Tartans Innovate Hackathon 2025
A 6-day campus hackathon (Oct 14-21) culminating in a final pitch event on October 25, 70+ participants, 25 submissions, 10 finalists, and 5 winning teams led by ECHO, MiLi, and Tartan OppHub.
What happened
The 2025 edition of the Tartans Innovate Hackathon ran from October 14-21 as a 6-day development sprint, with the final pitch event on October 25, 2025. The hackathon was led by CMU-Africa's Industry Innovation Lab (IIL) with student mobilisation and support from AIS.
The numbers
- 70+ participants
- 25 team submissions, each requiring at least 10 user interviews, a digital prototype, and a written solution abstract
- 48-hour community vote to select the top 10
- 10 finalist teams at the live pitch event with panel Q&A
Winning teams
- ECHO, real-time voice translation app supporting English, Kinyarwanda, and Swahili (1st place)
- Milli-Lib (MiLi), points-based micro-library of 1-2 minute explainer videos for peer-to-peer learning (2nd place)
- Tartan OppHub, AI-powered opportunity hub for scholarships and internships (3rd place)
- Kurunzi, academic support platform syncing Canvas assignments and study groups (4th place)
- Campuslink, integrated AI platform for academic planning and event management (5th place)
Prizes
International conference sponsorships and vouchers, designed to keep winning teams in the rooms where their ventures can grow.
What's next
The post-event report calls for structured incubation support, mentorship, and follow-up workshops for the winning teams, work AIS will help coordinate alongside IIL.