// the challenge
It started as one hackathon. Now it’s statewide.
In 2021, his first year on the Leeds faculty, Matt launched a low-code hackathon: student teams with no coding background building real tools for real organizations. It grew every year, joined CU Boulder’s New Venture Challenge, and became the Colorado Impact Challenge™, now a partnership of CU Boulder and Colorado School of Mines.
// students per year
| Year | Name | Students | What changed | Winners |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Low-Code Hackathon | 30 | The first event, at CU Boulder | A Precious Child (donor CRM) |
| 2022 | Low-Code Hackathon | 60 | Civic and nonprofit partners, including the City of Boulder | City of Boulder (housing, parking), Mission Zero, A Precious Child |
| 2023 | Low-Code Hackathon | 80 | Partnership with CU’s New Venture Challenge | FoodWise, ReVessel, CatchSense |
| 2024 | Low-Code Sustainability Hackathon | 100 | Grew from 3 to 7 days; multiple universities | GoodWatt, SAGA, Peak Energy |
| 2025 | Colorado Sustainability Challenge | 100 | 15 days across Front Range colleges, every session streamed; partner-funded bounties | BioOX, Abundant Ground, Amply, bounty teams |
| 2026 | Colorado Impact Challenge™ | — | Moves to Colorado School of Mines in Golden; Oct 20 – Nov 9 | — |
Clicks, not code.
// recap video
2024 recap, 90 seconds
Photos
The next chapter starts in fall 2027.