AI Hackathon 2026
2nd prize, Team Apollo
The event
I participated in the AI Hackathon 2026 hosted by Strategy First International College. It was my very first hackathon. It was a 3 day sprint with intense time pressure, long hours, and very little sleep. Over those three days, I slept a maximum of 10 hours total.
I put in long hours and supported the team throughout development and presentation. Everyone was pushing hard, and it felt like we were building something real under conditions that did not leave much room for rest.
Project: Foundry
Our project was called Foundry, an AI system that turns ideas into business plans and websites. The goal was to take something vague, like a rough concept or a half formed idea, and help someone turn it into something concrete: a plan they could follow and a site they could actually show people.
We built it as Team Apollo over the course of the hackathon. Looking back, our scope was too big for the time we had. There was a lot to figure out in a short window: the AI pipeline, the output format, how the website generation would work, and how to make it feel useful rather than just impressive on a slide.
Near the end, I was left to handle performance optimization. The system worked, but it needed to run faster and smoother before we presented. I spent long hours on that so the demo would hold up when it mattered.
The result
We achieved 2nd place. It was a strong result, and I am proud of what we built, but the experience taught me more than the placement itself.
I learned a lot about simplifying complex systems for presentation. When you are tired and on a deadline, it is easy to build something powerful that is hard to explain. Judges and audiences do not have time to unpack every layer. You have to show the value clearly and quickly.
I also learned about managing energy during competitions. Sleep deprivation is not a badge of honor. It affects judgment, communication, and how well you perform when it matters most. Next time, I want to be smarter about pacing myself while still giving everything I can.
And I learned about improving how we communicate the value of technical products. Building something that works is one thing. Making someone understand why it matters is another. That gap is where a lot of good projects lose people.
Team Apollo
Thank you to my teammates. I could not have done this without them.
- Pyae Sone Aung (me)
- Hein Htet Oo
- Viana
- Htet Wai Yan
Hein Htet Oo, Viana, and Htet Wai Yan pushed through the same long days and kept the team moving. I am grateful for how hard everyone worked and for carrying Foundry across the finish line together.
Looking ahead
I am proud of what we built, and even more motivated to improve it further. Foundry is the kind of idea that deserves more time: more polish, more testing, and a better way to show people what it can do. The hackathon was just the start.