24 November 2024

On 21 November 2024, a press conference was held to announce the fourth HIKEathon in the Hike Lab at Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. The HIKEathon, which will be held on 29 and 30 November in the university's Audimax, is all about innovation, creative problem-solving and the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI). The aim of the format is to develop forward-looking ideas and concepts to tackle urgent social and economic challenges.

Prof Dr Lutz Göcke, Head of the University Incubator for Entrepreneurship (hike), welcomed the participants to the press conference and presented the successes of the HIKEathon to date. He emphasised the increasing importance of interdisciplinary approaches and digital tools such as AI, which enable a new dimension of creative collaboration.

"With the HIKEathon, we are creating a platform that combines innovative problem solving with the principles of design thinking. We want to broaden the horizons of creative and efficient idea generation by integrating generative AI to a greater extent," says Göcke.

The hike's Lab Operations Manager Thomas Herwig gave a detailed insight into the organisation and structure of the event. On the first day of the HIKEathon, the focus is on defining problems and developing creative solutions with the help of AI. The second day will focus on practical implementation with prototyping, testing and a final pitch session.

The HIKEathon challenges cover a wide range of topics, including

• Sustainability & environmental protection
• Technology & AI
• Social work
• Personnel management
• Product management
• E-Commerce & B2B

Over 80 participants, consisting of university members, external partners, students, lecturers, experts and coaches, will work actively in teams.

Partners and expert network

The numerous partners of the HIKEathon were introduced at the press conference. The partners are made up of renowned companies, organisations and institutions that actively support the HIKEathon:

• AWO Thuringia
• EY (Ernst & Young)
• BBZ Nordhausen
• Nordhausen municipal utilities
• Leipzig public utilities
• Digital agency Thuringia
• Future Forest
• Maximator Hydrogen
• Netrocks

CEO Mathias Kurras and Benjamin Tauche, Head of Supply Chain, from Maximator Hydrogen, who were present at the press conference, shared practical insights into the application of generative AI in their company. They emphasised how AI helps to make processes more efficient and drive innovative solutions.

Coaches

A team of highly qualified experts and coaches will support the HIKEathon participants in the various challenges. The coaches include:

• Jonas Mielke - Technology Engineer at hike
• Johanna Vargas - UX/UI Designer at hike
• Kareen Schlangen - Lecturer and innovation coach at hike
• Christian Zoll - Venture Developer at hike
• Dr Lutz Göcke - Founder hike & Professor for Digital Management
• Dr Jan Millemann - Professor for Digitalisation & Digital Marketing
• Avishek Chatterjee - UX Designer at hike
• Thomas Herwig - Lab Operations Manager at hike
• Sharon Keegan - Psychologist at hike
• Ingo Eichhorst - AI Solution Architect
• Thomas Henning - Investor & CEO Innovatoren PE GmbH
• Lukas Stratmann - Chief Evangelist at AI HUB Cologne

Jury

A high-calibre jury will evaluate the solutions developed by the teams:

• Christian Böduel - Head of IHK Nordthüringen
• Anke Hartung - Start-up consultant, ThEx Enterprise
• Christian Simon - Co-Founder, Coworking Eichsfeld & Microsoft
• Lukas Stratmann - Chief Evangelist, AI HUB Cologne
• Cassandra Schlangen - Entrepreneur & Business Coaching Specialist

The jury members contribute their expertise in business, innovation and start-ups to honour the best concepts and promote the creative process.

Thomas Herwig emphasised the numerous advantages that the HIKEathon offers companies. For example, participating companies have the opportunity to develop innovative and practical solutions to real-life challenges. In addition, they gain access to highly motivated young talents who put their creative ideas into practice and can be recruited as potential future specialists.

The HIKEathon also offers valuable insights into the practical use of generative artificial intelligence and design thinking, giving companies new impetus for their working methods and innovation processes. Last but not least, the event provides an ideal platform to expand your own network and get in touch with other companies, experts and creative minds.

The HIKEathon 2024 promises to be a highlight for innovation and collaboration in the region. Media representatives are cordially invited to attend the event on 29 and 30 November and experience live how innovative ideas for the challenges of the future are created.

Click here for registration and more information: www.hikeathon.de