When we started planning our first hackathon, one thing was clear: if we wanted students to take their work seriously, we had to take their time seriously. That meant real tools, real rewards, and real investment.

So we started reaching out. Sponsor by sponsor. Email by email.

Some conversations were quick. Others took weeks. But every one of them was about the same thing: giving students the resources they need to build something that matters.

Thanks to those efforts—and the work of Pebble Education’s own sponsorship team—we’ve raised over $70,000 in non-cash prizes for Hackathon #1.

Big thanks to our early sponsors:

• Wolfram, for donating access to one of the best computational platforms out there
• 1Password, for giving students real tools to learn about digital security
• Interview Cake, for helping participants build strong coding foundations
• .xyz, for supporting young developers with domains to launch their projects

These aren’t just giveaways. They’re tools students can use now—and keep using later.

The prizes cover everything from software credits to mentorship sessions to dev kits. We focused on quality, not hype. Everything we’re giving away is something that can help a student grow, launch something, or learn faster.

Behind the scenes, this was a team effort. Pebble’s outreach crew worked hard to craft clear pitches, follow up at the right moments, and build relationships that last beyond a single event.

Raising funds isn’t just about getting support. It’s about building trust in what we’re doing—and in who we’re doing it for.

That trust is growing. And we’re just getting started.

— Arnav Bonigala