combination of time pressure, a little competition and professional facilitation creates an energy and an output that are hard to achieve any other way.

The process is built around six phases. Framing the challenge before the hackathon, where we use AI to analyse stakeholder input and find the right problem. Ideation, where generative AI helps teams generate and prioritise ideas far faster than by hand. Prototyping with no-code AI tools such as n8n and Claude. Testing and validation with real users. A pitch to a jury with the authority to make decisions. And finally an implementation roadmap after the hackathon, so the prototype lives on instead of ending up in a drawer. Read more about our method.

Yes. We facilitate AI hackathons in English or Danish, and mixed-language teams work fine. Briefings, materials and the final report can be delivered in whichever language suits your organisation. If your people also need training before or after the hackathon, the AI courses run by our sister company Fremtidslaboratoriet can be held in English or Danish too. Tell us about your team and we will suggest a setup.

Expect 2 to 3 weeks of preparation together with us. We help you identify and phrase the right problem, so teams do not waste time debating what they are actually meant to build. We also make sure participants have access to the relevant AI tools and that your IT department has approved the platforms we use. Before the event, every participant receives a concrete checklist.

A good hackathon needs flexible seating where each team can sit together, a screen large enough for shared presentations, strong and stable Wi-Fi for everyone, power for all laptops, and ideally a few small breakout rooms for focused work. We send you a complete venue checklist before the event. If you do not have suitable rooms, we help you find a good venue in your city.

Yes. Our facilitators are fluent in English and Danish and are used to mixed teams where some people prefer one language and some the other. All written documentation, briefing material and post-event reporting can be delivered in the language you prefer. For international organisations with offices in several countries, we have experience with virtual hackathons across time zones, and we work with companies across the Nordics.

We can usually run a hackathon at 3 to 4 weeks' notice. For the most popular dates we recommend booking 6 to 8 weeks ahead. Send us an enquiry and we will come back within 24 hours with a short needs assessment and a concrete quote.

Any employee can take part, whatever their technical background. The best teams are cross-functional: a mix of people with business understanding, deep subject expertise and some technical curiosity. Nobody needs to know how to code beforehand. We introduce all the AI tools you need as part of the programme, and our AI coaches are on hand throughout.

Yes, and we strongly recommend it. When management takes an active part, rather than just dropping in for the pitches, it sends a clear signal that AI innovation is a priority. We have seen teams perform better, and prototypes are more likely to be implemented, when decision makers are in the room. We can adapt the programme so that senior participants contribute in a meaningful way, even without a technical background.

Prices start from DKK 15,000 for a half-day AI hackathon and go up to DKK 75,000 for a three-day AI innovation marathon. The one-day AI hackathon at DKK 25,000 is our most popular format. The price depends on duration, number of participants and how much tailoring you need. No standard packages and no hidden extras. See the full overview on our pricing page.

It depends on the challenge, but we typically use ChatGPT and Claude to generate ideas and text, no-code tools such as n8n to connect systems and build AI agents, and tools such as Midjourney or Kling for visual mockups. If the prototype needs a user interface, we build it quickly with no-code AI tools. You do not need to know any of them in advance; the facilitators get you started. We always choose the tools based on your specific case, not on what happens to be fashionable.

Prompt engineering is about writing instructions for AI models in a way that gives precise, useful results. Every participant picks it up during the hackathon, because it is needed to build anything. We introduce the most important techniques, such as role prompting, chain of thought and few-shot examples, in a way that non-technical participants can follow. Most people are surprised by how quickly it clicks.

Usually very little. Most of the AI tools we use are web based and only need a browser and an internet connection. We send a technical requirements list to IT well in advance, so they can unblock any domains and make sure the Wi-Fi can handle every participant online at once, including video. If you have special security requirements, we advise on alternative setups that comply with your policy.

We deliver an implementation roadmap, a plan for handing over skills and a framework for tracking ROI for every prototype. Across more than 120 hackathons, 3 out of 5 prototypes are in use within 90 days when there is structured follow-up. If you need it, we can also help with the implementation itself as a separate engagement.

Yes, and that is actually the outcome we prefer. Many of our clients run hackathons regularly and gradually build an internal culture of AI innovation. We also offer a facilitator training programme where your own people learn to facilitate hackathons, using our method and materials as the foundation. That gives you full internal ownership and considerably reduces the ongoing cost.

Our formats scale from 10 to 150 participants, split into small teams. For larger organisations we design several parallel teams, each with a theme, so every team works on challenges that matter to its own part of the business.

A half-day AI hackathon makes sense when you are new to AI innovation and want to experience the energy and the possibilities before investing in a full programme. It also works well as a warm-up at a conference or a management day, or when you have a clearly defined, narrow challenge that does not need full prototyping. Many of our clients start here and book a one-day AI hackathon a few weeks later.

We recommend the two-day format when you have a complex challenge with many dependencies, when you want time to iterate on and test the prototype, or when you want deeper AI skills development as part of the programme. Teams get to sleep on their ideas and return with fresh eyes on day two, which usually lifts the quality of the final prototype considerably. Compare the one-day AI hackathon with the two-day AI hackathon.

Yes. If your people first need to learn to use AI in their daily work before you start building, a course is the right place to begin. Our sister company Fremtidslaboratoriet runs one-day AI courses in subjects such as ChatGPT, Copilot and AI agents, both as open courses and as in-house company courses. Courses can be run in English or Danish; please note that the Fremtidslaboratoriet website is in Danish only. Many companies combine the two: a course first, so everyone can join in, and a hackathon afterwards.

Absolutely. We have a lot of experience designing hackathon formats that fit into a conference or a strategy day. It usually needs a clear time frame, a well-defined and narrow problem, and light facilitation that matches the conference atmosphere. The four-hour half-day AI hackathon is particularly well suited. Send us your programme and we will find the right format.

You can, but our experience from more than 120 hackathons is that professionally facilitated hackathons produce clearly more prototypes that get implemented than self-organised ones. Logistics are only part of it. Framing the challenge, AI expertise, managing energy in the room and real-time technical support are what make the difference. We also offer a facilitator training programme for organisations that want to build the capability in-house over time.

We have facilitated AI hackathons across a wide range of industries: manufacturing and production, finance and insurance, logistics, healthcare, retail, public authorities and education. Our facilitators have industry experience and always prepare with sector-specific knowledge before the event, so we can speak your professional language and understand your challenges.

Our facilitators combine business understanding with deep AI expertise. They are all experienced hackathon facilitators, and many have a background in product development, design thinking or software engineering. We always match the facilitator to your industry and your challenge. Meet them on our AI facilitators page.

Data security matters, and we take it seriously. We only use approved AI platforms and advise you on what should never be sent to language models, such as personal data, confidential contracts or material covered by a duty of confidentiality. We can also run hackathons on platforms with a data processing agreement (DPA) in place, and we always adapt our technical setup to your security policy.

It varies a great deal. The most successful prototypes take over repetitive manual work that would otherwise tie up skilled people, and when a solution like that goes into use, the hackathon can pay for itself quickly. To make the effect visible, we set up ROI tracking for every prototype. On top of the direct return comes the value of the AI skills your people build, the organisation's readiness for AI, and a culture that is more willing to experiment.

That is part of the process, not a sign of failure. A hackathon is about learning fast, including learning what does not work. Our facilitators help teams change direction early, before they have put too much time into a dead end. Even a prototype that is not ready for production gives you valuable insight: you now know exactly what is hard, what it would cost to build and what is actually possible.

This is probably the most important question, and you do not have to answer it alone. We take you through a structured problem framing process before the event, usually in a 60 to 90 minute workshop with key people. We look for problems that are concrete enough to prototype in the time available, yet challenging enough that AI actually makes a difference. Vague problems are the most common reason hackathons disappoint.