The Heist Hackathon
The Heist Hackathon: Crack the Code to Innovation
Step into the ultimate high-stakes innovation challenge. At The Heist, students from the Arts & Sciences as well Hajim School of Engineering and Simon Business School team up to break into real-world problems and unlock bold solutions at the intersection of AI and entrepreneurship.
Over twenty-two days, participants select a “vault”—from AI frontiers, Sustainability, MedTech, or a Wildcard challenge—and race to crack it using technical ingenuity and entrepreneurial strategy. Guided by expert mentors, teams prototype transformative ideas, pitch venture-worthy solutions, and compete for prizes, mentorship, and bragging rights as the masterminds behind the most daring innovation heist.
This isn’t just another hackathon—it’s a living lab of collaboration under pressure, where engineers, strategists, and storytellers join forces to push boundaries, test their creativity, and shape the future of business and technology.
Do you have what it takes to crack the vault and walk away with the Master Key?
Event Timeline – The Heist Hackathon
Kickoff Party (In-Person)
October 2nd | 3:30 PM (Program begins at 4:00 PM)
Lam bizHub, Carol Simon Hall (First Floor)
Sign-up, networking, and team formation. Meet mentors, explore the “vaults,” and get ready to crack the code.
Hackathon Sprint
October 2nd – October 24th
Teams work in a hybrid format—self-managing their progress while checking in at structured mentor touchpoints. Along the way, they’ll access Ain Center faculty (Entrepreneurs-in-Residence) expertise to sharpen both technical builds and business strategies.
Submission Deadline
October 24th | 11:59 PM
Final projects, including pitch decks, demos, and executive summaries, must be submitted.
Award Party (In-Person)
October 28th | 3:30 PM (Program begins at 4:00 PM) | Room S207
Celebrate the culmination of The Heist! Winning teams will be announced, winners claim prizes, mentorship, and the Master Key.
The Heist – Hackathon
Vaults will be published Oct. 2nd!
1.Slide Deck – Max 8 slides, covering:
Team Name + Vault Track
Problem Statement (“What are you trying to crack?”)
Solution Overview (What’s the “heist” plan?)
How It Works (product, prototype, or service description)
Tech Stack / Key Technical Challenges (for Hajim)
Market Opportunity (who’s the target user, is there demand?)
Impact + Sustainability
2. Demo or Prototype
One of the following:
a. Live demo (preferred)
c. Hosted link (e.g. GitHub Pages, Heroku, Streamlit, mobile app, etc.)
d. Video walkthrough (max 3 minutes, if live demo isn’t feasible)
3. 1-Pager Executive Summary
A brief document or Notion/Google Doc that includes:
Short problem/solution description
Key features
Target user/customer
Team roles & member names
Vault track selected
Links to GitHub/codebase, figma, or additional assets
Suggested Team Structure
4–5 members per team
At least 1–2 Simon students
At least 2–3 Hajim/AS or technical members
A mix of strategy, building, and storytelling roles
Teams to assign:
Technical Lead
Business Lead
Pitch Lead
Researcher/Analyst (optional)
Designer (optional)
Solo? Or need a team member? Google Sheet updated with:
Teams looking for specific roles
Solo students looking for a team
“Matchmaking During Kick-off” with mentors to help plug gaps
Judging Rubric – The Heist: Crack the Code to Innovation
Projects will be evaluated across four core dimensions that balance technical innovation with entrepreneurial strategy:
1. Problem & Vault Fit (20%)
Clarity of the problem being “cracked”
Relevance to the chosen vault (AI, Sustainability, MedTech, or Wildcard)
Importance and potential impact of the problem
2. Innovation & Technical Execution (30%)
Originality of the solution and creativity of approach
Quality and feasibility of the technology or prototype
Technical challenges addressed and effectiveness of the solution
3. Entrepreneurial Vision & Market Potential (30%)
Strength of the business/market opportunity
Scalability and sustainability of the venture
Alignment of solution with customer or user needs
4. Pitch & Storytelling (20%)
Clarity and persuasiveness of the pitch
Ability to communicate the “heist” narrative and value proposition
Team collaboration and presentation flow
Grand Prize: The Master Key
$1,500 prize + Foundry mentorship
Awarded to the best overall project (highest score across rubric)
Best Technical Execution (Hajim Special Award)
$500 prize + meeting with Hajim faculty
Best Entrepreneurial Vision (Ain Center Special Award)
$500 prize + meeting with Simon faculty
The Heist Hackathon
🏴☠️ The Heist Rules
- Team Formation
- Cross-disciplinary teams are strongly encouraged (Arts & Sciences + Hajim + Simon). All students must be from the University of Rochester for this event.
- Solo entries are not permitted, you need a crew to pull off a heist (You need at least 2 members).
- Vault Selection
- Each team selects one “vault” challenge track (AI Frontiers, Sustainability, MedTech, or Wildcard).
- Once chosen, your vault cannot be switched mid-heist.
- Timeline
- Kickoff Briefing: October 2
- Final Submission Deadline: October 24
- Awards: October 28th
- Late submissions = mission failure.
- Deliverables – See Submission Requirements Above
- Mentor Checkpoints
- Each team must meet at least 1 mentor checkpoints during the heist.
- Mentors advise but do not execute—they’re like the blueprint guy, not the one cutting the vault door.
- Original Work
- Solutions must be created during the heist timeframe.
- Pre-existing projects can be used as inspiration, but must show significant new work.
- Fair Play
- Collaboration across teams = fine (sharing tools, general advice).
- Plagiarism or stealing another crew’s idea = automatic disqualification.
- Respectful behavior is non-negotiable.
- Must participate in the entire event (for the length of the event). Participation requires participation in group activities, meetings and final submissions.
- Judging
Projects will be evaluated on:
Innovation & Creativity – Did your crew crack the vault in a novel way?
Feasibility & Impact – Could this solution work in the real world?
Technical Execution – How strong was your “heist plan”?
Business & Market Potential – Is there a payoff worth chasing?
Teamwork & Storytelling – Did you sell the judges on your heist?
- Code of Conduct
- Treat teammates, mentors, and judges with respect.
- Harassment, sabotage, or misconduct will end your run.
- Remember: a successful heist takes brains, not bad behavior.
- Winning the Heist
- Judges award prizes based on total score.
- Bonus recognition may be given for:
- Most daring idea (biggest swing)
- Best heist story/pitch
- Smoothest execution