Hackathon 2024 » Veale Entrepreneurs

HACKATHON

Have you ever wanted to be a part of the solution for issues in your community? Have you ever had an idea to solve those issues? Attend our Design Challenge Hackathon to partner up with like-minded students and find the resources to turn ideas into reality.

The Design Challenge Hackathon will allow students to learn a series of skill sets through workshops, mentorship, and curriculum provided and facilitated by GiveBackHack, an organization which brings people together to develop sustainable solutions to pressing social issues. Students will have the opportunity to pitch their own idea or join another team to work with through the event.

Over the course of 4 hours, students will work in teams to dive deep into their impact areas of choice. During this time they will prototype, test and pitch their way through new social enterprise ideas. Through this, they learn what it’s like to design human-centered solutions and consider what it might be like to start a social enterprise of their own.

Prizes will be awarded to winning teams.

  • Wednesday, January 29, 2025
  • 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
  • City Club of Cleveland
  • Free

Areas of Focus:

Skills addressed include design thinking, public speaking, ideation and creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, effective communication, social impact and prototyping.
Owen Myers is an entrepreneur and founder of TeachTo, a social enterprise developing holistic, data-driven software solutions for special education professionals. He is intimately familiar with the intersection of social impact and for-profit business as Director of OSU Business for Good and has refined a community-informed approach to entrepreneurial problem-solving from his time in GiveBackHack Global 2020 and SEA Change 2021. Owen graduated from Ohio State University in 2022 with a B.S. in Neuroscience. Through his work, he hopes to ignite action-oriented individuals to create imaginative solutions addressing pressing social challenges in their own communities.
Owen's photo Color
Adam
Adam Morris is the Community Impact Lead for GiveBackHack, where he oversees community events and programs that empower social entrepreneurs. A co-founder of Wild Tiger Tees, Adam brings his extensive experience in technology and social innovation to his role, guiding teams to create impactful solutions for social issues. He also hosts two podcasts, People Helping People and Green Champions, which focus on social change and sustainability. Driven by a belief that business can be a force for good, Adam is dedicated to fostering meaningful connections within the community.

Meet the Mentors:

Ben is the founder of Heights Academy, a new elementary school launching in 2025 built on core values of Growth, Ownership, Agency, and Thankfulness (GOAT). Heights Academy is designed to equip learners with the foundational knowledge, skills, and values to achieve great things.

Ben has previously taught, coached teachers, and served as a school administrator, gaining first hand insight to the promise and potential of every child and the need for educational innovation.

Ben is the founder of KinderKits which provided over 6,000 families resources to prepare their child for kindergarten. He has his MBA from The Ohio State University where he participated in the BRIGHT Fellowship.

Topic: How can we help families find the best school for their child?

Benjamin Colas

Benjamin Colas
Founder — Heights Academy

Ian Meadows

Ian Meadows
Place Programs and Social Media Manager — Downtown Cleveland

Ian is a passionate city-builder and people-connector. Working for Downtown Cleveland, Inc. with a background in urban planning, community engagement, and digital marketing, he enjoys finding ways to collaborate with other residents, stakeholders, and partners to make Downtown Cleveland a thriving and welcoming neighborhood. Through his work, he hopes to help strengthen Downtown’s sense of place and community.

Topic: How can we make Cleveland a better place using urban planning, arts, culture, and economic development?

Danielle is the Vice President of Sustainability and Environmental Services for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Rock Entertainment Group, the first dedicated senior level sustainability position in the NBA. At the Cavs, Danielle works across the company on sustainable operations, procurement, and reporting, supporting the marketing and communications teams, and integrating sustainability into partnership development. Danielle was recently recognized by Sports Business Journal as "One to Watch" for women in sports and sustainability.

Prior to joining the Cavs, Danielle was a corporate sustainability consultant as the co-founder of a small firm, where she helped manufacturing and consumer product companies with sustainability strategy development, reporting, and project-based challenges.

Danielle is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Cleveland State University College of Law. She received an executive certificate from the University of Pennsylvania Center for Social Impact Strategy.

Topic: To be determined

Danielle Doza

Danielle Doza
VP of Sustainability and Environmental Services — Cleveland Cavaliers, Rock Entertainment Group

Kelsie Fields

Kelsie Fields
Director of Operations — Women’s Fund of Central Ohio

Kelsie is a development and operations professional in Cleveland, Ohio. She currently serves as the Director of Operations for The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, a nonprofit public foundation focused on gender equity. Prior to this role, she held fundraising and development operations roles at The Women’s Fund, City Year Columbus, and The Westerville Symphony. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Central Ohio and is active in the movement to end gun violence. Kelsie loves hobbies of all kinds including knitting, poetry, live music, learning languages, and bird watching. She’s fueled by coffee and her deep love of art and music.

Topic: To be determined

Mallory joined the Young Entrepreneur Institute (YEI) in 2024. In her role, Mallory leads initiatives that strengthen Northeast Ohio’s higher education entrepreneurial ecosystem, including managing signature programs like the annual ideaLabs Pitch Competition for undergraduate students and Learning Lunches for faculty and staff.

Before her work with YEI, Mallory served as the Senior Program Manager at SEA Change. Her career also includes a role with the Columbus Partnership's Smart Columbus project, where she coordinated engagement initiatives to make innovation more approachable in America's First Smart City.

She holds a BA in Public Leadership, Management, and Policy from The Ohio State University, with minors in Nonprofit Management and Social Work.

When she’s not working in entrepreneurship, Mallory enjoys supporting vibrant local food systems with organizations like Food-Conscious.org and North Union Farmers Market and getting her hands in the dirt as a Cuyahoga County Master Gardener Volunteer.

Topic: To be determined

Mallory Masarik

Mallory Masarik
Program Manager, Entrepreneurship Education Consortium — Young Entrepreneur Institute at University School

Tahlayah Morrow

Tahlayah Morrow
Founder — Carry a Mood

Tahlayah is a recent graduate from The Ohio State University, where she honed her skills and passion for entrepreneurship. As the CEO and founder of Carry a Mood, she brings creativity and innovation to the world of fashion. With too many hobbies for her own good, Tahlayah is not only a driven professional but also a multifaceted individual who embraces the richness of life.

Topic: How can fashion improve people’s mental health?