Wandering through the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University last weekend, I couldn’t help but feel the electric energy of innovation. Coffee cups littered tables surrounded by bleary-eyed yet enthusiastic students hunched over laptops, their faces illuminated by screens displaying code, financial models, and crypto dashboards.
This was the scene at the 2024 KSU Fintech Hackathon, where over 120 students competed in a 36-hour marathon of technology development at the intersection of finance and innovation. As someone who’s covered dozens of tech competitions, this one stood out for its ambitious focus: challenging students to develop applications in cryptocurrency trading, AI-powered financial advising, and blockchain security systems.
“What we’re seeing here represents the future of financial services,” explained Dr. Humayun Zafar, Professor of Information Security at KSU and the event’s faculty lead. “These students aren’t just building apps—they’re reshaping how people will interact with money in the coming decade.”
The annual hackathon, now in its third year, has grown from a small departmental competition to a regional draw attracting participants from universities across the Southeast. Major sponsors included Atlanta-based fintech giants like NCR Voyix and Fiserv, alongside crypto players such as Bakkt and established financial institutions like Truist.
Walking between workstations, I observed teams grappling with real-world challenges facing the financial industry. One particularly impressive team, calling themselves “BlockSage,” developed a natural language interface allowing users to manage cryptocurrency investments through conversational AI. Their prototype demonstrated how someone could simply ask, “Rebalance my portfolio to hedge against inflation,” and the system would execute appropriate crypto transactions.
“We wanted to make crypto investing accessible to people who understand financial concepts but get intimidated by the technical aspects of blockchain,” said Anya Patel, a senior computer science major and BlockSage team lead. Her team’s solution earned top honors in the cryptocurrency category, including a $5,000 prize and internship opportunities with Bakkt.
The judges, composed of industry executives and venture capitalists, evaluated projects based on innovation, market potential, and technical execution. What surprised many was the sophisticated understanding students demonstrated of complex financial regulations—not just technical brilliance.
According to data from the Technology Association of Georgia, fintech companies in the state generated over $72 billion in annual revenue last year, making Georgia the third-largest fintech hub in the nation. Events like the KSU hackathon serve as crucial talent pipelines for this growing sector.
“We’re seeing a significant skills gap in specialized fintech roles,” noted Marcus Johnson, CTO of Atlanta-based payments processor InComm, who served as a judge. “Traditional computer science programs teach the fundamentals, but these hackathon participants are developing the hybrid financial and technical knowledge that employers desperately need.”
The competition wasn’t without controversy. During the AI financial advising track, heated debates emerged around ethical considerations of algorithmic financial guidance. One team’s project, which used machine learning to predict ideal moments to take on personal debt, raised questions about responsible innovation.
Dr. Jennifer Coleman from KSU’s Department of Economics, who moderated a panel discussion on ethics in fintech, emphasized this tension: “Technology in finance moves incredibly fast, often outpacing regulatory frameworks. These students need to understand they’re not just building cool tech—they’re creating systems that will profoundly impact people’s financial wellbeing.”
The winning team in the AI advisory category ultimately came from a group focusing on financial inclusion. Their application, “CreditLift,” used alternative data sources to help individuals with limited credit history access financial services. By analyzing patterns in rent payments, utility bills, and even subscription services, their algorithm could generate credit worthiness assessments for traditionally underbanked populations.
“My parents immigrated here and struggled to build credit for years despite always paying bills on time,” explained Wei Chen, a junior finance major on the CreditLift team. “Our solution addresses a problem that affects millions of Americans who remain invisible to conventional financial systems.”
The hackathon concluded with a recruitment fair where sponsors interviewed standout participants. According to event organizers, approximately 40% of last year’s participants received internship or job offers as a direct result of connections made at the event.
As fintech continues reshaping Georgia’s economic landscape, events like the KSU hackathon highlight how universities are evolving to prepare students for this rapidly changing industry. The competition reflects broader trends in financial technology education, where theoretical classroom learning increasingly gives way to applied, project-based experiences.
For many participants, the event offered something beyond prizes or job prospects—a glimpse into how their technical skills could reshape fundamental human systems.
“Finance touches everyone’s lives,” reflected Dr. Zafar as the event concluded. “What these students are building today could determine how millions of people save, invest, and build financial security tomorrow. That’s what makes this hackathon so exciting—and so important.”
