The PHAROS Hackathon

• May 11, 2026

The PHAROS Hackathon is underway, opening a week of bootcamp sessions and culminating in the final hackathon days on 18 and 19 May. From 11 to 13 May, participants will take part in a bootcamp featuring masterclasses, talks, and practical sessions designed to sharpen ideas and build stronger solutions for the blue economy and marine sustainability. The programme continues with the final hackathon days on 18 and 19 May, where teams will present and develop their concepts further.

Below you can find some sessions that might be of interest to you:

11 May | 17:45 – 19:15 CET
Business Modelling Masterclass
Trainers: Stefan Kurandic (Relevant), Lorena Silvestri (.jes)
Scope: Hands-on training on developing viable business models and structuring ideas for sustainability and impact.

12 May | 17:30 – 19:00 CET
Pitching Masterclass
Trainer: George Stratigopoulos (Uni.Fund)
Scope: Practical guidance on crafting compelling pitches, with focus on storytelling, clarity, and investor readiness.

12 May | 19:05 – 19:30 CET
Meet the Changemakers
Speakers: Andy Bownds (Ecobrix), Anouck Lalauze (Up-Fuse), Argyris Moystakas (Searidrones)
Scope: Real-world insights from innovators developing solutions in circular economy and marine sustainability, followed by Q&A.

13 May | 17:05 – 17:25 CET
Inspirational Talk: “Rethinking Plastic: Solutions for Prevention at the Source”
Speaker: Maria Westerbos (Plastic Soup Foundation)
Scope: Exploration of upstream solutions and systemic approaches to preventing plastic pollution.

18 May | 14:15 – 15:15 CET
Panel Discussion: Funding the Blue Economy
Moderator: Andrei Geica (Sporos Platform)
Speakers: Ruth Andrade (LUSH), Patricia Puig (Oceanomi), [Speaker TBC] (Climate KIC)
Scope: Funding strategies, investment perspectives, and pathways to scale blue economy solutions.

19 May | 17:00 CET
Keynote Speech
Speaker: Andreea Strachinescu (CINEA)
Scope: Insights on EU priorities, funding frameworks, and opportunities in the blue economy.
Join: Link to be announced

19 May | 17:30 – 19:15 CET
Hackathon Pitching Session
Participants: 12 finalist teams
Scope: Final pitching session where selected teams present their solutions to the jury and winners are selected.
Join: Link to be announced

We also invite you to discover more about the Experts, Mentors, and Jury members of the Hackathon here: https://pharosproject.eu/hackathon/

You can explore the complete agenda of all Bootcamp and Hackathon days here: https://pharosproject.eu/hackathon-agenda/

For those of you invited to take on a more active role in the Hackathon, you have already received additional information and calendar invites.

We look forward to having you with us in any of the sessions.