Hackathon #2 wrapped up with 30+ participants, dozens of ideas, and $30,000 in sponsor support. From financial literacy tools to climate-focused solutions, students brought big energy—and even bigger intentions.

First place went to Aesa Finance, a platform that breaks down complex financial indicators into plain, useful explanations. The team used Cloudflare Workers AI and custom backend logic to scrape, interpret, and deliver insights like “you may spend more on electricity this month” in simple language. Their project stood out for both its technical depth and its effort to make finance more accessible to everyday users.

Second place went to SeaGreen Solutions, a creative idea inspired by real-world pollution issues in developing countries. Their concept: use seaweed farms to absorb factory emissions and create a sustainability network. Alongside a prototype built in Figma, they pitched a marketplace and reward system for climate-conscious companies. It’s not just a cool idea—it connects directly to several UN goals.

Third place was Harmony Guard, a browser extension that filters hate speech from online content. Built with JavaScript and Chrome’s extension tools, the project tackled the challenge of improving digital spaces. The creator plans to expand it using machine learning and add multilingual support in the future.

These were just the winners, but many other projects showed promise—from inclusive education platforms to public health data tools.

What made this hackathon special wasn’t just the code. It was the intent behind each project. Students weren’t just building for fun—they were building to help.

We’re thankful for the mentors, sponsors, and volunteers who made it possible. And most of all, we’re proud of the students who chose to spend their break building something meaningful.

More to come.

— Arnav Bonigala