Kansas City Regional 2026
March 28, 2026 · KC Digital Drive
Winners by Track
architect
-
🥇
Abundance KCCaleb Morse
-
🥈
hackhausBritt Huffman
-
🥉
Brothers Grimm
oracle
-
🥇
AICodex (AI Collective x Codex)Daniel Green
-
🥈
hackhausFrank
-
🥉
Finance Bros.
muse
-
🥇
hackhausPeter Smith
-
🥈
c1ph3rcharmAlexandria Hamilton
-
🥉
Finance Bros.
Leaderboard & Submissions
| # | Team | Track | Submission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Abundance KC
|
architect | View |
| 2 |
hackhaus
Britt Huffman
|
architect | View |
| 3 |
Brothers Grimm
|
architect | View |
| 4 |
OSWAALD
James
|
architect | View |
| 5 |
AICodex (AI Collective x Codex)
Daniel Green
|
architect | View |
| 6 |
c1ph3rcharm
Alexandria Hamilton
|
architect | No link on file |
| 7 |
Finance Bros.
Heagen Bell
|
architect | View |
| 1 |
AICodex (AI Collective x Codex)
Daniel Green
|
oracle | View |
| 2 |
hackhaus
|
oracle | View |
| 3 |
Finance Bros.
|
oracle | No link on file |
| 4 |
The Non-Knowing AI
|
oracle | No link on file |
| 5 |
c1ph3rcharm
Alexandria Hamilton
|
oracle | View |
| 6 |
Brothers Grimm
|
oracle | No link on file |
| 7 |
Abundance KC
Carter Steenhard
|
oracle | View |
| — |
Cooper Strahl
|
oracle | View |
| 1 |
Finance Bros.
|
muse | No link on file |
| 2 |
hackhaus
|
muse | View |
| 3 |
c1ph3rcharm
Alexandria Hamilton
|
muse | View |
| 4 |
Abundance KC
Elliottt Erhard
|
muse | View |
| 5 |
Brothers Grimm
|
muse | No link on file |
| 6 |
AICodex (AI Collective x Codex)
Daniel Green
|
muse | View |
The Challenge
Kansas City Has a Food Access Problem.
1 in 7 Kansas Citians are food insecure — a 10-year high. Two grocery stores closed last year in neighborhoods that were already struggling. The city’s main food bank lost 3 million pounds of food from federal cuts.
The city just put $500,000 on the table for a company that can fix this — coordinate food distribution, reach the families who need help, and prove it can sustain itself.
The scenario: $500,000 in contract revenue, $150,000 in operating costs, 60 days to show the city it works.
The curveball: Mid-event, the city council added a community vote requirement for two priority zones (one 80% Spanish-speaking), and a farm donated 1,000 lbs of fresh produce that spoiled in 48 hours. Teams had to adapt live.
Three tracks: Architect built the product, Oracle built the business plan, Muse built the go-to-market strategy.
The Panel
Meet the Judges
Submissions will be evaluated by a distinguished panel of three industry experts and one non-human (AI) judge, providing a comprehensive and unbiased assessment.
Jason McKinley
CEO, Arc Technologies Group
Lizz Whitacre
Pawlytics
Joni Cobb
Partner, Creative Planning
Tonya Witherspoon
Founder & CEO, MindScapes
Troy Tabor
Wichita State University, College of Innovation and Design
Jim Starcev
KC Digital Drive
Stoni Beauchamp
Ai-Dapt Academy
Robert Voss
Associate Professor, NWMSU & Founder, Voss AI Consulting
Win Hansen
CEO and Founder, Sleep Fitter (Rairflow Inc.)
Benny Bowden
Spotlight Analyst Relations
Codex-A
Non-Human Judge,
Arc Technologies Group
Sponsorship as a Service
Your Business Problem is the Challenge. The Reward is the Solution.
Partner with us to transform your toughest business challenges into thrilling competitive events. We provide the platform and the talent; you get innovative, crowdsourced solutions.
Challenge Partner
Targeted Problem-Solving
?
- Submit a challenge for a Collegiate or High School regional event.
- Receive top solutions and performance data from competitors.
- Brand exposure and access to emerging talent.
Innovation Partner
Mission-Critical R&D
?
- Co-design a headline challenge for the National Championship.
- Get exclusive access to all solutions, data, and top-tier professional talent.
- Sponsor a Keynote Speaker or Certification Track.
Event Itinerary
A Day of Innovation
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Registration & Welcome Coffee
Check in, grab some coffee, and get ready for an exciting day of AI challenges and learning.
9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Competition Block 1
Dive into the first set of challenges for The Architect track. This block includes a brief kick-off workshop to get you started.
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Networking Lunch (Provided)
Connect with fellow AI enthusiasts and local tech leaders. Lunch is on us!
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Competition Block 2 & Finals
Tackle the final set of challenges. The regional champion will be decided based on performance across all challenges for the day.
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Awards Showcase & Happy Hour
Celebrate the achievements of our competitors and enjoy a closing happy hour with drinks and snacks provided.
Become a Foundational Partner
Connect your brand with the future of AI. We invite you to join us as a sponsor to engage with top-tier talent, gain brand visibility, and help nurture the architects of our intelligent future.