Hatch-a-thon, a new program teaming tech pros with businesses in search of expertise, kicked off this month in Fairhope — yielding numerous business solutions and at least one contract.
Sponsored by Hatch Fairhope and Lower Alabama AI, the program drew a host of local companies looking for solutions to business issues and 23 teams of competitors working to solve those problems. Competitors ranged from teams of high-school students to adults.
Teams worked on solutions over a stretch of two weeks, then presented results at a Demo Night in early August.
“Traditional hackathons create prototypes that often never see the light of day,” said Keith Glines, executive director of Hatch Fairhope. “Our two-week format allowed teams to build solutions that businesses can actually implement. The fact that we’re seeing contracts signed within 24 hours of Demo Night proves this approach delivers tangible value.”
The day after the event, Jay Maru won a contract with his challenge sponsor, Pilot Catastrophe Services, for a solution he developed to detect claims anomalies, said Kai Gray, of Lower Alabama AI.
Competing teams worked on projects in an array of industry — tourism, health care, finance and more.
The team’s solutions were evaluated on technical merit and on the potential for practical implementation.
The program culminated in Demo Night, with more than 150 people in attendance.
“The turnout exceeded our wildest expectations,” noted Glines. “Having 150 people show up on a Thursday evening to celebrate innovation and problem-solving shows that the Gulf Coast is ready to embrace its potential as a technology hub.”
Gray added, “This isn’t about competing with Silicon Valley. It’s about showing that meaningful innovation happens right here on the Gulf Coast, solving real problems for real businesses in our community.”
The sponsoring groups plan a second Hatch-a-thon Jan. 15-29, 2026.
