TACOMA, Wash. — Sound Credit Union and the University of Washington Tacoma are bringing back a financial technology competition that will give college students 24 hours to develop solutions aimed at improving consumers’ financial confidence and their experience with financial services.
The second annual HuskyHack: Turning Innovation into Trust is scheduled for Oct. 17 at the University of Washington Tacoma and is open to college students from across Washington state, according to Sound Credit Union.
Students may compete individually or in teams to develop and pitch a fintech product, prototype or concept addressing a real-world challenge facing consumers and financial institutions.
What’s the Challenge? You’ll Have to Wait
The specific challenge will not be disclosed until the opening ceremonies.
“We are thrilled to host the second annual HuskyHack,” said Jennifer Reed, vice president of public relations at Sound Credit Union.
Reed said the credit union was impressed by the innovation and collaboration demonstrated by participants in the inaugural event.
“The students exceeded our expectations and developed creative solutions to real financial challenges,” she said. “We are excited to see what this year’s participants will create.”
$15,000 Grand Prize
The competition will be conducted in two phases.
During the first phase, students will develop and present their initial concepts to a panel of judges. The top three submissions will each receive $1,000.
Participants will then continue refining their projects before submitting their final solutions.
During the second phase, a panel of business leaders, mentors and industry experts will evaluate the projects based on technical execution, functionality, user experience, scalability and presentation quality.
The team with the top overall project will receive a $15,000 grand prize.
Additional Prizes
The winning team also will receive mentorship and expert coaching, a six-month membership to CoMotion Labs and an opportunity to explore potential partnerships that could help further develop its concept.
Sound said the competition is designed to encourage students to develop technology that helps consumers manage their financial lives with greater confidence while strengthening trust in financial services.
The event is being held in partnership with the University of Washington Tacoma’s Milgard Center for Business Analytics.
