From Problems to Possibilities: Skandalaris Summer Cohort Tackles Real-World Challenges at Summer Hackathon

On June 17, students and founders participating in the Skandalaris Center’s summer programming came together for an afternoon of collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving during the Summer Hackathon.

Unlike traditional hackathons that focus on hypothetical scenarios, this year’s event challenged participants to develop solutions for real issues facing startups and organizations within the Skandalaris ecosystem. Prior to the event, Launchpad founders and SkIP host companies submitted challenge statements based on opportunities and obstacles they are actively navigating in their ventures. The cohort then voted on the challenges they were most interested in addressing and formed interdisciplinary teams to develop potential solutions.

Building Solutions for Real Startups

Throughout the afternoon, teams worked together to analyze problems, identify opportunities, and develop actionable recommendations. Participants brought a wide range of perspectives to the table, including engineering, business, design, data analytics, and communications, mirroring the collaborative environments found in many early-stage startups.

The Hackathon provided students with an opportunity to apply skills developed through their internships and summer experiences while working alongside peers from different backgrounds and disciplines. Founders, meanwhile, gained fresh perspectives on challenges facing their ventures and the opportunity to test new ideas in a collaborative setting.

Entrepreneurship in Action

More than a competition, the Hackathon served as a hands-on exercise in entrepreneurial thinking. Teams were encouraged to focus on understanding the problem first, evaluating potential users and stakeholders, and developing practical solutions that could create a meaningful impact.

Throughout the event, participants demonstrated many of the skills entrepreneurs rely on every day: critical thinking, creativity, teamwork, communication, and adaptability. By working under a compressed timeline, students learned how to quickly evaluate ideas, prioritize opportunities, and present recommendations clearly and effectively.

Learning Through Collaboration

One of the defining characteristics of the Skandalaris summer experience is the opportunity to learn from peers across disciplines. The Hackathon embodied that spirit, bringing together Launchpad founders and SkIP interns who may spend their summers working in different companies and industries but share a common interest in innovation and entrepreneurship.

As teams refined their concepts and prepared final presentations, participants gained valuable experience collaborating with individuals whose expertise differed from their own. The result was a collection of solutions informed by diverse perspectives and approaches.

Recognizing Outstanding Solutions

The afternoon concluded with team presentations, where participants shared their recommendations and demonstrated how they approached each challenge. Judges evaluated submissions based on creativity, feasibility, impact and overall presentation.

This year’s Hackathon featured two winning teams:
Team 3
Julius Chembo
Jamie Cook
Jetta Vaughn
Jillian Wu
Team 7
Ava Glaser
Jack Krupnick
Lydia Park
Kabeer Khimani
Deepak Raghunath

Both teams impressed judges with their innovative thinking, collaborative approach and ability to develop practical solutions within a limited timeframe. Their work exemplified the entrepreneurial mindset that the Skandalaris Center seeks to foster—combining creativity, problem-solving and teamwork to address real-world challenges.

A Summer of Innovation Continues

The Summer Hackathon is just one of many experiential learning opportunities built into the Skandalaris Center’s 10-week summer program. Alongside internships, venture development, leadership programming, and networking opportunities, the event gives students and founders a chance to apply entrepreneurial skills in a fast-paced, team-based environment.

As the summer progresses, participants will continue to build on these experiences through workshops, ecosystem tours, mentoring opportunities, Reverse IdeaBounce® and the Summer Expo, where they will showcase the progress and accomplishments of their ventures and internships.

The Hackathon served as a reminder that some of the best ideas emerge when diverse perspectives come together around a shared challenge—and that innovation often begins with asking the right questions.