Hack-Nation Comes to Linz: Applications Open

Young AI Leaders Austria opened applications for Hack-Nation in Linz—bringing a highly selective global AI hackathon format to Upper Austria after Austrian teams proved themselves on the international stage.

What happened

Abdul Basit Banbhan and Julian Schmidt made it as the only Austrian team into the Venture Lab, selected from 6,500 applicants. Abdalaziz Ayoub and Filip Dolejší won Best Pitch and Best Project at the Vienna hub. Those results made one thing clear: the talent is here. Instead of only sending people elsewhere, the Linz hub set out to host the format locally.

Hack-Nation runs hubs across Stanford, MIT, NYC, Paris, Delhi, London, Zurich, and more—organised with leading academic and industry networks.

Why it matters

When local talent already wins abroad, the next step is infrastructure at home. Hosting Hack-Nation in Linz keeps builders, mentors, and momentum in Upper Austria’s ecosystem.