Seagate and Acronis partner with Utah Jazz to host hackathon to inspire young innovators

In March, Acronis, Seagate and the Utah Jazz teamed up for a two-day event that combined community impact, innovation and collaboration. The event brought together students from the University of Utah’s Women in Computing Club and the Kahlert School of Computing for a hands-on hackathon. Their challenge: design a web application that would be useful for a Utah Jazz fan.

The challenge set the tone for a larger mission, as technology leaders united to support creativity, mentorship and community engagement. The program focused on empowering young innovators and strengthening local technology-focused communities.

The event began on Saturday, February 28, where six teams signed up for the competition, and gathered to watch a webinar on their hackathon assignment.

The students were encouraged to incorporate elements from Seagate into their web application concepts. Throughout the weekend, teams designed their interfaces, structured their applications and prepared early builds for review. By Sunday evening, each team submitted a working application ahead of the final presentation day.

On Monday, March 2, hackathon finalists gathered at the Delta Center, home of the Utah Jazz, to work directly with Acronis and Seagate mentors to refine their applications, resolve last‑minute issues and polish their presentations.

Each team had five minutes to pitch their vision, demonstrate their app and answer questions from a panel of judges representing Acronis and Seagate. Judges evaluated usability, creativity, technical execution and real-world value for Jazz fans. First-place winners were given the opportunity to donate $1000 to a charity of their choice, premium tickets to an upcoming game courtesy of Seagate, as well as Apple Airpods Max and iPads. All participants received a cobranded gift in recognition of their hard work.

After deliberation, each student participant was honored during the Jazz game that evening against the Denver Nuggets, where they were featured on the video board and welcomed onto the court. The winning team was awarded and presented with a check for the charity of their choice by representatives from the Utah Jazz.

Acronis, Seagate and the Utah Jazz share a commitment to empowering the next generation of technologists — a theme that resonated throughout the event. As Fernanda Silva, senior alliances MGR at Acronis explained, “At Acronis, we believe innovation starts with opportunity. Bringing students into real-world challenges like this hackathon helps them build practical skills, gain confidence and see how their ideas can make a meaningful impact. We’re grateful to Seagate for their partnership in making this event possible and for their shared commitment to supporting the next generation of innovators.” Silva highlighted how hands-on learning and real-world challenges help students build confidence and envision a future in technology.

Seagate GTM, Channel Alliance Lead Ben King added, "Events like this hackathon show the power of collaboration in shaping the future of innovation. Together with Acronis and the Utah Jazz, we’re helping bridge education and industry, giving the next generation of technologists the opportunity to learn, create and contribute to a stronger local technology ecosystem." All the more his message emphasized the importance of creating opportunities that bring industry and education together. Together, the partners demonstrated how meaningful mentorship and community-driven initiatives can open doors for young creators and strengthen the local technology ecosystem.

Events like this hackathon show the power of collaboration in shaping the future of innovation. Together with Acronis and the Utah Jazz, we’re helping bridge education and industry, giving the next generation of technologists the opportunity to learn, create and contribute to a stronger local technology ecosystem.

This two-day hackathon and suite experience was more than an event — it was a testament to what partners can achieve when they invest in community development and emerging talent. We are proud to work alongside the Utah Jazz and Seagate to support students from the University of Utah and look forward to hosting future programs that bring innovation, education and technology together.

To all participants, mentors and partners: Thank you for helping make this inaugural hackathon a success. We look forward to seeing where your ideas go next.