Putnam Hackathon
Putnam Investments wants to celebrate its technologists across the firm, align on digital strategies and deliver excellence in products. Over a 48-hour period, Putnam associates from around the world will build innovative solutions that can help fuel the firm's digital transformation.

What is a Hackathon?
In industry circles, a hack-a-thon is an event, typically lasting several days, in which a large number of technologists meet to engage in collaborative computer programming. You can think of it as an “invention marathon.” Anyone who is passionate about technology can attend a hackathon to learn, build and share their creations over the course of a few days in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Vision
The Putnam Hackathon aims to:

• Strengthen the innovative and collaborative culture at Putnam
• Continue to embrace change by learning and adapting to the newest technologies
• Promote the OnePutnam initiative by encouraging connectivity across the firm

Create a brand-new product, improve an existing workflow, implement a cloud solution, create reusable components or build an open-source application for a chance to win a selection of prizes, and gain exposure to the Putnam Digital Technology community and our business partners.

Technologists have a diverse range of skills. We are looking for anyone at Putnam who values the power of technology to participate in the Putnam Hackathon! Whether you can break down a business problem, design the customer-facing views, develop the architecture behind the scenes or visualize data we encourage you to sign up for this great event!

This is also a great time for developers to become familiar with the technologies that are being adopted across Putnam Investments. No Angular experience? No problem! In addition to the competition, there will be multiple training sessions for Git, Angular, Azure, Indico tools, Jenkins, and Docker offered before the Hackathon as well as workshops offered throughout the event. Mentors will be available to help you as well.

WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?)
If you have a business pain point that needs to be solved by technologists, you have come to the right place. Your idea can become a hackathon project! The Putnam Hackathon will provide an opportunity to create real value by developing a solution that can be launched to users soon after the event. Business partners and developers are encouraged to work together through the entire event in developing a solution for a problem statement. The winners will be able to present their project to Putnam’s business leaders during the December Showcase. In addition, there will be a chance to win a selection of exciting prizes! 

AGENDA-AT-A-GLANCE (timings subject to change)

DAY 1 - Dec 10
08:00 a.m.:  Breakfast/Doors open
08:30 a.m.:  Welcome Presentation
09:00 a.m.:  Hacking begins
09:00 a.m.:  Team/Idea formation
12:30 p.m.:  CEO talk
01:00 p.m.:  Lunch
02:00 p.m.:  Intro to Git Workshop
03:00 p.m.:  Snacks and coffee
04:00 p.m.:  Machine Learning Workshop
07:00 p.m.:  Dinner

DAY 2 - Dec 11
09:00 a.m.:  Breakfast
10:00 a.m.:  DevSecOps talk
01:00 p.m.:  Lunch
03:00 p.m.:  Snacks and coffee
07:00 p.m.:  Dinner

DAY 3 - Dec 12
08:00 a.m.:  Breakfast
09:00 a.m.:  Hacking ends
09:00 a.m.:  Coding ends/Submissions due on DevPost/Demo setup
09:30 a.m.:  Demos begin/Demos only/No slide decks
11:00 a.m.:  Judges weigh in
12:00 p.m.:  Winners announced/Prizes awarded
01:00 p.m.:  Hackathon ends
03:00 p.m.:  Showcase

Showcase
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will be invited to a private executive reception to present their projects to Mr Reynolds, the Operating Committee, and special guests.

How do I register?
In order to participate in the Putnam Hackathon, please register by clicking on the Register for this hackathon button above and/or your team by 08:00 a.m. EST on Monday, December 10th. Remember to use your Putnam email.

Who can participate in the Putnam Hackathon?
Any Putnam Investments associate in the US or abroad can participate! Make sure you list your skills when you register on DevPost so that people know what your role on the team might be (developer, designer, analyst, generalist, etc.)

What happens if I cannot find a team?
You can check out the Participants tab to see who has registered for the Putnam Hackathon and send them a message. There will be a networking event on Dec 7 and a Team Formation session on Monday December 10th at 09:00 a.m. EST.

What happens if I don’t have an idea for the Putnam Hackathon?
Check out the Putnam Hackathon Timeline posted on the intranet for more details on the Ideation Phase.

When are final submissions due?
Final submissions are due by the completion of the Hackathon — 09:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday, December 12th.

Where and when are winners being selected?
The final product submissions will be judged following the completion of the Hackathon, and winners will be presented on Wednesday, December 12th at 12:30 p.m. EST at Putnam Investments, 100 Federal Street, Boston.

How can I participate if I do not know Angular (and other relevant technologies)?
Anyone at Putnam who values technology is encouraged to participate! You can join a team that needs someone to take a role that does not require coding, such as designer, analyst, generalist, etc. If you would like to take a developer role and do not have much experience in the technologies used at Putnam, you can take advantage of the training sessions (Angular, Spring Boot, Git, Azure, Docker, etc.) offered prior to the Putnam Hackathon as well as workshops offered during the event. Check out the event schedule to find out more.

What can I expect before the Putnam Hackathon?

We are currently in the Ideation Phase of the Putnam Hackathon. This is the time to start thinking of what you would like to work on during the event and start mingling with other Putnam Investments associates in order to form a team.

Putnam Hackathon Timeline

November 23rd 
• Hackathon is announced - Start thinking of ideas!!!
• Individual participant registration begins on DevPost (Note: you do not need to have your own idea to participate. You can make yourself available as an individual contributor and network with team leads to join a team)
• Team leads start scouting talent for team formation

November 29th 
• Hackathon organizers release the Challenge List (a list of possible projects to work on)
• Hackathon organizers starts accepting ideas from individuals (future team leads)
• Hackathon organizers reviews the ideas and provides feedback on an ongoing basis through December 4th 
• If an idea does not align with Putnam's goals and the Judging Criteria for the hackathon, the hackathon organizers will provide feedback to help refine it. Alternatively, you can pick an idea from the Challenge List.

December 4th 
• Deadline for ideas to be submitted by individuals

December 7th 
• Off-site social networking event for team leads to scout teammates

December 10th-12th 
• Putnam Hackathon!!!

• Business Value
  
• Innovation
  
• Production Readiness
  
• Modern Technologies
  
• Elevator Pitch
  
• Best Use of Collaboration