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When 16 teams of University of Calgary students met for the first time in early February, they had just a few days to tackle one of the city’s most complex challenges: affordable housing.

They had a tight timeline, access to mentors, and a pitch to prepare. There was a $1,000 team prize on the line, and each participant received a $325 honorarium.

Hosted through — a national program powered by ��ɫֱ�� Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking and funded in part by the Government of Canada’s — the winter hackathon challenged students to work in interdisciplinary teams and learn from community experts.

Over the course of the event, students met on campus for evening and weekend sessions at the Hunter Hub’s Collision Space, with additional time to collaborate independently.

Bringing together diverse perspectives

For Jade Sharpe, a first-year commerce student who found herself on the event’s winning team, the experience was both fast-paced and energizing.

“I think we all had really unique skills that we all brought to the table. Some of us were better with design and some of us were better with speaking. Some of us were great at idea generation.”

Her teammates were third-year business and psychology student Maryam Ibrahim, third-year software engineering student Rajdeep Das, fourth-year urban studies and architectural studies student Adanna Izugbokwe, first-year engineering student Mahmood Elahi, and third-year software engineering student Adrina Sadeghian.

“We assigned the teams rather than allowing students to self-organize,” says Sarah Topps, senior manager, Partnerships and Engagement at the Hunter Hub, who led the event. “The purpose of an interdisciplinary program like this is to get students talking to people from different disciplines and backgrounds. Staying with people you already know doesn’t broaden your network or challenge you in the same way.”

Topps and her team selected participants from across all 10 undergraduate faculties at UCalgary, ensuring each team represented a mix of academic backgrounds. They also prioritized demographic diversity and encouraged applications from students who may not typically see themselves represented in competitive innovation spaces.

Tackling a 'wicked problem'

Experience Ventures hackathons focus on what Topps describes as “wicked problems” — complex, interrelated social issues with no single solution. Housing, she says, was both timely and personal.

“For students, it’s often their first time thinking seriously about the cost of housing and cost of living," says Topps. "They tend to have strong opinions, but may not understand the full complexity.”

That complexity became clear as teams began ideating.

Ibrahim says the diversity within her group quickly became a strength.

“Some of us knew more about the affordable housing crisis and what the government was trying to do,” she explains. “Others were like, maybe we can approach this from more of an entrepreneurial perspective and come up with an actual business that is going to be solving this. We built off each other’s ideas.”

With limited time to refine their concept, the team made an early strategic decision to focus on something achievable.

Two-thirds of basement suites in Calgary are not up to code. While the City offers financial incentives to homeowners to legalize them, many don’t participate due to uncertainty and time constraints.

“Our goal was to realize what barriers they’re facing on top of the financial costs and reduce those,” says Sharpe. “We thought one of the major costs homeowners are facing is time and uncertainty.”

From idea to immediate action

The team proposed a private intermediary company that would streamline the process between homeowners and contractors, helping to legalize basement suites more efficiently and, in turn, increase housing supply.

The approach stood out to mentor and judge Inam Teja — a housing policy expert and the interim executive director of .

“The winning group had already narrowed their focus,” Teja says. “They decided to solve one specific piece of the problem and wanted to explore it deeply.”

Teja, who previously worked in policy and advocacy at the and now works in community housing, spent the first day mentoring three teams. By the second day, he joined the judging panel.

“What was really cool about being there from day one to day two was the massive jump in quality,” he says. “They used those 20 hours extremely well.”

Teja believes the team’s decision to avoid large-scale policy change in favour of a realistic, near-term solution mirrored real-world strategy.

“Changing government policy is extremely difficult,” Teja says. “Having a group say, ‘Let’s see what we can actually do in a realistic but meaningful way,’ made them stand out.”

For the students, the compressed timeline was part of the lesson.

“We had no idea how bad the housing problem was in Calgary,” says Das. “We tried to find a solution that was workable in 16 hours. We learned how to set deadlines and work on it.”

Sharpe agrees: “If you have something you want to solve, focus on the short term first and narrow in on what can be done right now.”

Collaboration under pressure

While only one team walked away with the $1,000 prize, every team gained a deeper understanding of a complex issue and firsthand experience turning ideas into action.

Beyond the competition, students pointed to the collaborative environment as one of the most valuable aspects of the weekend.

“None of us shut each other down,” says Elahi. “We were very accepting of new ideas. That created a good environment to hear and receive ideas.”

For Izugbokwe, the experience reinforced the value of interdisciplinary thinking.

“I always love watching the presentations afterwards,” she says. “I love seeing the different approaches people took to solve the issue.”

Teja, who works daily on housing challenges, says the weekend offered something equally valuable for mentors and judges.

“Working in housing can lead to burnout,” he says. “A weekend full of optimism and problem solving is energizing.”