Timeline & Deliverables

February 5 – Info Session

CORE 178, 12:00 PM   RSVP HERE

What to Expect:

• Meet fellow participants and potential teammates

• Learn about challenge requirements and timeline

• Form teams or join existing ones

• Explore Omatochi challenge areas

• Q&A with organizers

February 12 – Ideation Workshop

Led by Smith Center and UP Club

Speaker: Associate Professor Izzet Darendeli

📅 Wednesday, February 12, 2026
🕔 5:30 PM Pacific Time
💻 Zoom Meeting: https://csueb.zoom.us/j/85936207551

What to Expect:

• Learn structured ideation methods to develop and refine your concept.

• Design thinking frameworks

• Problem definition techniques

• Concept development exercises

February 19 – Create Workshop

CORE 178, 4:30 PM  

Led by Women in Leadership and Business Analytics Club

Speakers: Aartee Dhomeja (Fedex DataWorks), Dr. Homgin Li (Assistan Professor in CS)

What to Expect:

• Discuss application development and AI-assisted coding.

• Introduction to AI coding assistants

• Rapid prototyping techniques

• Tool recommendations and demos

February 26 – Technical Development Check-in

Online.

What to Expect:

• Q&A session to troubleshoot challenges

• One-on-one mentor consultations

• Progress check and feedback

• Resource sharing

March 3 & 4 – Pitch Coaching 

Led by Smith Center and UP Club

📅 Monday & Tuesday, March 3–4, 2026

🕔 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Pacific Time

💻 Zoom Meeting

What to Expect:

• Preparation for final presentation

• Practice presentations

• Pitch refinement coaching

March 6 – Pitch Coaching and Demo Day

Present your progress to industry and academic professionals. Receive feedback and guidance on storytelling, structure, and delivery. Finalist will showcase at the WIL Forum.

• Feedback from judges and mentors

March 7 – Final Presentation and Awards

Present your completed project at the Women in Leadership Forum. Compete for awards and network with industry leaders and collaborators.

What to Expect:

• Final team presentations

• Award announcements

• Networking with industry professionals

• Celebration of all participants

1. Working Prototype

Teams must submit a prototype demonstrating their proposed solution. The prototype may take any of the following forms:

UX Design
User-centered design work including user journeys, wireframes, or clickable prototypes (e.g., Figma) that clearly illustrate how users interact with the solution.

Demo of User Journey
A live or recorded demonstration showing the end-to-end user experience, which may include simulated or mocked interactions.

Application Demo
A web or mobile application demonstrating core features. Backend services may be fully implemented, partially implemented, or simulated.

Partially Functional System
A prototype in which at least one core function is fully operational and runs real logic—such as algorithms, data processing, optimization, or AI models—even if other components are mocked.

Teams will not be penalized for choosing one prototype form over another, provided the solution, user value, and feasibility are clearly demonstrated.

2. Pitch Presentation

A concise presentation that explains:

• The problem and target users

• Your proposed solution

• How the prototype works

• Expected impact and feasibility

• Key design, technical, and ethical considerations