Everything about the weekend
Startup Sauna, Puumiehenkuja 5a, Espoo · Sat 26 – Sun 27 Sept
Food
Meals are in the Kitchen
Snacks and coffee all weekend. The Kitchen is at the far end of the building. Allergies or dietary needs? Tell Olivia or Meri early.
Demos & judging · Sun 15:10–17:15
A short demo with each partner
Slots are usually 5–10 minutes — the length depends on the challenge and how many teams submitted. Every team gets a live demo. Your exact time and room appear on My team once the schedule is published.
1PitchThe problem and your idea, in a minute or two.
2DemoShow it working — the part that matters most.
3QuestionsPartners dig in with whatever time is left.
WhereDiscover
Mergero demosDefine
Prenew demosWinners are announced at the closing ceremony, 17:30 on the Stage.
Mergero demosDefinePrenew demosWinners are announced at the closing ceremony, 17:30 on the Stage.BringLaptop charged, demo already openA backup: screen recording or screenshotsOne person talking, one drivingBe at the door 5 minutes early
Venue
Finding your way
Come in through the main entrance into the Lobby. Hacking happens in the Co-working space, the Garage and Backstage — all connected. Bring your laptop, charger and your Luma ticket.
Co-workingHacking + partner boothsGarage & BackstageHackingKitchenMeals, snacks, coffeeDiscover · DefineDemo rooms on Sunday — Mergero in Discover, Prenew in DefineStageOpening and closing ceremonies
Doors open 09:00 Saturday and close ~23:00 (with 24h Startup Sauna access you can stay) · reopen 08:00 Sunday.
Submitting · by Sun 15:00
Your write-up is your submission
- 1Write it upWhat it does, how it works, screenshots, demo and repo links.
- 2Submit on My teamPress Submit for each challenge you picked.
- 3Keep improvingEdit until 15:00 — partners judge it as it stands then.
The rules that matter
- The deadline is strict: Sunday 15:00. No late submissions.
- Include everything judges need to review or run it on their own computers.
- If you demo on your own laptop and win, organisers check the code wasn’t changed after the deadline. If it was, the team is disqualified.
- Diagrams, flowcharts or a short video are strongly encouraged — the live demo decides, but good material helps.
- Format varies per challenge — read the brief carefully and ask the partner in Discord if anything is unclear.
Go to My teamHub down near the deadline? Email your submission from the challenge page as a backup.
Can I pick both challenges?
Yes — pick as many as you like on My team and submit your write-up to each. You can change picks until the submission deadline.
Can I sleep at the venue?
No. Doors close ~23:00 Saturday; with 24h Startup Sauna access you can keep building overnight. Otherwise head home and come back at 08:00 Sunday.
Can I use code I wrote before?
Yes, but say so in your write-up. Judges weight what you built this weekend; pre-existing infra is fine if it isn’t the demo.
I don’t have a team
Turn on “Looking for a team” on your profile or post in Discord. Teams are up to 5 people, and solo is fine too.
Is there food at night?
Snacks and coffee are in the Kitchen all weekend. Allergies or dietary needs? Tell Olivia or Meri as early as you can.
Can I connect Claude or Cursor to the hub?
Yes — the Tools tab walks you through it in about two minutes.
What’s the code of conduct?
Be kind. No harassment, no plagiarism, no undisclosed AI-generated submissions — be honest about what you built. Issues? DM any organiser on Discord or grab us in person. We’ll handle it quickly and discreetly.
FastestTelegram@oliviaronnemaa · @meriheikkinen123
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