Hack-Trick: Ascend Earns Third Straight Culture Champions Award at Hack Midwest 2026

For the fifth consecutive year, team members from Innovative Technology Solutions (ITS) brought creativity, teamwork and new ideas to Hack Midwest, building AI-powered apps that help cities fix potholes faster, help international families feel at home in a new community, give personalized coaching to parents of autistic children, make group trip planning painless and drive personal productivity. Ascend teams earned multiple recognitions, including first place and second place in the Best Design category, second place in the Most innovative category, second and third place in the Most Impactful category-and Ascend's third consecutive Culture Champions Award for having the most teams at the event.

Hack Midwest brought together more than 300 software engineers in downtown Kansas City on Oct. 10-11 for learning, networking and the chance to sharpen their skills. ITS sent five teams comprising 23 team members to compete against more than 80 teams from across the Midwest. During the hackathon, each team has 24 hours to develop a project from scratch using one or more vendor-provided technologies.

Nick Ide, vice president of software engineering, said Hack Midwest gives team members a rare chance to step outside the day-to-day and see what they're capable of.

"Hack Midwest asks our people to do something bold: take an idea from a blank page to a working product in 24 hours, in front of their peers and the broader tech community," Nick said. "That kind of pressure brings out remarkable growth. Our team members walk away more confident, more connected and more energized about what technology can do for the people we serve and about where their own careers can go next."

BUILT TO BELONG: CULTURE, COLLABORATION AND CONNECTION

For many participants, the weekend was as much about who they built with as what they built.

"This was a unique opportunity to challenge ourselves and create software that makes people's lives better," said Marvin Campos, senior software engineer. "It was an absolute privilege to build alongside this team, with all the fun, spirited debate and excellence that came with it. My takeaway from the weekend: Never underestimate what an honest conversation and a good 15-minute walk to a coffee shop can bring. Congratulations to all our teams and to Ascend for being culture champions for three straight years."

Matt Honeycutt, senior software engineer, said the opportunity to shift from the daily routine sparked something special.

"There's something unique about getting a group of engineers together, stepping away from the day-to-day and turning a completely original idea into something real," Matt said. "It took lots of coffee, brainstorming, coding, problem-solving and probably not enough sleep, but that's what made it so fun. I couldn't have asked for a better group to build alongside. Huge thanks to Ascend Learning for the opportunity, and to the Hack Midwest team for putting on an awesome event."

Niki Kearney, senior talent acquisition manager, also represented Ascend at the event.

"Watching every one of our teams earn recognition this year was incredibly exciting," Niki said. "Our engineers show the tech community exactly who Ascend is: innovative, collaborative and focused on work that makes a difference. That visibility matters. When students and top tech professionals see our teams in action, they see a place where they can grow, build meaningful products and belong."

Building technology that makes everyday life better is what our teams do at Ascend every day, and Hack Midwest gives them an opportunity to step outside the day-to-day and challenge themselves in a fast-paced, competitive setting alongside their peers. Congratulations to our creative, innovative tech teams on their outstanding work and leadership in the Kansas City tech community.