The Hackathon Fast Track, From Campus to Silicon Valley - NYTimes.com

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"Collegiate hackathons have replicated that scene on a far grander scale. Identifying talented coders who can dream big and thrive under pressure is particularly valuable to Silicon Valley. Since hackathons showcase some of the best, brightest and most motivated upstart programmers, the events have become a focal point for recruiting. Some say hackathons are as fruitful as job fairs.

“We want to find the next Mark Zuckerberg and the next Jack Dorsey,” says Andy Chen, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm that invested in Uber, Google, Snapchat and Twitter, which Mr. Dorsey helped found. The firm sends representatives to at least 20 collegiate competitions each year."

The Hackathon Fast Track, From Campus to Silicon Valley - NYTimes.com