Official #CLETechWeek26 Buildathon

about this event

What happens when Cleveland's emerging talent and industry leaders build together?

The Official #CLETechWeek26 Buildathon brings students, emerging talent, and industry professionals together for a one-day innovation challenge designed to bridge the gap between education, workforce development, and industry—and build connections that last beyond Tech Week.

Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams of six:

🎓 4 Students / Emerging Talent (18+)

🛠️ 1 Engineering / Product Industry Leader

📣 1 Marketing Industry Leader

Each team will tackle a real-world challenge centered around a theme developed with our host organization. Using the tools at their disposal—including modern AI and vibe-coding tools—teams will go from problem → idea → prototype in a single day.

You don't need to be an expert coder. In fact, that's the point. We're bringing together different skills, experiences, and perspectives to see what we can build when we work across traditional boundaries.

Who Should Participate?

🎓 Students & Emerging Talent: Open to adults 18+ who are currently learning, training, or early in their careers—including students at colleges, universities, community colleges, trade and technical schools, certificate programs, bootcamps, and other education or workforce-development programs. Come build alongside experienced professionals, apply your skills to a real-world challenge, and make connections across Cleveland's innovation ecosystem.

🛠️ Industry Leaders: We're looking for experienced professionals who want to build alongside—not just talk to—Cleveland's emerging talent. Each team will include one leader with experience in engineering, product development, or product management and one with experience in marketing, communications, branding, growth, or go-to-market. You'll bring your experience to the table while working side-by-side with your team to turn an idea into something tangible.

What Happens: Teams will spend the day researching, ideating, building, testing, and preparing their projects. At 4 PM, the Buildathon transforms into the opening of the Official #CLETechWeek26 Welcome Ceremony. Teams will showcase their projects at demo tables as attendees and judges explore what they built. Judges will select approximately 3–5 teams to present their projects on stage during the Welcome Ceremony.

📅 Agenda: 10:00 AM → Welcome, challenge reveal & team kickoff; 10:30 AM–4:00 PM → Buildathon; 4:00–5:00 PM → Project demos + Welcome Ceremony networking; 5:00–6:00 PM → Selected project presentations + Welcome Ceremony programming; 6:00–7:00 PM → Optional networking.

💻 What to Bring: Come ready for a full day of building: Laptop + charger, Notebook / anything you like to work with, Reusable water bottle, Any other equipment you need to comfortably work throughout the day. Dress: Business casual. You'll be building during the day and showcasing your work and networking with Cleveland's innovation community that evening.

Eligibility: All Buildathon participants must be 18 or older.

Theme, host organization, judges, technology partners, and additional details will be announced soon.

Come ready to meet people you wouldn't normally work with, build something you couldn't build alone, and help kick off Cleveland Tech Week by building the connections that make Cleveland's innovation ecosystem stronger.

A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats

#ClevelandOnTheRise

#CLETechWeek26

#BuildTheTide

This event is part of Cleveland Tech Week 2026, a community-driven celebration of innovation across Greater Cleveland. Learn more and explore the full calendar at cletechweek.com.

By registering, you consent to share your registration information with the event host and Cleveland Tech Week organizers. You may also receive occasional emails about Cleveland Tech Week related events and announcements. You can unsubscribe at any time. Photography and videography may occur during the event and may be used for promotional purposes.

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