Mentoring

Mentoring and Pre-Pitching Board

We offer three Boards that support and guide teams through Open Hackathon 2026

Pre-Pitching Board

Providing strategic guidance

Primary Mentors

Coaching the team

Subject Matter Experts

Expert feedback on-Demand

Pre-Pitching Board

A panel of Partners, Directors, Investors, and Experienced Leaders that helps teams transform promising ideas into stronger, more viable solutions from day one.

During the pre-pitching session (Friday and early Saturday), teams present their ideas in an early-stage format and receive direct feedback from the board, which:
  1. Challenges assumptions and validates the problem being addressed.
  2. Tests the strength of the value proposition and target audience.
  3. Provides strategic and business-oriented guidance.
  4. Identifies potential risks, gaps, and execution challenges.
  5. Shares expertise, market insights, and real-world perspectives.
  6. Helps teams focus, refine, and strengthen their direction before development begins.

Primary Mentors

Each team is assigned a Primary Mentor, who follows the team throughout the entire hackathon and acts as its coach, advisor, and advocate.

They will:
  1. Provide continuous guidance from ideation to final presentation.
  2. Help refine the problem statement, solution approach, and implementation roadmap.
  3. Support decision-making, prioritization, and scope management.
  4. Connect the team with relevant SMEs, mentors, and industry experts.
  5. Challenge the team to think bigger while keeping execution realistic and focused.
  6. Help the team maximize its potential and deliver the best possible outcome.

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) (Available On-Demand)

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) provide specialized guidance in specific domains. SMEs are not assigned to individual teams and may support multiple teams throughout the hackathon. They are available during designated hours or upon request.
Areas of expertise include:
  1. Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
    AI solutions, GenAI, LLMs, AI agents, model selection, and responsible AI practices.
  2. Software Engineering
    Development best practices, coding standards, testing, DevOps, and quality assurance.
  3. Solution & Software Architecture
    System design, scalability, integrations, cloud architecture, and technical decision-making.
  4. Application Development
    Web, mobile, APIs, low-code/no-code platforms, and rapid prototyping.
  5. Cybersecurity & Privacy
    Secure design, data protection, identity management, privacy, and risk mitigation.
  6. Data, Analytics & Big Data
    Data engineering, visualization, analytics, data platforms, and insights generation.
  7. User Experience (UX) & Design Thinking
    User research, journey mapping, usability, product design, and customer-centric thinking.
  8. Accessibility & Inclusive Design
    Accessibility standards, inclusive user experiences, and universal design principles.
  9. Legal, Regulatory & Digital Compliance
    Compliance requirements, governance, ethics, intellectual property, and regulatory considerations.
  10. Marketing, Storytelling & Pitching
    Value proposition, messaging, presentation skills, demo effectiveness, and pitch delivery.
  11. Business Strategy & Entrepreneurship
    Business models, market validation, commercialization, customer value, and go-to-market strategy.

How it Works

To give every team the best chance of success, the hackathon provides three complementary support structures:
  1. Pre-Pitching Board: A panel of partners, directors, investors, and experienced leaders who participate in the pre-pitching sessions on Friday and early Saturday, helping teams validate and strengthen their ideas before development begins.
  2. Primary Mentors: Each team is assigned a dedicated mentor who provides continuous guidance and coaching throughout the hackathon. (Friday to Sunday)
  3. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): A pool of specialists available to all teams, offering targeted expertise in their respective domains whenever needed.
All mentor assignments will be communicated to teams before the hackathon begins, ensuring every team knows its Primary Mentor in advance, along with the pool of SME and Pre-Pitching Board

Before the Hackathon

  1. Your Primary Mentor may contact the team for an optional introductory discussion.
  2. Use this time to familiarize yourselves with the hackathon themes, refine your thinking, and prepare any initial ideas or questions.
  3. Take advantage of the opportunity to align expectations and identify areas where you may need additional SME support.

During the Hackathon (in Person)

  1. Your Primary Mentor will be available throughout the event, conducting regular check-ins and providing guidance as your solution evolves.
  2. When specialized expertise is required, your mentor can help connect you with the most relevant SMEs.
  3. SMEs will be available during designated time slots to provide focused technical, business, design, legal, or domain-specific support.
  4. The Pre-Pitching Board will engage with teams during the scheduled pre-pitching sessions, providing strategic feedback and challenging assumptions before implementation begins.

Before the Final Pitch

Your Primary Mentor will help the team:
  1. Refine its solution and key messages.
  2. Strengthen the business and technical narrative.
  3. Prepare an engaging demo and presentation.
  4. Ensure the team’s impact, innovation, and value proposition are communicated effectively.

Creating accessible technology for a better future

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