Pärnu HÄKK 2026 was organized by Forwardspace with the support of Startup Estonia, bringing together more than one hundred ambitious participants for a weekend of building ideas, finding teammates and learning together.
That event laid the foundation for what is now Pärnu CoastHack – an international hackathon that continues the same mission on an even bigger scale.
More than 100 participants gathered at Hestia Hotel Strand, where 31 startup ideas were pitched – simply because there wasn’t enough time for more. By the end of the evening, 18 teams had formed and started building their solutions.
Throughout the day, teams worked alongside experienced mentors while exploring AI tools and vibe coding to rapidly transform ideas into working prototypes.
Additional sessions included:
• AI & vibe coding workshop
• Elevator pitch workshop
• One-on-one mentor sessions
Every team pitched their solution to the jury after an intensive weekend of building, testing and refining their ideas.
🥇 1st place EventWallet – a platform that simplifies collecting shared expenses for school and kindergarten events.
🥈 2nd place Petupeletaja – a solution designed to help identify and prevent scams targeting elderly people.
🥉 3rd place Last Meal – a unique cookbook concept inspired by the final meals of historical prisoners.
In addition to the €1,000 grand prize sponsored by Patchstack, the winning teams received tickets to Estonia’s leading startup conferences, Latitude59 and sTARTUp Day, access to the Pärnumaa Business Incubator growth programme, mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, coworking memberships in Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu, and technical support to continue developing their ideas.
For many participants, however, the most valuable rewards were the new connections, hands-on experience and visibility within Estonia’s startup ecosystem.
According to the mentors, the overall quality of the hackathon was exceptionally high, with nearly every team presenting a working prototype by the end of the weekend. Pärnu HÄKK demonstrated that the region has a strong entrepreneurial community and a growing ambition to build innovative technology-driven solutions.
Pärnu HÄKK 2026 was made possible thanks to the incredible support of our partners, supporters and volunteers. Thank you to every organization, mentor and volunteer who helped create an inspiring weekend of innovation, collaboration and new beginnings.
Pärnu HÄKK was just the beginning.
This autumn, we take the next step with Pärnu CoastHack – bringing together participants from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland for an even bigger international hackathon.
International collaboration. More technology. Bigger ideas. One unforgettable weekend.
