Hackathon - STTE

Join the BIGGEST AI Hackathon

STTE, CREEED, UTEP Computer Science Department and El Paso Labs are joining forces to offer the BIGGEST AI Hackathon, April 25-27, 2025.

Are you ready to push the boundaries of AI, collaborate with top talent, and solve real-world challenges? This is your chance to innovate, compete, and turn your ideas into reality. Whether you’re a coder, designer, entrepreneur, or problem-solver, the AI Hackathon is your opportunity to make an impact.

🔥 Network with industry leaders
🎯 Develop groundbreaking AI solutions
💡 Learn from expert mentors
🏆 Compete for cash prizes and recognition

Register now and be part of the future of AI!

After registration, sign up and join the El Paso Labs STTE Discord.

Meet the Industry Judges!

Meet the Technical Judges!

Hackathon Location and Schedule

All activities will take place at UTEP – Tomas Rivera Conference Room, 3rd Floor, Union Building (off University Ave)

Friday, April 25 – Kickoff

⭐️ Stars indicate when competitors need to be present.

🧃5:30 PM: Food & Drinks

⭐️ 6:00 PM: Check-In, Team Formations & Opening Ceremony
⭐️ 6:30 PM: Challenge Questions Released
🚀 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Dev Startosphere Launch

Saturday, April 26 – Work & Collaboration

🥞 8:00 AM: Breakfast

⭐️ 10:00 AM: Workshop by Little Horse – Building Effective Agents: AI Workflows and AI Agents
🍕 12:00 PM: Lunch
⭐️ 2:00 PM: Workshop by El Paso Labs– An AI Agent Builder’s Tool Belt: Selecting The Right Gear
🚀 3:00 PM- 5:00 PM: Development

Sunday, April 27 – Presentations & Awards

🥞 8:00 AM: Breakfast
🔥 10:00 AM – Fireside Chat w/ Special Guests
12:00 PM – Prelim Industry Presentations (3 min pitch + 1 min Q&A)
1:15 PM – Final Presentations (3 min pitch + 3 min Q&A)
🏆 2:00 PM – Awards Ceremony

FAQ's

🧪 Demo Time: 3 minutes per team with questions from judges and take place on Sunday, April 27 at 12:00 pm at UTEP Tomas Rivera Conference Room.

👥 Team Size: 2 to 4 members.

👥 Can I join without a team? Yes! We will assign you to a team on the first day of the hackathon.

Can I switch teams during the hackathon?
No. Once teams are locked in after kickoff on Friday, you’ll need to stick with your group for the duration of the event.

🧑‍💻 Do I need to know how to code to participate? No! While coding experience is helpful, it is not required. Hackathons need a variety of skills, including design, project management, and business strategy.

✍️ What’s the schedule like? The schedule is Friday, April 25 from 5:30pm to 7:00 pm; Saturday April 26 from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sunday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

🧑‍💻 What technologies can I use? You can use any technology you wish. We encourage you to incorporate AI Dev Tools listed in the Hacker Guide.

🧑‍💻 What is Discord and do I need to join group? Discord is a communication tool used by developers to work on software projects. We will use the tool to communicate important information and answer questions from teams. We prefer you to create an account here: Join the STTE Developers Discord Server!

🧑‍🎓 Registration: Each team member is required to register to compete.

🧑‍🎓 Eligibility: High school, college students, or professionals living in the Borderplex Region.

🏠 Work Location: You can code anywhere during off-hours.

🏆 Presence Required: Teams must be physically present at UTEP to win. No remote/overseas members allowed.

💻 Bring Your Own Device: You must use your own laptop.

🍕 Meals: Provided daily to registered participants.

🚗 Transportation: Participants are responsible for their own travel.

How do we submit our demo?
You’ll present live during Sunday’s Prelim and Final Rounds. Each team gets 3 minutes to pitch + demo, followed by Q&A. Screen sharing is available via Zoom or HDMI.

💵 Prizes: Range from $50, $100 and $250 per team member (based on sponsorships and final fundraising).

🎓 AI Workshops: LittleHorse will be traveling to El Paso to provide a workshop on how to use LittleHorse with developing AI Agents. In tandem, El Paso Labs, a national development shop will do deep dive into building with AI—don’t miss them.

🔌 Wi-Fi & Power: Provided at the venue—bring your chargers.

🧠 Mentorship: On-site and roaming mentors will be available Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Who owns the IP of our project?
You do! Your team owns anything you build. However, by participating, you give STTE permission to showcase your project for educational, promotional, or investment purposes.

What if we’re not finished by demo day?
No worries—just demo what you’ve got! Focus on showing your core concept and value. Judges are looking for potential, not perfection.

Open AI Hackathon 2023 Recap

The Microsoft OpenAI Hackathon, organized by STTE in collaboration with a council of startups, was held from March 31st to April 2nd, 2023. The hackathon aimed to advance regional talent, build industry products, and transform the region by incorporating AI technology into local businesses. The targeted industries for the event were Advanced Manufacturing (with a focus on Logistics), Construction, and Financial Services.

With ten team participants from various backgrounds and industries, the event was a huge success. The hackathon featured an esteemed panel of judges, including Alexandra Chavez, Senior Vice President of Bank of America, J.J. Childress, Community Engagement Manager at Microsoft, Duane Murphy, President of Gamer Logistics, Samuel Moreno, co-founder of Musicstar.ai, and Frank Spencer, President of Aztec Contractors.

After three days of intense coding, brainstorming, and collaboration, the winner of the hackathon was the team from Bosque Labs. Their innovative AI solution aimed to revolutionize the financial services industry, providing users with customized financial planning and investment advice based on their personal preferences and goals. The team received a prize of $2,000 and the opportunity to work with STTE to develop and implement their solution.

We would like to thank all the judges, competitors, tech council, and sponsors who made this event possible. Special thanks to Microsoft for their generous sponsorship of the hackathon.

As we look towards the future, it is important to note the transformative power of AI technology. According to a report by McKinsey Global Institute, AI has the potential to create an additional $13 trillion in economic value by 2030. The Microsoft OpenAI Hackathon is just the beginning of transforming the Paso del Norte Region and beyond with the latest advancements in AI technology.

“STTE’s Open AI Hackathon provided a pivotal platform for addressing my business challenges. The caliber of solutions developed by the teams was exceptional; I was so impressed that I ended up working with one of them. The ability of the Team to transform an idea and a conversation into a viable and effective product has been great to watch. I see a great future as a result of their work.”

“The impact of AI on our workforce is undeniable, and STTE’s hackathon has emerged as a game changer for industries seeking to harness technology for process optimization. I urge fellow industry leaders to participate and explore how embracing technology can propel your organization forward in the forthcoming industrial revolution.”

“Participating in the Open AI hackathon gave me a firsthand glimpse into the transformative power of AI. Witnessing developers craft innovative solutions in a short timeframe has illuminated the potential for technology to enhance financial literacy significantly.”

1st Place Winner: Bosque Labs

Team: Zeke Chavez, Brett Schuster, Rafael Ferreira, Zachary Myers

Industry: Construction

Description: Materialize.AI is optimizing construction inventory management with data-driven insights. Presentation

2nd Place Winner: DropDev

Team: David Marek, Marco Alanis, Derek Cisneros, David Gamez

Industry: Finance

Description: Musa FI is your personal financial assistant, where you can connect your bank accounts and ask it anything you need help with. Presentation

Photos

3rd Place Winner: Supply AI Sense

Team: Aldo Sanchez, Alvaro Mendoza, Esteban Lozano, Luis Cedillo

Industry: Logistics

Description: Upload physical documents and generate usable data and visualize the supply chain by being able to extract information from lots of attributes. Presentation