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
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.
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