Rapyd Launches ‘Hack the Galaxy’ For Developers To Win Trip To Space

Israeli fintech-as-a-service unicorn Rapyd, teamed up with space enthusiast and former Star Trek lead William Shatner, to launch its ‘Hack the Galaxy’ competition this week where members of Rapyd’s software development community will be given the chance to win a six-hour trip to space in a private space capsule lifting off in 2026.

Starting this week, a total of 42 challenges will be posted in the Rapyd Developer Community every week through October 3. Each solution will reveal a password unlocking an entry to win tickets to board the Space Perspective Spaceship Neptune.

There will be a total of three winners each of whom will be announced on July, 11, September 2, and October 14. In addition to the space flight, challengers will also have the opportunity to win over $1 million in cash and exciting prizes.  

The competition will also provide additional opportunities to win challenges via live events and four Hack the Galaxy-themed ‘hackathons’ throughout the year. The top team from each of these hackathons will be flown to Rapyd’s Developer Demo Day in Lisbon, Portugal in November 2022 and present their ideas in front of a panel of judges. The winning team will be crowned as the ‘Galaxy’s Greatest Fintech Developers’ earning them a trip to the edge of space. However, winners may opt to choose a cash alternative prize of $130,000. 

“The Hack the Galaxy challenge is a once in a lifetime experience and contest for our growing community of over 50,000 software developers,” said Arik Shtilman, CEO of Rapyd. “Developers are the dreamers and doers of fintech innovation. At Rapyd, we’re on a quest to attract accomplished talent to welcome to our community. Millions of developers around the world are reimagining financial services bringing together new ideas and innovation to solve the problem of how businesses and consumers pay and want to be paid in markets across the planet. We’re committed to ensuring that they have access to the best tools, support and advice so that they can continue to make payment and fintech applications more frictionless. By launching this world-first contest, we are not only able to find and crown the greatest fintech developer on Planet Earth and beyond but also create a place for like-minded thinkers across the globe who are hungry to connect and share ideas.”

“Having been to space myself, I can’t express how incredible an opportunity this is for software developers all over the world,” said Shatner. “It’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’m excited to partner with Rapyd to spread the word to the developers worldwide to join the Rapyd Developer Community and complete the puzzles for a chance to win a trip to the edge of space!”