Gaishi Shūkatsu Dot Com and Mercari Jointly Host First "Engineer Guild Hackathon"

Howtelevision Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yosuke Otonari), which operates the career platform "Gaishi Shūkatsu Dot Com" with the mission of "nurturing global talent and creating the future" and pursuing user-first principles, will jointly host the "Engineer Guild Hackathon presented by mercari" with Mercari, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Shintaro Yamada) over three days from Sunday, May 24 to Tuesday, May 26, 2026. This will be the fourth "Engineer Guild Hackathon" and the first time it is held jointly with Mercari.

"Gaishi Shūkatsu Dot Com" launched "Software Engineer Shūkatsu by Gaishi Shūkatsu Dot Com" in May 2024 with the aim of supporting the careers of top-tier engineers, under the philosophy of "aiming for an ideal first career as an engineer." The number of registered students aspiring to be engineers has exceeded 12,000 (※1), making it one of the largest in Japan. In addition to developing and providing career support functions specialized for engineers and disseminating column articles, the site also operates "Engineer Guild," a community aimed at improving technical skills. "Engineer Guild" announced a business alliance with "AtCoder," the world's premier competitive programming contest site, in April 2025, thereby strengthening its career support system.

The "Engineer Guild Hackathon" is part of an initiative that combines technical skill improvement with job hunting, and this will be its fourth iteration since its first launch in March 2025, and the first time with Mercari. The theme for this year is "a hackathon that cultivates the perspectives of product management (PM) and designers, not just engineering." Due to the rapid evolution of AI technology, the scarcity value of pure programming skills—simply writing code according to specifications—is declining. What is demanded in the future market is the ability to view technology as a means to directly create business value. The demand for engineers with multifaceted perspectives who can grasp market needs from a PM perspective and optimize user experience through design thinking is higher than ever before. Against this backdrop, this hackathon provides an opportunity to learn the perspectives of PMs, engineers, and designers.

This hackathon will be held offline over three days, with active Mercari employees participating as mentors for each team, providing high-level support similar to actual work. Additionally, the winning team will be awarded a prize of 1 million yen. Through this hackathon, participants aim to deepen their interactions with peers, improve their technical skills, and create an opportunity for growth as engineers.

Event Overview

Target Audience Recommended for those who can join a company from April 2028 onwards: individuals with simple implementation experience or product planning experience.

Venue Mercari Headquarters (Roppongi Hills Mori Tower) 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6118 ※ Travel expenses and accommodation will be provided for those from distant locations.

Dates May 24 (Sun) – May 26 (Tue), 2026

Number of Participants 40-50 people (pre-selection required)

Participation Format Individual participation only; teams will be formed by the organizers (3-5 members per team).

Application Deadline May 17 (Sun) 23:59

Participation Fee Free

Sponsoring Companies Mercari, P&G, Money Forward, and 3 other companies planned.

Special Site URL https://event.gaishishukatsu.com/hackathon

※1: According to Gaishi Shūkatsu Dot Com research, as of the end of March 2026.

About "Gaishi Shūkatsu Dot Com"

A career platform for university students that aims to "nurture global talent and create the future" and pursues user-first principles. It offers a wealth of content, including in-depth career columns, carefully selected information on main recruitment processes and internships, communication functions among students, and an OB/OG consultation room where students can get direct answers from professionals active in society, all designed to provide the necessary compass and methodology for aspiring next-generation leaders.

Service Page: https://gaishishukatsu.com/ Page for Companies: https://biz.gaishishukatsu.com/ "Software Engineer Shūkatsu by Gaishi Shūkatsu Dot Com": https://gaishishukatsu.com/engineer Engineer Community "Engineer Guild": https://event.gaishishukatsu.com/gsskt-engineer-guild