Hackathon: Maintenance for a Circular Future

Join a hackathon solving real-world maintenance challenges in water, energy and circular systems. Partner with high-growth circular startups and support student teams building software that keeps critical systems running longer and more efficiently.

Water - Irrigation & Infrastructure

Build predictive maintenance and monitoring software for irrigation systems and water infrastructure.

  • Leak detection dashboards
  • Smart scheduling algorithms
  • Remote diagnostics & monitoring

Energy - Management & Infrastructure

Develop software for efficient grid management, smart charging, and infrastructure optimization.

  • Grid load balancing
  • Smart charging systems
  • Infrastructure efficiency tracking

Wildcard - Open Innovation

Open challenge for any circular economy solution. Bring your own idea or solve a partner challenge.

  • New circular business models
  • Cross-sector optimization
  • Novel waste-to-value systems

Software Challenges

Three software-focused challenges, each with a dedicated startup mentor and industry expert.

Water Challenge

Build predictive or monitoring software for irrigation systems, leak detection, or water infrastructure.

Startup Mentor

Circular Water Startup

Industry Expert

Global Water Infrastructure Player

Energy Challenge

Create dashboards and algorithms for energy management, grid efficiency, or smart infrastructure.

Startup Mentor

Energy Management Startup

Industry Expert

Major Energy Infrastructure Provider

Wildcard Challenge

Build any solution that closes the loop, optimizes resources, or reduces waste.

Startup Mentor

Circular Economy Startup

Industry Expert

Innovation Leader

Sponsor Benefits

Access Top Talent

Connect with Munich's best data science, engineering, and business students in action.

Drive Innovation

Support and discover novel solutions in water, energy, and circular economy sectors.

Showcase Technology

Put your APIs, datasets, and tools directly in the hands of capable developers.

Brand Visibility

Prominent logo placement, booth space, and engagement opportunities with participants.

Connect with Startups

Network with high-growth circular startups and other industry leaders.

Format & Schedule

Two-day hybrid hackathon: pitch, ideate, build, and demo. Mentors from leading startups and industry will be on-site for rapid feedback.

  1. Day 1: Challenge briefings, team formation, mentor intros, opening workshop
  2. Day 2: Final builds, testing, demos, judging, and awards ceremony

How We Judge

Judging criteria emphasize code quality, innovation, and real-world impact. Each challenge is judged by its dedicated startup mentor and industry expert.

Technical Quality

Clean, maintainable code that works reliably under test conditions.

Innovation

Novel approaches or clever use of the provided tools and data.

Impact

Real potential to improve operations, reduce waste, or drive sustainability.