Hackathon - STTE

The BIGGEST AI Hackathon in the Books

The STTE Foundation proudly hosted the Biggest AI Hackathon in the Borderland, April 25-27, a landmark event that brought together high school students, university developers, and professional coders to solve real-world challenges using artificial intelligence. Held in partnership with UTEP’s Computer Science Department and El Paso Labs, the three-day event saw 184 participants, including 82 first-time hackers, collaborate across six critical sectors: education, health tech, water innovation, economic development, immersive learning, and sports management.

The energy was electric as teams engaged in workshops, received mentorship, and sprinted toward creating AI-powered software prototypes. In total, $4,500 in cash prizes were awarded, and hundreds of thousands in Microsoft for Startups credits are available to high-potential teams. From a high school finalist team to an all-female team in the finals, the talent and ambition were clear. Industry leaders and judges were on hand to provide feedback, award prizes, and help select the teams most likely to evolve into investable startups.

Winning teams included the Grand Prize Winner Seraphim for water innovation, Pythons for immersive learning, Shadow Roots for education, NYSFDC for sports, Mind Mesh for health tech, and Team Ready for economic development. Each industry room also selected an Innovator Award team—recognized for the highest startup potential and awarded Microsoft Azure credits and coworking access at STTE’s Sandbox space.

The hackathon not only equipped participants with new tools like OpenAI, LittleHorse, LangChain, HuggingFace, and Supabase AI but also sparked a broader regional movement. With 69 participants achieving their primary goals and 50 planning to continue developing their projects, the event has laid the groundwork for a new wave of entrepreneurship and tech-driven solutions in the Borderplex.

STTE is now actively supporting top teams in forming entities and seeking investment, with a mission to grow the region’s innovation economy. The hackathon was just the beginning—Borderland builders are just getting started.

AI Hackathon Impact

AI Prototypes Built

0

🚀 Participation

184 total participants
82 first-time hackers
40 university teams
6 high school teams
23 female participants, with one all-female team making the finals
One high school team made the finals

🧠 Programming & Engagement

6 Industry Challenge Themes
2 AI Workshops led by national experts
1 Fireside Chat with innovation leaders
14 Mentors guiding project development
20 Student volunteers supporting logistics
13 Industry & Technical Judges
8 Sponsors fueling the event

🏆 Outcomes & Achievements

$4,500 in cash prizes awarded
Up to $900,000 in Microsoft for Startups credits up for grabs
69 participants achieved their primary hackathon goal
50 participants plan to continue developing their project
92 participants would recommend the hackathon to a friend

🔥 Energy & Innovation Metrics

48 hours of innovation sprinting
226 energy drinks consumed
Top Programming Languages: Python (100 responses) and Java (90 responses)
New Tool Adoption: OpenAI, LittleHorse, LangChain/LangGraph/LangSmith, HuggingFace, Supabase AI

🏆 Category Winners

Education (SISD)

1st Place: Shadow Roots
Innovator Award: Cyber Crabs

Sports Management & Marketing (CFC Show)

1st Place: NYSFDC
Innovator Award: NYSFDC
(Notably, this team won both top honors for execution and startup potential.)

Health Tech (HealthInno and Fidari)

1st Place: Mind Mesh
Innovator Award: Mind Mesh
(Another double-award winner recognized for both impact and scalability.)

Water Innovation (El Paso Water)

1st Place: Seraphim
Innovator Award: Seraphim

Economic Development (Borderplex Alliance & El Paso City EDC)

1st Place: Team Ready
Innovator Award: D-Buggers

The 1st Place awards recognized the top-performing prototypes in each category, while the Innovator Awards went to teams with high startup potential. These Innovator Award recipients are now eligible for continued support through STTE’s startup programs, coworking space, and access to Microsoft for Startups credit applications.

AI Hacker Guide

What’s Inside the Hacker Guide? Get everything you need to dominate the competition! The Hacker Guide includes the full schedule, official competition rules, team expectations, and detailed descriptions of each real-world industry challenge.

For the first time ever, the industry pain points have been released early—giving teams a head start on brainstorming solutions in fields like HealthTech, Water Innovation, Education, Economic Development, Immersive Learning, and Sports Management.

FINAL AI HACKER GUIDE by Joseph Sapien

Thank You Industry Judges!

Thank You 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