Innovation in Action at the Annual Global Engineering Hackathon

In December 2024, Netskope hosted its fourth annual Global Engineering Hackathon, continuing a tradition that began in 2021. Over three days, from December 9-11, the event brought together more than 300 engineers from across the globe, including the US, India, Taiwan, Spain, Canada, the Philippines, France, the UK, and Germany. This gathering provided a great opportunity for collaboration, innovation, and skill development, resulting in innovative prototypes and new ideas.

Driving innovation and resiliency

This year’s theme, “Innovation and Resiliency,” encouraged participants to think boldly and build solutions that enhance the quality and reliability of the Netskope One platform. This theme resonated deeply with Netskope’s mission of delivering industry-leading secure access service edge (SASE) solutions to customers worldwide.

As the Hackathon neared, excitement built across Netskope’s offices. Spaces were decorated with event banners, and conversations often revolved around project brainstorming and team formation. The dedicated Hackathon JIRA board featured ideas from various teams, including contributions from departments like Customer Solutions, tackling real-world customer challenges and pain points.

The Hackathon experience

At our Hackathons, we believe in giving all participants the freedom to collaborate on their own turf, be it at one of our offices or from the comfort of their own homes. Most of this year’s Hackathon teams had 2-4 members, often from different regions, creating a unique opportunity for cross-regional collaboration and connection among our engineers. To fuel creativity, our offices were stocked with snacks and meals, designed to nourish both body and mind.

This year’s Hackathon saw a diverse range of projects tackling everything from AI-powered productivity tools to in-depth analysis of technical debt, not to mention some wildly innovative new prototypes for our platform. 

By the end of the event, 101 projects were submitted, setting a new record and marking a 58% increase from the previous year.  This impressive output showcased the talent and dedication of Netskope’s engineering community.

Celebrating creativity and impact

The Hackathon didn’t end with project submissions. Engineers engaged in a fun voting process to select their favorite projects, encouraging a culture of recognition and shared learning. One standout project, designed to reduce Kubernetes production instances for a specific product line, captured over 100 votes to win the “People’s Choice” award.

Simultaneously, a panel of subject matter experts, including engineering directors and architects, assessed submissions for quality and impact. Their evaluations culminated in the selection of 12 finalists.

On December 17, these finalists presented their projects at the Hackathon Demo Day. A panel of eight engineering executives, along with the entire engineering community, attended the showcase. Four teams emerged as winners in the categories:

• Customer Champion – Customers first!
• New Horizons – Expanding Infra or Product
• Shining a Light – Monitoring and Visibility
• Fixing the Foundations – Improving Quality

These teams earned recognition, awards, and a place on Netskope’s Hackathon Wall of Fame at the Santa Clara headquarters.

Recognizing “Finishiative”

The Finishative Award, a true crowning jewel of our Hackathons, shines brightly once again! This prestigious recognition celebrates the trailblazing teams from last year’s event who dared to dream big and turned their ideas into reality. This year, two teams have taken home the coveted award, while an eight others earned a special mention for their remarkable innovation.

Their creations are now in the spotlight. Deployed as customer-loved production features or widely used tools, these innovative solutions have made a lasting impression on our customers and the company alike. The true magic of a Hackathon lies not only in the thrill of competition, but also in the lasting impact that resonates throughout the organization while providing incremental value to our customers.

Fostering innovation and collaboration

The Hackathon’s success underscores Netskope’s vibrant engineering culture. Reflecting on the event, Parth Varma, a software engineer from India and a 2024 Hackathon winner, shared, “The Netskope Hackathon is the most anticipated event of the year where all engineers get together to showcase their skills through impactful ideas and innovation. It’s an amazing three days to collaborate, innovate, and inspire.”

The event’s success would not have been possible without the steadfast support of Netskope’s engineering leadership and the tireless efforts of the Hackathon Organizing Committee. Chandra Krishnamurthy, Senior Director of Engineering and co-chair of the committee, expressed his gratitude, “It’s incredibly inspiring to witness the creative energy of our Hackathon teams driving innovation and delivering exceptional outcomes that truly makes Netskope an extraordinary place to work.”

Looking to the future

As we look ahead, the innovations and collaborations sparked by the Hackathon will continue to influence Netskope’s future and the solutions we provide to our customers.

If you’re excited about joining a dynamic, global engineering team at the forefront of technological innovation, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us. Visit the Netskope Careers page to learn more and become part of our journey to redefine secure access for the digital age.