On Saturday, May 3, entrepreneurs, students, and community leaders came together for the first ever Prince George’s Climate Tech Hackathon —a one-day sprint designed to spark bold solutions to local climate challenges.
The event kicked off with a warm welcome from Alicia Moran of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, setting the stage for a day defined by creativity, collaboration, and climate-driven innovation. Participants came ready to make a difference, pitching ideas across a range of topics including Ag Tech, Sustainable and Affordable Buildings, Community Focused Data Center Business Models, regional greenhouse gas innovations, HVAC/AC cooling system efficiencies, and other areas to create sustainable climate aware business models.
From there, teams quickly formed and dove into the development process, supported by expert mentors like Patrick Ho, Nicholas Birkhead, and Harold Green. These early-stage ideas evolved rapidly, shaped by thoughtful discussion, technical planning, and shared passion for sustainability.
Throughout the day, the energy remained high, bolstered by moments of inspiration and expert insight. Kobby Ose Kusi, founder of Pirl, delivered a powerful Climate Innovator Talk that underscored the importance of mission-driven entrepreneurship and collective problem-solving. With additional guidance from mentors Betty Watson, Michael Dreben, and Doug Wilson, teams fine-tuned their concepts. In the final stretch, each group presented their solution to a panel of judges, including Faith Davis of Exelon and Michael Dreben, of Grenadier Management.
The first-place prize was awarded to team Telkes, led by Jennifer Arcebal, whose concept stood out for its community relevance. Their solution reimagines the future of clean energy by producing modular homes that are sustainable and affordable. The second-place prize went to team Agri-Ai to inspect vineyards by drones. This standout team represented the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), led by Bipen Basnyat. Finally, the third-place prize went to team Optimizing Maryland Emissions Investment, Led by William MacLeod.
As the evening wrapped up, participants left not just with cash prizes, but with new innovations and connections. A special thank you to FSC First and Innovation Station Business Incubator for making it happen.