Odyssean Academy will organize a physical-AI and robotics hackathon across schools and universities in Washington state — driving awareness of Elevate and excitement for Physical AI and robotics. The hackathon becomes an added experience for current and previous students of Elevate classes and programs.
A two-day, in-person physical-AI and robotics hackathon in Seattle, built for middle and high school students and centered on VEX robotics systems. The event doubles as a growth engine for Elevate — an immersive capstone experience for current and past students, and a first touchpoint for new families across Washington state.
Odyssean Academy provides full-service hackathon consultancy, from event and challenge design through day-of execution to post-event reporting, powered by the MentorMates platform.
Elevate is a Redmond, WA learning space introducing young learners to robotics, coding, AI, electronics, and STEM through hands-on programs, camps, and competitions. Elevate hosts the Washington VEX IQ Regional Championship and fields teams that have competed at the VEX Robotics World Championship.
Together with Aarti's work at AMD in Responsible AI and Sovereign AI, this hackathon extends Elevate's classroom programs into a state-wide, competition-grade experience — and positions Elevate at the center of the Physical AI conversation for K-12 students in Washington.
An immersive, challenge-and-tournament weekend in Seattle, tentatively late August during summer break. Teams design, build, and program around VEX robotics systems, competing through physical-AI challenges appropriate for the middle and high school age band — culminating in tournament rounds and a closing ceremony.
| Activity | Time |
|---|---|
| Day 1 — Saturday | |
| Doors Open & Check-in | 8:30 AM |
| Opening Ceremony, Challenge Reveal & Build Kickoff | 9:00 AM |
| Build & Practice Sessions (mentor office hours ongoing) | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Day 2 — Sunday | |
| Doors Reopen & Final Builds | 8:00 AM |
| Competition Rounds Conclude | 10:00 AM |
| Final Matches, Judging & Demos | 10:30 AM |
| Closing Ceremony & Awards | 1:00 PM |
Odyssean Academy runs the full event so the Elevate and AMD teams can focus on students, mentoring, and community.
Full event architecture and VEX-inspired challenge design, scoped to the hardware available and the middle / high school age band.
Recruitment and coordination of experienced professionals as mentors and judges from our national network.
Submissions, judging, and mentorship managed in one place — transparent scoring and structured feedback for every team.
Event identity, banners, and swag production coordinated end to end.
Staffing, check-in, ceremonies, tournament operations, and A/V across both days.
Attendance metrics, project summaries, and program-enrollment leads for Elevate.
Hardware: coordinated with Aarti's lab, which provides the robotics parts; we scope challenges around the available hardware. If parts cannot be provided, we can revisit the budget and procure hardware directly.
450+ community events and 50+ hackathons organized across the U.S. and Asia.
AI bootcamp and hackathon with Tencent in Shenzhen — ~34 middle-school participants, 8 mentors, functional AI prototypes on a visual AI learning platform.
Leadership experience in VEX — leading a 150+ student high school organization that placed 13th and 56th at past VEX World Championships, plus programs around VEX-adjacent projects.
Lovable × A16Z go-to-market hackathon at Stanford, a six-college hackathon tour, and guiding the Stanford HAI × Google disabilities hackathon.
A large network of professionals eager to participate as mentors and judges — participation is strong and growing.
Purpose-built software for hackathons: submissions, judging, and mentorship in one place.
A single pilot engagement, scoped to available hardware. Final pricing depends on participant count, venue, hardware logistics, and prize budget — a detailed cost breakdown and phased roadmap follow once scope is confirmed.
An estimated 8-week preparation runway targeting late August 2026, during summer break. Dates adjust to Elevate's calendar and hardware availability.
Align on goals, target dates, participant count, and hardware inventory with Aarti's lab. Confirm whether the event runs under Elevate Tech, AMD, or both.
Challenge design scoped to available hardware. Registration opens; outreach begins to Elevate students, alumni, and schools across Washington.
Marketing push, mentor and judge onboarding, and MentorMates platform setup.
Venue, catering, banners and swag delivered, judge briefings, run-of-show locked.
Two-day hackathon. Post-event report delivered within 5 business days.
Middle-school participants with 8 mentors building functional AI prototypes on a visual AI learning platform — directly relevant to this audience.
Guided the AI + Learning Differences hackathon exploring assistive technology.
Go-to-market hackathon connecting student builders with two of the most recognized brands in AI.
A multi-campus hackathon tour across top U.S. universities.
Johns Hopkins & Stanford Alum. MLH Top 50 honoree. Expert in building high-impact hackathon ecosystems.
Focused on global execution standards and building deep community roots across innovation hubs.
