{"id":7952,"date":"2025-08-26T11:42:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T15:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/aincenter\/?page_id=7952"},"modified":"2026-02-23T15:51:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T20:51:21","slug":"the-heist-hackathon","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/aincenter\/the-heist-hackathon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Heist Hackathon"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Heist Ha<\/strong>ckathon: Crack the Code to Innovation
\n<\/strong>Coming Back in Fall of 2026 by Popular Demand!\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Step into the ultimate high-stakes innovation challenge. At The Heist<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n

Over twenty-two days, participants select a \u201cvault\u201d, from AI frontiers, Sustainability, MedTech, or a Wildcard challenge, <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just another hackathon, it\u2019s a living lab of collaboration under pressure<\/strong>, where engineers, strategists, and storytellers join forces to push boundaries, test their creativity, and shape the future of business and technology.<\/p>\n

Do you have what it takes to crack the vault and walk away with the Master Key<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Heist Hackathon!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grand Prize \u2013 The Master Key<\/strong>
\nTeam CarOS<\/strong>
\nReward Mulauzi<\/em>
\nTamuda Chimhanda<\/em><\/p>\n

Best Technical Execution \u2013 Hajim Special Award<\/strong>
\nTeam Merak<\/strong>
\nAyush Pandey<\/em>
\nEray Bozoglu<\/em>
\nAhmet Latif Colak<\/em>
\nCan Afaraci<\/em><\/p>\n

Best Entrepreneurial Vision \u2013 Ain Center Special Award<\/strong>
\nTeam Sensory<\/strong>
\nCaleb Lee<\/em>
\nEsther Hou<\/em>
\nMichael Ng<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Heist Hackathon: Crack the Code to Innovation Coming Back in Fall of 2026 by Popular Demand!\u00a0 Step into the ultimate high-stakes innovation challenge. 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