Vets-In-Tech Announces Veterans Day Weekend "Tech Meets Vets Hackathon"

First-of-a-Kind Organization Provides a Bridge of Opportunity to Help Vets Tap into San Francisco / Silicon Valley Tech Ecosystem

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) November 08, 2012

VetsinTech, an organization focused on connecting young vets to the Bay Area technology ecosystem, announced it is hosting the second of what will be an ongoing, semi-annual ?Tech Meets Vets Hackathon? series. The hackathon pairs up vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with tech savvy programmers and developers who can lend their expertise and collaborate to transform ideas from concept-to-company, with a focus on social, mobile, gaming, ecommerce, and health.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, over the next five years, 1 million service members will be transitioning from active duty. As a group, however, returning vets face a formidable challenge as they look to transition their skills to the civilian workforce in a tight labor market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that post 9/11 vets face a 10 percent unemployment rate compared to the national average of 7.9 percent. Yet veterans and tech founders share a similar DNA that enables them to tackle challenges: risk takers, a dogged determination, a high degree of discipline, the ability to work both in teams and autonomously, attention to detail, and a strong work ethic.

San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee commented, ?VetsinTech is a much needed veteran entrepreneurship initiative here in the ?Innovation Capital of the World,? combining three of my priorities: jobs, vets, and technology. Returning men and woman who have served our country deserve a chance to get the good jobs in our new innovation economy.?

The event is scheduled over the coming Veterans Day holiday weekend, November 9-11th. The weekend-long event will take place in San Francisco at Adobe System?s headquarters at 601 Townsend Street. The hackathon will last approximately 48 hours, starting on Saturday morning and concluding on Sunday evening. It will be kicked off on Friday evening with a programming class and will conclude on Sunday with a pitch and judging contest, followed by an awards ceremony and reception. For more information on the hackathon, interested parties can visit: http://www.vetsintech.co/hackathon

Open to all returning vets, the hackathon does not require coding skills to participate. Teams of approximately 4-6 people will be formed with a variety of skills. Vets can have an idea, help with a business plan, marketing or just participate as an observer for educational purposes. Interested parties can register at the following link here. All meals will be provided through the duration of the event.

The hackathon is just one of the many programs that VetsinTech offers in its commitment to assemble a network of technology-centric resources and services to help young veterans reintegrate into the civilian workforce. VetsinTech aims to provide a bridge of opportunity to returning veterans with education, entrepreneurship, and employment forming the cornerstones of its mission.

Tech Industry Giants Get Behind VetsinTech?s Cause

VetsinTech has attracted and secured support from some of Silicon Valley?s leading and most notable companies that are equally honored to be involved and lend assistance. Founding sponsors include Andreessen Horowitz, Cisco, Hewlett Packard, Intuit, and Salesforce.

?By default our industry always looks at how we can apply technology to solve problems; this behavior is sewn in the fabric of how we operate. It was abundantly clear that we could open the doors of opportunity to these brave, young men and women who served our country so gallantly,? noted Katherine Webster, VetsinTech founder. ?We?re eager to work with our local government officials, such as San Francisco Mayor Lee, coupled with support from our generous sponsors to provide our vets with a path that will enable them to thrive in the tech ecosystem.?

About VetsInTech

Based in San Francisco and founded in 2012, VetsInTech is an organization dedicated to harnessing San Francisco and Silicon Valley?s world-class high tech ecosystem for the benefit of veterans returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. VetsinTech aim is to provide a bridge of opportunity to returning veterans with a focus on tech-based education, entrepreneurship, and employment. For more information, interested parties can visit http://www.vetsintech.co.

# # #

Press Contact:

Carmen Hughes

Ignite Public Relations

W: 650.453.8553

C: 650.576.6444

Email: carmen(at)ignitepr(dot)com

Carmen Hughes
Ignite PR, for VetsinTech
650-227-3280 101
Email Information

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vets-tech-announces-veterans-day-weekend-tech-meets-221657373.html

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