Houston Students Win Top Prize at TiE U Global Hackathon

Student teams from Houston Community College & the University of Houston take home top prize in the Business Innovation Track at Global Hackathon

Houston, TX (November 5, 2024): TiE Houston is proud to announce that a team of students from the University of Houston (UH) and Houston Community College (HCC) took home the top prize in the Business Innovation track at the TiE U Global Hackathon. The winning team, S.L.A.P. (Student Local Adaptation Program), developed an innovative solution to connect skilled students with local businesses for mentorship in essential digital skills.

The TiE U Global Hackathon brought together over 1250 students from 20 countries to compete and collaborate on solutions for real-world challenges in business and sustainability. Over 60 students from UH and HCC signed up to participate in the TiE U Hackathon, with 4 teams submitting projects. The winning team, S.L.A.P., was formed through a unique collaboration between students from both UH and HCC, demonstrating the power of cross-institutional partnerships.

S.L.A.P. impressed judges with their practical and impactful approach to bridging the digital skills gap for small businesses.  S.L.A.P stood out to the judges as a clever branding and effectively addressed the Business Track challenge to Accelerate Digital Skills for Small Business Growth, which was sponsored by the Verizon Small Business Ready Team.

Meet the Winning Team:

Both Andres and Luka are freshmen pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship.

The TiE U Global Hackathon by the Numbers:

• Global Reach: Students from India, United States, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ghana, Canada, and more participated.
• Project Power: 500+ project drafts, 70 completed projects, and 8 finalists.
• Mentorship & Judging: 35+ TiE mentors and 18 industry judges from across the globe.

Generous Support Fuels Innovation:

The TiE U Hackathon was generously sponsored by Ansell, Verizon Small Business Ready Program, BMC Software, and Sheth Family Foundation. Over $22,000 in cash and travel awards were distributed to the 8 winning global teams.

The winning teams have the opportunity to double their prize money by attending the TiE Global Summit (TGS2024.com) and utilizing the double the Travel Awards option.

TiE Houston congratulates S.L.A.P. and all the participants in the TiE U Global Hackathon. This competition showcased the ingenuity and dedication of young minds in addressing critical challenges.

About TiE Houston: Since 1992. TiE has been supporting entrepreneurs by offering education, mentorship, networking and funding opportunities. The mission of TiE is to foster entrepreneurship globally through the 5 pillars of TiE: mentoring, networking and education, funding and incubation. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community. TiE’s focus area is to generate enable the next generation of entrepreneurs.

TiE Global is the largest non-profit organization and has amazing networking effect. TiE connects the entire entrepreneurship ecosystem from early stage entrepreneurs, serial entrepreneurs, professionals at leading corporations, venture capital, angel investors, thought leaders among others. The organization emphasizes the spirit of giving in all aspects of their work.

Hannah Lightner

Director of Digital Media

[email protected]