Diversify was a weekend event at Spotify in Stockholm, where 40 tech students of diverse backgrounds came together and designed, wrote code, and found new friends.

They were all teams consisting of an equal share of men and women, and also different technical interests.

And their results were insanely cool.

Technology is all around us, after all. In a larger, high level perspective, Diversify was organized by us due to the current situation in the tech scene: it’s not very gender balanced. We were tired of hosting hackathons with homogen audiences. We wanted change and a different mix of people! Our world is inhabited by both men and women, so why shouldn’t the tech scene reflect that?

By forcing a 50/50 divide between men and women, 40% of the applications to the event (with forty spots) were from women. That has never happened for any of our tech events before. Why? We are not entirely sure. But instead of patting ourselves on the back for this, we should figure out a way to achieve a 50/50 attendance rate without forcing it.

For Diversify, we tried to move away from traditional hackathon concepts (we even avoid using the word ”hackathon” because of its baggage). We refrained from using regular ”hacking food”, like pizza and beer, and had talks and a workshop on diversity. The interface design and idea of each hack was as important as its underlying code.

✒ Read our blog post 📷 View photos on Facebook ♫ Listen to the playlist

“It wasn't like a 'typical' hackathon, it was more than that.”

We have now showed for the industry, ourselves and the attendees of Diversify that our hypothesis holds:

Diverse teams create better products

Segregation and exclusion will lead to us missing out on the brightest minds, ideas and products. Let create a tech world where everyone are welcome.

The people & what they created

Digital Diamonds

Our application allows users to add songs to a Spotify playlist via Twitter.

  • Elaine Janis Dagdayan

    I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor

    I believe this is the song that best describes me because I have survived really difficult chapters in my life. From the death of my parents to moving away from my native land to encountering daily challenges, I survived it all!

  • Charlotte Wöhlecke

    Ett Fullkomligt Kaos Bo Kaspers Orkester

    After a serious consideration, I've decided to pick a song from the Swedish band 'Bo Kaspers Orkester' called 'Ett fullkomligt kaos'. Why? To start with - it is a very good song! For me, the song is about how you can be great and successful without having what others may call 'a perfect life'. The song is also a kind of mock to the whole lifestyle-community with white homes with gold on the doorknob. I guess that's how I would like to see myself, smart and elegant but not always shiny on the outside.

  • Anton Niklasson

    I See Fire Ed Sheeran (Kygo Remix)

    These days that would probably be Kygos remix of 'I See Fire'. It is not really describing me as a person. More like that is what I have been listening to the last two weeks studying to exams. It is an awesome song and I love how it makes me more concentrated and focused on code.

  • Patrik Göthe

    For What It's Worth Buffalo Springfield

    Because it's mostly laid back, but offers peaks of insane groove and invites for dancing beyond human control.

May This Night Never End

Our application shows the closest venues that plays music pleasing to your music pleasure. It shows the venues based on your Spotify saved tracks and your location.

  • Klas Eskilson

    Teenage Riot Sonic Youth

    Teen Age Riot by Sonic Youth. I chose this song not only because it's a great song, but also because it's the first track on their album 'Daydream Nation'. I enjoy making a good first impression on people, just like the first track kind of sets the tone for the rest of the album. I think this song introduces you to the album in a flawless way, and I wish I could introduce myself in a similar fashion. (So technically, this song describes what I'd like to be.)

  • Muhammed Said Özcan

    Hall of Fame The Script

    This song best describes me: Hall of Fame by The Script. I find this song's lyrics so meaningful. I can feel stronger when I listen this song. The best thing in my opinion is to never give up!

  • Meryem Ekinci

    Fireflies Owl City

    I am kinda person who tries to catch everything in life, this song is the reason for this. 'Because everything is never as it seems, when I fall asleep.'

  • Blerta Deliallisi

    Don't Panic Coldplay

    It is really difficult to pick just one. I will go for this as it describes how I generally look at things. I try to be as positive as I can. Life is beautiful and if you don't like it for the moment you are not spending it as you should. When you feel like you don't belong somewhere try see it as a challenge to work harder to get where you wanna be. Cheer up and enjoy the ride.

Team Blockflöjt Heroes

Quepic lets users queue songs on Spotify by posting pictures on Instagram. The application then picks a song with reference to the hashtags in the instagram post. Words that are used in the hashtags can define different moods, genres or artists of the music you want. If a request is too divergent from the event settings it will not be granted. The app has an interface where each post resulting in a queued song is visualized. It is meant to be used on a big screen at parties or other events. With Quepic there will be no hour-long play queues of individual taste and no fuss about the playing device. It will enhance the atmosphere.

  • Joakim Ljungren

    How Did I Get Here ODESZA

    Amazing intro song to an amazing debut album. The short song length together with the title reflects on how quickly my years of studies has went by so far. But OH did I savour every moment.

  • Sandra Liljeqvist

    A Little Bit Lykke Li

    Because it has a nice, soft flow and rhythm that feels like a great sunday morning and suits my slow pace.

  • Jakob Larsson

    A Day In The Life The Beatles

    It's a song with many different parts. That's also how I see about myself. I have many different sides I present at different times. The song has periods of quiet thinking and contemplation. Just like many parts of my life. I really like to think and dream. But then there is the huge orchestral breakdowns. They represent a different part of me. For example when I'm on stage. Making grand creative gestures and a complete fool of myself. Start with a really 'out there' idea and execute it to 150%. Take it so far it stops being weird and becomes good. It's also a bit off and crazy. Just like me.

  • Unn Swanström

    Say You'll Be There MØ

    This classic girl power anthem originally performed by the ever epic Spice Girls has been interpreted by the too cool for school Mø. This tribute to friendship that will always be there is all about empowering people around you and growing as a person in the process of doing so. Set to a dreamy unexpectedly catchy soundscape were no dream is too big and the dancing goes on all through the night.

Equalyze

Equalyze is a simple web application to help you analyze how diverse your playlists are. By checking what gender the artists your playlist consist of, we give you a rough estimation of how diverse your playlist are. We also give you some recommendation of songs to add, based on the artists you already got in the playlist, to get a better diversity on your playlist. Our thought when doing this application were to follow the theme at Diversify and to create an service that could give users a better knowledge of what the actually listen to.

  • Albin Martinsson

    Almost Ready Dinosaur Jr.

    I'm moving pixels left and right, fine-tuning bezier curves to perfection and my calendar keeps yelling at me to be somewhere else. “I’m almost ready!” is what goes through my head on every project. Nothing’s ever going to be perfect and there’s always room for improvement. But hey, that’s the nature of design (and probably life in general) and that’s what I love about it. I also happen to love dinosaurs and electric guitars. Coincidence? I think not.

  • Andreas Rolén

    Feed The Dada Dada Life

    Because when you feed me with something that gives me motivation, I tend to be able to solve stuff that I otherwise thought were to difficult for me. And it's good for partying... I like to party.

  • Karina Silva de Medeiros

    Viva la Vida Coldplay

    A song that describes me most is Viva la vida, Coldplay. That song reminds a lot about my father and family.

  • Lisa Sundberg

    Walk This Way MØ

    Great artist, great song, great video. Because MØ is one of the most inspiring artist I know and I think she is a great role model for young women like me. I saw her live at Roskilde this summer and it was a CRAZY concert. Such energy. She's like WHAT THE FUCK and does what she wants. A feminist icon in my eyes. I also like the lyrics of the song. To me it means that I should follow my dreams even when I'm in doubt: 'You'll find a way, baby, make them all burn.' And of course, it makes me dance like crazy.

Janu

Saturn is a game that will broaden your taste in music!

  • Elin Nilsson

    Castle Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

    It's positivity, happiness, creativity, unicorns, magic, magnificence, bouncing, a bit crazy at times but mostly just really fun. This song makes me happy, and I strive to make other people happy.

  • Juntima Nawilaijaroen

    Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing On Rainbows Songs To Wear Pants To

    Spotify, Gothenburg office open this song every Friday morning. And I love it! It's not that I want to be pink fluffy unicorn. (actually, I don't like pink. would prefer blue instead) But it's fun to have magic and SMILE.

  • Simon Arneson

    Quicksand David Bowie

    'I'm not a prophet or a Stone Age man, just a mortal with potential of a superman'

  • Yoav Zimmerman

    Busy Earnin' Jungle

    This song (apart from being incredibly fun and catchy) really captures the spirit of hustle that draws me to the culture of tech entrepreneurship and hacking.

Jukebox Joint

Jukebox Joint is not an app. It's not a simple tool – nor a fun gadget. It's definitely not a game. It's a party save. An unsung hero. Jukebox joint is the batman of party utilities. Jukebox Joint will be for your party what a bag of chili cheese is for your saturday night at three o'clock. Jukebox Joint is a cure to the jerk who always plays his songs without respecting the queue. Jukebox Joint will probably even save your life.

  • Shahin Adl Zarrabi

    Jag Gör Min Grej Snook

    Så nu har du beslutsångest och tänker på slutronden när livet är en fest och du vet att bara du bestämmer utgången. Pluggar du juridik? Drömmer du om att bli rik? Glöm då aldrig vår princip – Jag gör min grej.

  • Emma Hesseborn Fagerholm

    Sleepyhead Passion Pit

    Aside from the obvious fact that I enjoy sleeping and long weekend mornings like so many others, I feel that dreamer sentiment and playfulness of the song fits me well. The song has a strong connection to games for me as I first heard it during a play through of Little Big Planet 2, one of my favorite video games. It gives me the feeling of wanting to build up things (a big part of the game), which is what I do when I code.

  • Axel Hammarbäck

    With a Little Help from My Friends The Beatles

    Because you won't get anywhere on your own.

  • Sofie Thorsen

    Something Good Can Work Two Door Cinema Club

    Really good original song, but the cowbell really does it. Something good CAN work!

In Your Face

Pretend that you are on a buss when a song comes on that reminds you of an old friend you haven't met in years. The song reminds you of when you and your friend sat at your room and had a great time with laughs and giggles, the only thing you could think of was the moment. Wouldn't it be awesome to smack that song in their face? With In Your Face you can send a friend the song you are currently listening to and they will be able to listen to it togheter with you.

  • Aleksandar Faraj

    Flash Queen

    I care for people. I feel strongly for people. People seem to flock around me and depend on me.

  • Nicole Martini

    Choo Choo Ch'Boogie Louis Jordan

    When I was six, I started to dance boogie woogie and Lindy Hop. During my last competition, the European Championship finals in 2011, me and my dancepartner got this song and came in 3:rd place. This song that was my last as a competition dancer represents my entire dance career in the national team and all the 13 years of dancing, crying and laughter.

  • Maureen Callahan

    Pumping Blood NONONO

    Because it makes me a feel alive. You're the catalyst your own happiness!

  • Carl Berglund

    Going Up the Country Canned Heat

    It's adventurous! I love to travel and this song serves as anthem on most of my trips. Also it really gets me creative when developing or building things. Pure genius, that tune.

Beautiful World

  • Ahmed Kachkach

    Blad Skizo Hoba Hoba Spirit

    A nice mix between traditional Moroccan music and modern occidental rock.

  • Meike Wiemann

    Weit Hinaus Feine Sahne Fischfilet

    The first song that came to my mind is 'Weit Hinaus - Feine Sahne Fischfilet' and it’s unfortunately in german. But it basically describes a moment where one sits among his/her friends and just enjoys the moment. The song expresses how much power one gains through friendships and that they give you strength to achieve anything you want which is why I like it very much.

  • Michelle Cañada

    Shake It Out Florence + The Machine

    Right now, I would have to say 'Shake It Out' by Florence + The Machine. It's all about having made mistakes in the past and trying to move on, possibly from a lost love. I have lived such a dull life the past three years, in a relationship that wasn't working, and now I am turning my life around and exploring new things!

  • Johan Holmlund

    Elite Kent

    Family is important to me.

Globetrotting

Listen your way around the world! Globetrotting is a music exploration app where you experience songs that are unique to places from all over the globe!

  • Gustav Mörtberg

    Home Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

    A great love song and a celebration of life, the way it should be - the whole song reeks of wanderlust which is how I hope that I am.

  • Dennis Jin

    Life Gets Better Ed Solo & Skool of Thought

    Live life filled with challenges and struggles, while trying to uncover the mysteries of what I think is interesting. The lyrics resonates really well with my life mission.

  • Anna Karlsson

    Jag Skrattar Idag Ison & Fille

    Because life is what happens when you are busy making other plans and all that you know ...

  • Anna Palmér

    Afterglow Wilkinson

    I'm ready for my afterglow now when I'm only have one semester left until I graduate! Yeeey!

Cover Me

Our website allows you to reconstruct a photo of yours, with the album covers (used as pixles) of your very favorite Spotify playlist. Browse, add, create – it doesn't get any simpler to create a splendid piece of art!

  • Cornelia Damber Håkansson

    A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got) Fergie, Q

    Think big or go home! I really love the feeling you get of this song. Everything suddenly seems possible and way more fun. This song describe be in the way that when I do something I'm really found of I'm all in no matter what!

  • Aliaksandr Karasiou

    Got The Life Korn

  • Carl-Arvid Ewerbring

    S_M_A_S_H (Blende Remix) Surrender

    It's gives energy just by listening to it, is a bit techno at the same time as funky, and overall sounds freaking awesome.

  • Malin Arvidsson

    Smiley Faces Gnarls Barkley

    This song touches the essentials of me, the combination of my often smiling face and the 73 years of life experience behind it.

“I won the best thing. Friends.”

Group photo