One Month Out: The Countdown to SCI Hackathon Begins!

A 48-Hour Innovation Sprint on the Space Coast

Author

Groundswell Startups
July 24, 2025

We’re officially one month away from the SCI Hackathon, happening August 22-24, 2025, at Groundswell Startups. Whether you're a coder, designer, entrepreneur, or simply someone who loves solving real-world challenges, this is your call to jump in.

So…What is the SCI Hackathon?

SCI stands for Space Coast Initiative, and that’s exactly what we’re launching into.

A collaborative effort to bridge the gap between academia, industry, and grassroots innovation.

Over the course of 48 hours, teams will tackle bold, future-forward challenges in:
🚀 Aerospace & Defense Tech
🧠 AI + Human-Machine Collaboration
📦 Next-Gen Supply Chain Systems
🌎 Sustainability + Planetary Impact

With support from collaborators like AWS, industry experts, and access to cutting-edge hardware in the Prototype Lab, participants will build solutions that could shape the next generation of innovation.

No team? No problem.

We’ve got solo founders, technical whizzes, and creatives signing up from across the state, and we’ll help match you based on interests and skill sets. The hackathon is designed to be collaborative, not exclusive.

This Hackathon is for you if…

  • You’re curious about AI, emerging/ assistive tech, or sustainability

  • You want hands-on experience with AWS, prototyping tools, and product strategy

  • You’ve got a bold idea and need a team to build it with

  • You’re looking for mentorship, networking, or just a shot at building something amazing in 48 hours

What you can expect:

  • Mentors & Judges from tech, defense, and venture capital

  • Hardware Access via our Prototype Lab

  • Free AWS Credits
    Credits are intended for use during the event and may have an expiration date or usage cap.

  • Workshops, Swag & Food

  • And yes, some people do stay overnight 😎

Final countdown: Registration Closes Soon

We’ve already got 10+ teams registered, and spots are filling up fast. All teams must complete registration by August 15th, including listing all participants. If you haven’t registered your full team yet, now’s the time.

Join the conversation

We’re putting the finishing touches on the dedicated Slack workspace for the SCI Hackathon. Keep an eye on your inbox, we’ll be sending out invites very soon, so you can start connecting with other participants, mentors, and organizers. Stay tuned!

A big thank you to our Sponsors

This event wouldn’t be possible without the support of our amazing sponsors, who are helping power innovation across the Space Coast and beyond.

Interested in becoming a sponsor? Click here to explore sponsorship opportunities.