What we do

At Disruptors Co, we design ways to make big ideas real. Using a design thinking approach, we build and deliver innovation products to help our clients grow new mindsets and create meaningful change. 

Hackathons

We find that rapidly accelerating both brainstorming and designing can help to spark new solutions to business problems, as well as embed an innovation mindset within and across teams.

So that’s exactly what we facilitate in our hackathons and design jams.

These 1-2 day events bring internal and external teams together to develop tech-oriented solutions to major business challenges. They generate enormous energy, unleash creativity across teams and can literally catalyse new products and services in a matter of days or even hours.

For each event, we’ll help you create the diverse hackathon ‘dream teams’ you’ll need to solve your complex challenges.

These will include:

  • hackers (tech-focused)
  • hipsters (designers)
  • hustlers (business-oriented)
  • humanitarians (subject-matter experts).

Beyond facilitating the event itself, we’ll also help you build the resources and delivery infrastructure you’ll need to host a successful hack or jam. We can help with everything from creating a judging criteria to detailed team resources and setting up a judging panel.

Check out our list of upcoming and past hackathons here.

Beyond the hack

Our services aren’t just limited to the hack itself. Beyond that, we can work with you to integrate the hack’s best solutions into your business to meet your strategic goals. If you need to do it all remotely, we can help you do this with your own technologies. Or, you can use our custom designed platform, TheAir.Works to make your Hackathon as engaging as meeting in real life.

Case Study: State Insurance Regulatory Authority

When NSW’s State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA) were looking to improve the quality of applications for their Recovery Boost program, they asked for our help. 

Their funding program was open to all organisations with projects to support mental health recovery in NSW businesses, but for the final year of the program, SIRA wanted to provide additional application development support for small businesses, so as to improve funding access opportunities. 

When it comes to funding programs, it’s often the case that bigger organisations in metropolitan hubs can generate super slick applications, while smaller organisations, and those in regional, remote or culturally diverse areas may not find it as easy to get a seat at the table. 

So how did we help? Well, we designed and led a hackathon with the SIRA team to help redress this imbalance, and increase the likelihood of funding success among small and marginalised business applicants.  

A key product to come out of the hack was a custom designed video submission system that provided support to interested applicants ahead of being invited to participate. Built and hosted by Disruptors Co, this video system helped to identify the recovery ideas that would be tackled on the day, and then in the hackathon we created activities and canvases that would help applications to be better tailored to the funding criteria.

In addition, we promoted the funding program through the video competition, resulting in a doubling of overall submissions to the program.

Our objective was to open up much needed funding to hard-working community organisations, and we delivered.

We had a great deal of positive feedback about the format and content of the event, including comments like “enthralling,” “the hours flew” and “such an important conversation.” Thanks to Gavin and Joanne for calmly and expertly supporting us to stand up this event in record time, with a fit for purpose medium, and for the support of the speakers and my team during the event.” – Rebecca Neilson, SIRA Manager Prevention and Mental Health Program.

Ready to unlock the innovation in your team?