Leaving reasonable at the door at a Northborne hackathon

That was one detail from Northborne’s hackathon on Friday 16 October. Others included purple and green lighting, snacks within reach, a venue by a sandy beach and a coffee machine with objections of its own. People got talking and working quickly. During a networking conversation, somebody declared that macaroni casserole was better than kebab. The claim remains unverified, but the conversation was very much underway.

A Playground with something to work on

Northborne connects people, practical skills and ideas across Finland and Sweden. Its wider Playground gives people room to bring an unfinished idea, a problem or something they can contribute, and find others to work with. A hackathon is one way to enter that community and try a first move.

For this evening, we wanted people to question familiar limits, make something and help each other along the way. Local knowledge and hands-on skills had a place alongside software and AI. There was also time to pause, eat and enjoy being together. Those choices reflect the kind of community Northborne is trying to build.

Three ways to leave reasonable at the door

The Unannounceable asked participants to develop a business so ambitious, unexpected or absurd that they might hesitate to tell their neighbours. The brief invited ideas beyond what usually feels reasonable locally, whether that meant an institute for silence, a new sport or a solution to a problem people rarely admit having.

Make Ambition Contagious explored what could happen if people shared the ideas and dreams they normally keep to themselves. The task was to create a way for those ambitions to meet people willing to contribute skills, contacts, resources or a first push.

The anti-track, Garage to Glory, took its starting point in something familiar: we build, fix, make do and know someone who knows someone. Participants were invited to use that Ostrobothnian resourcefulness, build a first version with what they had, and imagine how far it could go.

The tracks left room both to challenge local habits and to recognize strengths worth carrying forward. That relationship matters to Northborne: heritage and new possibilities can be explored together.

Dinner decisions and furniture with initiative

Nine concepts took shape. Tanapaus combined Tamagotchi and Pokémon-style elements in a monetized game concept that rewarded leaving your phone in a box. Anti-addiction in combination with business? Feedback approached the question of attention differently, exploring how people could reclaim social feeds from the flood of sponsored and recommended content.

Rizeft tackled meal planning and automated shopping lists to save time for families. It also included “Tinder for Dinner”, where family members could swipe until they agreed on a meal. Following the macaroni-versus-kebab discussion, the problem required little introduction. HEATKEA proposed heat-activated, self-assembling furniture for people who would rather avoid the assembly altogether. Missed opportunity of making Transformer style furniture?

Other teams explored how people work and help one another. Hypothesis board proposed crowdsourcing the testing of hypotheses. It immediately got Rick Roll’d… Someplan used AI to support social media planning for small companies. Ilaag brought the office into a virtual space, with proximity audio, shareable screens and coffee breaks. What better way then being able to annoy your co-workers or friends while working remotely?

Tyyni proposed Michelin-style certification for silence by reading brain waves. Apparently the calmest place is by the fireplace. Apprentice network explored how to bring back apprenticeships and pass on craft skills at risk of being lost as more activity moves online. Together, the concepts touched on everyday well-being, working life and the knowledge we want to keep.

After a very close vote, team Ilaag took the win and earned their slot at Junction. Congratulations to the team, and thank you to everyone who put an idea up for discussion.

Help and resistance could both be summoned

The action cards gave participants practical ways to change the rhythm of the evening. The Connector card let a team borrow someone from another team for a short period. The Pause Manager could call a voluntary break, the DJ could choose a song, and the Dispute Solver could let a game settle a disagreement.

Then there were the critical Ostrobothnians. Our role was to question the work and deliver a proper roast when invited. Playing the sceptics at an event about changing the local mindset was a deliberate part of the fun. It also gave teams a chance to explain their thinking under a little pressure.

The age differences sometimes showed in the tools: younger participants on laptops, older ones working with paper and pens, everyone challenging the local mindset. An LLM was even used to help slice a 3D model for printing, which surprised many in the room. There was plenty to figure out during the event.

The sauna was warm and the atmosphere warmer

Around the fire, we shared stories of things that had gone wrong. Honest accounts of mistakes belong in Northborne’s Campfires, where people can ask questions and learn from experience without needing to present a polished success story. This time, the fire was literal.

There was also a sauna and a jacuzzi. One team floated the possibility of doing the next hackathon from the jacuzzi using voice tools and AI. The proposed working conditions seem slightly further developed than the technical details.

Some participants said they had learned more during seven hours of having fun than in the previous year at work. That was feedback we were very happy to hear. For us, the laughs, smiles and occasional shouts were the icing on the cake.

The evening gave us plenty to take forward: ideas people could continue exploring, experiences of working together and reminders that enjoyment deserves room alongside the work. Thank you to everyone who contributed their curiosity, knowledge and good company.

Serious about action. Playful about the route.

Northborne is an Interreg Aurora project co-funded by the European Union, Region Västernorrland and the Regional Council of Lapland. The project partners are Centria University of Applied Sciences, Bizmaker, Coompanion and Nykarleby Innovation Center.