European Defense Tech Hackathon Rome

A European defense hackathon in the heart of Rome

From July 3 to 5, 2026, the European Defense Tech Hackathon arrives for the first time in Rome, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio. The event is organized by the European Defense Tech Hub (EDTH) in partnership with the Zest innovation ecosystem and supported by InnovUp, bringing over 150 hackers from across Europe and beyond to the Capital. This is neither a music festival nor a traditional fair: it is a technological innovation event, a proven format that has generated over thirty-five European stops, more than four hundred teams, and around forty companies born directly from the prototypes presented in just two years.

What is the EDTH circuit?

The European Defense Tech Hub was founded in early 2024 by Benjamin Wolba and Jonatan Luther-Bergquist, modeled after the defense hackathons pioneered in Silicon Valley. The first European stop was held in Munich in June 2024 with 150 participants and 34 projects. Since then, the circuit has visited Copenhagen, Paris, Kyiv, Berlin, London, Prague, Brussels, Tallinn, and, in Italy, Milan. The 2026 Rome stop marks the format's debut in the Capital and is designed to connect technologists, the public sector, investors, and field operators—a dialogue that has been historically underdeveloped in Italy.

Technological challenges

Participants work on challenges prepared by the organizers or bring their own projects. The themes announced for the Rome stop cover some of the most sensitive areas of contemporary dual-use technology:

• Anti-UAS: detection and neutralization systems for hostile drones
• SIGINT: signal intelligence and electromagnetic spectrum analysis
• Autonomous interceptors: unmanned platforms capable of operating autonomously
• Communications in degraded environments: resilient networks where GPS and traditional links are unavailable

Each team, typically consisting of two to six people, has 48 hours to build a working prototype. On-site, 3D printers, soldering stations, and components are available; mentors—professionals with field experience, defense industry engineers, and investors—guide the groups to ensure solutions address real-world problems rather than theoretical exercises.

A format that builds businesses

The unique feature of the EDTH circuit is its continuity: the hackathons do not end over the weekend. Approximately forty teams from various stops have gone on to form companies. The most cited case is Zero Industries, born from a prototype of an AI-based visual positioning system for autonomous drones in GPS-denied environments. Participants in the Rome stop also join the EDTH Community, granting one-year access to demo days at other European stops, webinars, networking sessions, and the New Defense Summit.

Rome and dual-use innovation

The choice of Rome is no coincidence. The Capital concentrates institutions, research centers, and a significant portion of the Italian aerospace and defense industry, alongside a growing fabric of deep-tech startups that have found Lazio to be one of the country's most dynamic hubs in recent years. Bringing a format born in Germany and grown between Kyiv and London here means connecting the Italian ecosystem to an already structured continental network.

How to participate

Access is by application only. The Hacker ticket requires organizer approval; the Mentor ticket is by invitation; finally, there is a Community Visitor pass, reserved for EDTH Community members, which allows attendance at the Sunday Demo Day. The exact location is communicated only to confirmed registrants, following the circuit's standard practice.