College of Southern Maryland - Velocity CenterThe customer this was delivered for.$12,000 Prize Pool Delivered for 3-Challenge Community Innovation Hackathon
Key results
- 3 separate challenges in the hackathon
- May 19–May 20 hackathon duration
- 12 teams participated
College of Southern Maryland’s Velocity Center needed to promote its new innovation space and engage the Indian Head, MD community in solving local problems. The program also aimed to connect academia, the Navy, and the Southern Maryland region around actionable challenges. To succeed, the effort required a structured event format, participant recruitment, and a mechanism for teams to collaborate and submit solutions. A multi-challenge hackathon (VelocityX) was designed and executed using Brightidea’s innovation platform to host the event website, collect registrations, and support collaboration and submissions. Stakeholders from CSM and the Indian Head community were engaged to identify needs and shape three distinct challenges, including range testing analytics, cost coordination, and technology evaluation. Branding, marketing materials, and an outreach plan were developed, leveraging email, social media, and community connections to recruit participants and judges. The event was run virtually and in person at the Velocity Center. The hackathon ran from May 19–May 20 and drew 12 teams, with 7 attending in person and 5 participating virtually. The program included 5 judges and 6 mentors to support teams and evaluate submissions. A $12,000 prize pool was awarded across first-, second-, and third-place winners for each challenge, with prizes set at $3,100, $1,600, and $1,100 respectively. A top student team also received a membership to the Velocity Center’s Makerspace.
Ensemble Consultancy