Social Good Hackathon: Maximizing Potential @ West Valley College
about this event
Build technology that serves your community. The AI for Social Good Hackathon is a one-day event at West Valley College, hosted by Maximizing Potential, the student-run nonprofit founded here on campus.
Every track is built around a real need identified by a local community organization. You'll join a team, build a working prototype with AI, and present it to judges, including the partners themselves. The best projects don't end at demo day: partners get the first look at every prototype built for their track, with an eye toward adopting it after the event.
The tracks: Senior Safety, with Successful Aging Solutions & Community Consulting — Build tools that help seniors recognize, avoid, and report scams and fraud. Local Economy, with the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce — Build tools that help local businesses grow, like websites that attract customers or simple payment systems. Volunteering, with Kiwanis — Build apps that make it easier for people to find volunteer opportunities, sign up, and show up.
Prizes: $1,000 in prizes, sponsored by Maximizing Potential — 1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300; 3rd place: $200. Projects are judged on real-world impact and feasibility.
Who should come? The event is free and open to the public: West Valley students, students from nearby community colleges, high school students, and anyone who wants to build with AI for good. Register individually and find your team during check-in, or come with a team already formed. Bring a laptop and a willingness to collaborate.
Schedule: 9:00 – 10:15 AM · Check-in and team matching 10:15 – 10:45 AM · Opening and track introductions 10:45 – 11:45 AM · Panel with our community partners 11:45 AM – 2:15 PM · Build 2:15 – 3:30 PM · Judging 3:30 – 4:05 PM · Winners announced 4:05 – 4:35 PM · Ceremony 4:35 – 5:00 PM · Networking
Snacks and lunch provided! The build session is 2.5 hours, so aim for a small, working prototype that solves one problem well.
tracks
Senior Safety
With Successful Aging Solutions & Community Consulting — build tools that help seniors recognize, avoid, and report scams and fraud.
Local Economy
With the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce — build tools that help local businesses grow, like websites that attract customers or simple payment systems.
Volunteering
With Kiwanis — build apps that make it easier for people to find volunteer opportunities, sign up, and show up.
when
AI for Social Good Hackathon
Check-in and team matching 9:00–10:15 AM; opening and track introductions 10:15–10:45 AM; panel with community partners 10:45–11:45 AM; build 11:45 AM–2:15 PM; judging 2:15–3:30 PM; winners announced 3:30–4:05 PM; ceremony 4:05–4:35 PM; networking 4:35–5:00 PM.
◍ West Valley Collegetickets
| tickets | price | Fee | Status | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Registration | Free | None | Available | The event is free and open to the public. Register individually and find your team during check-in, or come with a team already formed. |
prizes
| # | PRIZE | price |
|---|---|---|
| 1st place | $500 in prizes | $500 |
| 2nd place | $300 in prizes | $300 |
| 3rd place | $200 in prizes | $200 |