GiveBackHack Columbus 2024

GiveBackHack is the launchpad for social innovation in Columbus.

Attend to partner up with the community and find the resources to make that idea a reality.

We kick off Friday night, where you will meet community members of all backgrounds who are eager to make an impact on the city around them. Anyone can pitch an idea on Friday night, so come prepared to pitch or take notes! Together, we identify crowd favorites and form teams around them. The rest of the weekend is spent learning the GiveBackHack process for idea validation. You will be mentored by top social entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, venture capitalists, and prominent business professionals as you vet your team's idea and build real products — physical products, smartphone applications, websites and anything else that will innovate on the issues we face in Columbus.

Who attends? Engaged citizens, designers, developers, non-profit leaders, business professionals, entrepreneurs, change makers and more.

What do I need? A passion to make an impact on the community. Nothing else. You don't need an idea or a specific background in order to attend. You just need to come ready to work hard to solve problems.

If you do have an idea to make an impact — awesome. You'll pitch that and get the chance to get talented people to work with you to make it a reality.

Why should I attend?

The reasons are endless, but here are just a few:

1. You'll make an impact on your community by working to solve to top social issues we face through innovation.
2. You'll learn a lot about social issues, how to bring an idea into a well-vetted reality and how to physically build something amazing.
3. You'll meet an amazing community of motivated people  — people who will work with you and change the world.

What happens next? Sunday night concludes with a pitch for up to $15,000 in funding to continue to vet + validate your idea, creating impact along the way. We will help you get connected to accelerators, workshops, mentors, and more resources to see your business come to life.

Your ticket for the weekend includes:

• World-class Design Thinking training
• Mentorship by local social entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, venture capitalists, tech execs and more
• The opportunity to grow and learn alongside the most incredible people in the city
• Meals throughout the weekend
• GiveBackHack t-shirt
• Surprises and swag from our sponsors and community partners
• An opportunity to change your community for the better

Where is the venue?

We are honored to partnered up with Columbus College of Art and Design as our venue partner. We will use two locations during the weekend:

• Crane Center 3rd Floor
• Canzani Center

Please refer to the image below!

Want to attend, but can't afford a ticket? Email [email protected] to apply for financial aid.

Refund Policy: Refunds will be granted up to 7 days prior to the event start date. Food, drink, and shirts will be ordered multiple weeks in advance, which is why refunds are difficult so close to the event. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Participation Agreement:

As organizers in your local community, we're working hard to provide you with an experience to meet community members, interact with prominent local entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders. GiveBackHack is a community, non-profit event. The event is intended to be a collaborative forum for sharing, learning, building, and having fun. As such, by registering as a participant, you acknowledge that any ideas shared by you or anyone else over the course of the event are contributions to the overall experience and community. If you as a participant are worried about someone stealing your ideas, please reconsider your participation in the event itself or simply refrain from sharing specifics about your idea.

As a member of your community, you agree to be inclusive of any and all people and their ideas. You agree to act professionally, treat everyone with respect, and treat the facilities with proper care. You agree that you are responsible for any accidents or damages that you cause. You also agree to not hold GiveBackHack, your local volunteer team, or any of the event supporters liable for any loss, damage, injury, or any other unforeseeable incident. If the organizing team feels you are not acting within the spirit of the event, you may be asked to leave without a refund for the event.

By Participating at the event, you grant GiveBackHack permission to capture photo/video of the event.

Host or Publisher GiveBackHack