Weekend Hackathon · Two Days · Real Stakes
Utah's startup ecosystem is on fire. AI. Aerospace and defense. Life sciences. Fintech. There are more entrepreneurs building here right now than at any point in this state's history — and most of them have no idea what the state has waiting for them. Free capital. Expert mentorship. World-class programs. The opportunity is here. The visibility isn't. You're going to fix that.
The programs are here. Free education, access to capital, mentorship, counseling, community networks — a full ecosystem of support for entrepreneurs at every stage, from pre-idea all the way through growth. The state and its partners have invested heavily to make Utah one of the best places in the world to build a company.
The problem is findability. Everything a founder needs is on startup.utah.gov, but it's built like a library, and founders don't need a library. They need a guide who already knows their situation. Right now there's no clear entry point, no way to filter for what's actually relevant, and no way to see the bigger picture of what's being built across the state.
The resources are world-class. The discovery isn't. That's what you're here to fix.
"We have world-class resources sitting on a shelf. A founder moving 100 miles an hour isn't going to find them in time — and that's on us to fix."
Discovery is broken. A founder working 100-hour weeks doesn't have time to hunt through a government website — and right now, that's exactly what we're asking them to do. Your job is to fix that.
You're building two interconnected tools that will live together on the official Startup State platform and be shown to investors around the world. The best builds don't end on Sunday. They end up on startup.utah.gov.
A word of warning: we'd rather have one exceptional product than two half-baked ones. If you're going to build both, commit to both. If something has to give, let it show in the polish — not in the fundamentals.
Every state resource lives on startup.utah.gov. It's comprehensive. It's overwhelming. You're going to reimagine how a founder actually finds what they need in under two minutes. Whether that's an AI chatbot, a smart filtering interface, a guided quiz, or something nobody's thought of yet: make it fast, make it personal, make it impossible to get lost in.
Show the world what's being built here. An interactive, visual map of every business in Utah's startup ecosystem — beautiful enough to project on a screen in front of international investors and useful enough for a founder to find their next customer, partner, or acquisition.
The state has prepared complete datasets for both products. You don't need to research or compile anything — focus every hour on the build.
What's up to you: Design, UX, information architecture, AI integration, technical stack — everything about how this information is presented is completely up to you. Be bold. Surprise us.
These are the non-negotiables. Everything else is yours to define.
Working prototypeA live, clickable demo. Not slides, not mockups. Something someone could actually use on Sunday.
Personalized experienceThe tool should feel like it was built for the person using it. A first-time founder exploring their options should have a completely different experience than a scaling company looking for capital. The right resources should surface automatically — not after ten minutes of digging.
Easily updatableNew resources and new companies get added constantly. Your solution must support non-technical content updates without redeployment.
Map: self-service profilesBusinesses can add or claim their listing with a basic verification flow. Company profile pages must include all required fields.
Dual audience readyWorks for a time-pressed founder looking for resources AND for an investor seeing Utah's ecosystem for the first time.
Production qualityThis will be shown to international investors and may go live on a state government website. It should look like it belongs there.
Use these six real-world scenarios to validate your resource navigator. Each person has a distinct situation — your tool should surface something meaningfully different for each of them.
Pre-seed founder with an idea but no business yet. Looking for resources to take his first steps.
Running a small agricultural operation near St. George. Rural, woman-owned, looking to scale.
Left the military and is starting a custom fabrication and manufacturing business. Veteran, early-stage.
B2B SaaS founder, 18 months in, paying customers, ready to raise her first venture round. Specifically looking for angel groups and VCs.
Medical device company, 12 employees, FDA cleared. Looking to expand to international markets. Growth stage, established business.
PhD candidate at the University of Utah developing a novel technology. Wants to commercialize his research and found a company. Has never started a business before.
Judges will include representatives from the Governor's Office of Economic Development, founders, and investors. One thing worth keeping in mind: a complete, polished build of one product will score higher than two rushed ones. Depth beats breadth.