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DigiKey Sponsors Herstory Hardware Hackathon 2026

Shanghai event begins Aug. 14, connecting female engineers and makers

Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA - August 11, 2026

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DigiKey, the global distribution leader of electronic components and automation products, is proud to announce its sponsorship of Herstory Hardware Hackathon 2026, an event and competition that unites more than 5,000 female technology professionals through immersive bootcamps, co-learning programs and a hackathon. This year’s event will be held Aug. 14-16, 2026, in Shanghai.

The partnership marks the first dedicated women-in-engineering event sponsorship for DigiKey in China, which underscores the company’s commitment to empowering female technical talent, fostering diversity and inclusion and championing women in the engineering and maker community. The sponsorship also includes access for 120 elite female builders to use industry-leading open-source hardware, like Adafruit, DFRobot and Seeed ecosystems. This access will help them transform visionary AI and hardware concepts into functional 48-hour prototypes.

Participants can leverage trusted platforms and components from DigiKey to build sophisticated projects ranging from advanced environmental perception and human-machine interface (HMI) devices to offline voice and vision AI applications.

“We are honored to support the Herstory Hardware Hackathon to bring together high-caliber female developers, hardware engineers and tech entrepreneurs,” said Brooks Vigen, senior director of global strategic marketing at DigiKey. “This partnership underlines our ongoing mission to break down barriers in hardware development, proving that with the right open-source tools and resources, anyone can rapidly turn innovative ideas into reality. Our support will continue beyond the Hackathon as DigiKey has made a long-term commitment to support female technical talent, cultivate community assets and publish outstanding project tutorials on DigiKey's official forums.”

Additionally, DigiKey is celebrating excellence by sponsoring the She-Maker Brilliance Award / 闪耀女创客奖, which will recognize female engineers, makers and innovators who combine technical mastery with creative problem-solving in hardware and product design. The award will honor individuals who excel across technical skill, innovation in solving real-world challenges, community impact and empowering women in technology.

For more information about the suppliers and products in DigiKey’s portfolio, visit DigiKey.com.

About DigiKey

DigiKey, headquartered in Thief River Falls, Minn., USA, is the global distribution leader of electronic components and automation products. DigiKey delivers the broadest and deepest selection of products available for immediate shipment worldwide, offering more than 17.4 million components from over 3,000 trusted manufacturers. Engineers, designers, builders and procurement professionals rely on DigiKey for innovative digital solutions, design tools and frictionless purchasing experiences that simplify every stage of their projects. Discover more about DigiKey’s electronics distribution, automation solutions and design resources at digikey.com and on Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.