From Problem to Pitch: The 2025 Hackathon

The atmosphere inside Marlborough’s Shari and Edward Glazer Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation crackled with creativity on Saturday, September 6, as students gathered for an intensive day of entrepreneurial discovery. The annual Hackathon, hosted by the Frank & Eileen Accelerator Program for the Leaders of Tomorrow, challenges participants to compress an entire innovation cycle—from problem identification to final pitch presentation—into just a few short, transformative hours.

The Hackathon demands that students grapple with authentic, urgent challenges facing our world today. The format is deliberately rigorous: identify a pressing issue, collaborate with peers to design solutions, build effective prototypes, and deliver persuasive pitches to industry professionals. What emerged was a masterclass in applied entrepreneurial thinking.

The businesses that the 34 students developed showcased both the technical creativity and the deep social awareness of these young minds. Teams attacked problems ranging from environmental sustainability to healthcare accessibility, each demonstrating sophisticated understanding of difficult issues. 

After working through their problems, solutions, and developing their prototypes, teams presented their ideas to a distinguished panel of judges: Ashlee Lena Turner, CEO and founder of The Pocket Panty; Amy Calfas Smathers ’09, global strategist, nonprofit founder, and Director of The Well Initiative; and Michelle Seijas, leadership coach and speaker focused on helping leaders increase their confidence and clarity of purpose.

Team Rebin captured the “Pitch Perfect” award thanks to their clear, collaborative, and persuasive pitch presentation. They spoke passionately about their automated waste-sorting system—a smart trashcan designed to eliminate human error that undermines recycling efforts. Their business idea addresses a deceptively simple but critical environmental challenge: ensuring recyclable materials actually get recycled.

Sunny Stock earned the “Impact” award for developing a comprehensive platform tailored specifically for elderly users navigating the complexities of medical bills and product procurement—addressing both technological barriers and healthcare accessibility in one elegant solution.

The “Feasibility” award went to Food Around, whose mobile approach to healthy food distribution tackles food deserts and nutritional inequality head-on, bringing fresh options directly to consumers who need them.

Stronger Together received the “Needfinder” award for addressing the complex challenge of supporting hate crime victims who develop suicidal thoughts due to bullying or racism. Their solution provides both anonymous sharing opportunities and in-person support groups to provide a safe space for those who need them.

A popular issue to tackle was that of fashion industry sustainability. Multiple teams took on the challenge of addressing issues that arise from fast fashion brands. Viron earned the “Innovation” award with their mobile apparel store concept, designed to combat fast fashion’s harm to small businesses, the environment, and workers by featuring small business owners and sustainable fashion brands. Refashion received the “Design” award for their approach to cloth waste, creating a company that resells returned clothing items at a discount, rather than allowing those items to wind up in landfills.

What distinguishes this event is not just the sophistication of the final presentations, but the speed of the innovation itself. “What I love about the Hackathon is the sheer speed and energy—watching student teams go from initial concept to physical prototype in just five hours is impressive,” reflects Catie Mino, Marlborough’s Engineering and Entrepreneurship Program Head. “There's something about that tight timeline that really pushes their creativity and problem-solving. My favorite part is when teams start building their physical prototypes. You can see this moment when their ideas stop being theoretical and become something they can actually hold and showcase.” 

Audrey McLoghlin, founder of Frank & Eileen and the visionary donor who made this program possible through her gift, observed the remarkable pace of the day: “If these girls can do this in a few hours, what can I feel empowered to tackle in a single day?”

This ability to rapidly synthesize information, collaborate effectively under pressure, and communicate complex ideas clearly represents far more than business skill development. These are the cognitive tools that drive innovation across every sector—from scientific research to public policy, from artistic expression to social justice advocacy.

Ms. McLoghlin’s investment in this program reflects her broader conviction about societal change: “I think that the single biggest change we can make in the world is having a lot more women entrepreneurs in the next generation. It will change everything.” The diversity of solutions presented certainly bears out this sense of hope. The businesses forged in just part of a day reflect a generation that views challenges as design problems waiting to be solved. Whether addressing environmental degradation, demographic transitions, or systemic inequalities, these students approached each issue with both analytical rigor and creative optimism.

In a world facing unprecedented change, the entrepreneurial agility the Hackathon participants displayed may prove to be one of the most valuable skills we can cultivate in the next generation. Marlborough’s Hackathon offered compelling evidence that the future remains bright—and in exceptionally capable hands.