HackRome

A hackathon with an eye on Europe

HackRome was born with a precise ambition, stated right from its launch: to bring a hundred founders, builders, and researchers to Rome to develop the next generation of European market leaders. This is neither a themed competition nor a traditional university contest; participants are free to work on whatever they choose, be it a long-term side project, a research initiative, or something completely out of the box. This freedom of scope is what distinguishes the initiative from most Italian hackathons, which are almost always built around a challenge assigned by a sponsor.

Where and when

The event takes place in the Municipality of Rome, capital of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital and the Lazio Region, at The Social Hub Rome on Viale dello Scalo San Lorenzo 10. The location is no coincidence: we are in the San Lorenzo district, historically the city's student quarter, located right next to Sapienza University of Rome and just a few minutes' walk from Termini Station. It is an area that has seen a surge in coworking spaces, labs, and technical communities in recent years, offering a setting quite different from the monumental historic center of Rome.

How the day works

The format is fast-paced and intense: you arrive in the morning, build throughout the day, and present in the evening. During working hours, teams have the opportunity to receive direct support and feedback from founders, venture capitalists, and industry experts who circulate among the tables rather than just judging at the end. This mechanism makes the event valuable even for those who don't win: in a single day, you gain a level of insight and networking that would normally take weeks of meetings to achieve.

The prizes

The prize pool consists of cash and technology credits, following a formula now well-established in AI-focused hackathons:

• 10,000 euros in cash grants, distributed among the most promising teams to help them continue developing their projects after the event;
• 30,000 euros in OpenAI credits, awarded for the best use of the technology;
• 10,000 euros in ElevenLabs credits, awarded for the best use of their voice technology.

Who is behind it

The event is organized by Codex Community Events, with scientific coordination by the Department of Management at Sapienza University of Rome led by Nicola Cucari; the day is hosted by Emanuele Sacco, Alexandro Nistiriuc, Jacopo Mele (Moonstone), and Alex Fazio. The partner lineup is unusually extensive for an event of this scale: Bending Spoons as the main sponsor, followed by Exein, Ford for mobility, Paradigma for research, Codex by OpenAI and ElevenLabs for technology, The Social Hub as the venue partner, along with Scaleway, United Ventures, Apeira, Tech Europe Foundation, TextYess, Cato AI, Vibiz, and Humans.tech. Media partners include Rai News, Gazzetta Motori, and Urban Vision.

Who should attend

The invitation is open to ambitious individuals who want to build, experiment, and work on high-potential ideas: founders, students, researchers, engineers, and designers. The presence of Sapienza and the location in San Lorenzo make the event particularly accessible to Rome's university population, but the explicitly European focus and the fact that English is the primary working language open participation to those arriving from outside the city. Spots are limited to about a hundred participants, and registration is via application on the dedicated platform; those who don't secure a spot can join the waiting list.

Rome and innovation

HackRome is part of a particularly busy season in Rome for digital and AI-focused events, ranging from the Rome AI & Tech Week to the initiatives of RomeCup. The capital of Lazio has a less visible technological tradition than Milan, but it boasts one of the largest university pools in Europe and a growing network of startups: events like this serve primarily to make that network visible to itself, bringing builders and investors together in the same room for an entire day.