OPEN Austin provides a distinctive platform for the youth in our community to pursue entrepreneurial or professional endeavors, with the guidance of mentors and parents, to overcome obstacles and bring their creative ideas to fruition.

It’s a unique experience designed for young minds! This isn’t your typical weekend-long event. We’re taking things to the next level by providing mentoring to help develop the business and/or technical skills. 

Mission statement:

Elevate ingenuity and develop entrepreneurial and professional skills in youth through competitions that challenge them to create and present business plans for innovative and impactful ventures.

What is it?

Youth, middle schoolers, and high schoolers can participate in building, presenting, and competing with their own products, projects, and ideas by forming teams. Teams are formed with the help of mentors or members of the OPEN Executive team.

Each team decides on an idea to work on, such as an allergy app for a family member, a website for arranging play dates, or a business plan for opening a bunny shop in a mall. Teams submit a business plan presentation for screening, which includes a three-page presentation (format to be shared later) and a prototype that can be paper-based or implemented (fully-working, partially-working, or non-working).

Teams will present their ideas and rehearse with parents, mentors, and smaller audiences. Selected teams will pitch their ideas to “Sharks” in front of other teams and a wider audience, including investors, established entrepreneurs, and professionals. The Sharks will evaluate the pitches, and finalists will be publicly announced and awarded during an award ceremony.

Who is it for?

This program is open to middle and high school students aged 10 to 18, as well as younger students with computer experience who wish to participate. There are no restrictions based on nationality or origin. However, it is required that all participants attend a couple of on-site meetings in Austin, TX.

Resources and Important Links

Important dates and times

DateNameDescriptionPrereqs for Parents / Studends
March 12th, 2023 5:00pm CSTOnline event about the Hackathon– Explain what the event is about.
– Collect last-minute signups.
– Answer any questions.
– Handle special cases, such as younger students with computer experience.		– Bring your passion to learn and participate
– Eventbrite reservation required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-youth-hackathon-information-session-tickets-573910430547
– Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85709859719?pwd=ckRTUlRaQXRSdFVsTlFMNkVnUDJmQT09
March 25th 2023Application DeadlineVery simple (less than 5 minutes) application to be filled hereSubmit application here (https://forms.gle/qrWbEkucMfJfUfFR9)
April 1st, 2023
1pm – 4pm		Kick off– Welcome
– Team Formation
– Mentor Assignment
– Breaking Ice
– Ideas		Students can submit applications either with an idea in mind or a general direction they would like to pursue. For example, they may want to implement their own idea or join a theme such as mobile or machine learning.

Millwood Austin Library
2 Miles from The Domain
12500 Amherst Dr, Austin, TX 78727
https://goo.gl/maps/6e6RxcR9976k4vpp8

Join Whatsapp Group (Only for kids/young people, parents signed up for Hackathon and OPEN Team). https://chat.whatsapp.com/CuxKlklCAfA7E6im9SJ2cE
Multiple online meetings
(From Apr 2nd to Apr 29th)		– Mentors and teams will work together to develop the idea and create a prototype, which can be either paper-based or real.
– Roles and responsibilities will be assigned to each team member.
– Parents and students will work together to improve their skills in areas such as rehearsing, building, presenting, and preparing.
April 29th, 2023Dress RehearsalAgenda
There are 10 teams:
– Each Team will pitch their idea in few minutes
– Q&A by mentors, members and audience

– Networking		– Each team must create a presentation.
– Each team must create either paper prototypes (pictures) or working prototypes.
– Each team must rehearse how to pitch and decide who will pitch which section
– Each team must assign roles and responsibilities to each team member.


Pflugerville Library
1009 Pfluger St W, Pflugerville, TX 78660

https://goo.gl/maps/fy8vy1GKJkTPmmpC8

RSVP here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2023-youth-hackathon-dress-rehearsal-tickets-623664014857
May 20th, 2023Pitch Day
(Final competition)		On site (date to be finalized)– Multiple teams will compete in front of a wider audience.
– Established entrepreneurs (Sharks) will evaluate the ideas presented by each team.
– Emcee will orchestrate the event
– Each team will have 5 minutes to pitch: 2 minutes to present and 3 minutes for Q&A.
– The Executive team will give points to multiple aspects of the presentation, which are independent of each other.
– The Sharks will announce the winners.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If you have a question or query that isn’t covered here, please join our online event on March 12th at 5:0pm and get your queries and questions answered.

  1. What does this hackathon cover?
    • The answer can be found in the ‘What is it?’ section above.
  2. I (my son/daughter)  have never attended a hackathon before, can we still join?
    • Yes, a mentor will be assigned to you, and you will be matched with team members who have attended hackathons before.
  3. I (my son/daughter) doesn’t know coding or robotics (or they forgot about it), can we still attend?
    • Yes, the hackathon is not meant to teach coding. It’s intended to build foundational skills in youth to help them compete. If the team doesn’t know coding, a paper or digital-image-based presentation of their business ideas is fine. They can show finance (if they are strong in it), or use artifacts to present their ideas.
  4. Can I use any school project that I have already built and presented?
    • Ideally, you should build a new presentation and prototype. This is for your own benefit. Entrepreneurs and professionals are good or best because they practice again and again with changed methods.
  5. I don’t have any ‘idea for hackathon’, can i still join?
    • Yes, we will match you with a team that has an idea (most likely in the area of your interest). Mentors will understand and guide you.
  6. My son/daughter is not in middle school but they are really sharp / genius / passionate. Can they join?
    • Class and school boundaries do not work for some sharp minds. We are creating exceptions for special cases. Please contact us (see information below) or join the event on March 12th. We would love to see bright young folks starting on their journey as early as possible.
  7. I don’t have friends with similar interests, or I don’t have a team, what should I do?
    • We’ve got you covered. We will find a team with a similar and matching idea to your interest. Your parent can help, and mentors can help.
  8. When is the hackathon?
    • It’s spread out over multiple dates. Normally, a ‘typical hackathon’ happens in 24 to 48 hours in one location, where all students stay, live together to build presentations, ideas, form teams, and have ceremonies. Imagine the same, but divided into multiple milestones. So, you have time to work on your own time, present ideas to your parents (who can act as judges/sharks). You can have a soft pitch with mentors, revise, and improve.
  9. Is hackathon in-person or virtual ?
    • The hackathon is split into multiple milestones. Mentors and teams will meet virtually, and some meetings/events are virtual. The final event/ceremony will be in-person.
  10. Is there a Whatsapp group?
  11. We are not Pakistani, can we still join?
    • OPEN is organized and executed by senior entrepreneurs/professionals of Pakistani origin based in the United States. This event (and many other events) is for all communities, regardless of race, religion, birth-origin, or orientation. It’s an equal opportunity event. The restrictions are only for students because the age group is well-suited to understand and build foundations. We will and do have events for all ages.
  12. Is it free?
    • Yes, participating in our hackathon is absolutely free! We want to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity. All we ask is that you come prepared with confidence and a positive attitude, and be willing to give us your valuable feedback after the event.
  13. How is it giving parent / kid time?
    • Participating in the hackathon provides an opportunity for parents and kids to spend quality time together. As the child embarks on this journey, they may need someone to bounce ideas around or practice with, someone other than their team members or mentors. This presents a great opportunity for parents to step in and offer their support. By doing so, they can help improve their child’s ideas and prepare them to shine in front of others.
  14. How many hours of commitment / week for kids?
    • In short, the number of hours of commitment per week is entirely up to the individual and their family. Our goal is to teach the valuable lesson that hard work and smart work pay off. If time constraints exist, we encourage you to do the best you can. Our experience suggests that dedicating 15 to 30 minutes every other day, with some exceptions, will yield great results. However, every individual and family is different, and some students may perform better by dedicating a few hours in one block. Typically, a team of four can produce an excellent working copy in 24 to 48 hours at other hackathons. We suggest spreading the commitment over several weeks, as indicated in the above schedule.

For any questions not answered: