NAT invites you to natIgnite 2025, a 40-hour interdisciplinary hackathon.
Hosted semi-annually by NAT in partnership with community partners, each natIgnite is centered on a distinct theme. This year's theme for natIgnite 2025 is AgeTech.
At the heart of Ignite is a unique model: every team of Hackers (supposedly 4-6) work on a real-world problem sourced directly from a Problem Provider. We also invite industry partners to join as Advisors. This format grounds every project in real-world relevance, increases the likelihood of long-term impact, and offers teams a direct line to expert guidance.
During the event, teams work hands-on with advanced hardware such as biosensors, motion detectors, and remote sensing devices, layered with computing approaches like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data analytics, to develop functional prototypes with real-world potential.
Over $5,000 in seed funding and in-kind resources are available for winning teams, creating pathways to continue developing their projects even after the event.
Requirements
To Participate in natIgnite 2025:
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Recruitment & Registration
Participants apply individually through natPortal, complete the registration form, pay the registration fees on Luma, and gain access to event details and resources. -
Weekend 1: Workshops + Pitch Day
The first weekend kicks off with hands-on workshops and foundational sessions on neurotech tools, innovation strategy, and project management. On Day 2, Problem Providers pitch real-world challenges to the cohort. Teams are formed and matched with Problem Providers by our team to begin ideation and early planning. -
Weekly Development Reports
Between weekends, teams meet with their Problem Providers to align on goals and complete a series of Weekly Development Reports. These touchpoints ensure strong direction, technical clarity, and team cohesion heading into the build phase. -
Weekend 2: 40-Hour Hackathon + Judging
The second weekend is the core build sprint. A 40-hour hackathon where teams prototype their solutions with real-time access to mentorship, hardware, and technical support. It concludes with a judging session where teams present to a multidisciplinary panel of experts. Winners are announced the same day. -
Post-Hackathon Support
Three winning teams from each Ignite event receive $5,000 in seed funding and an equal amount of in-kind resources. All teams are invited to join NAT’s ongoing mentorship network and receive guidance on commercialization, research, and community deployment.
natIgnite 2025 Timeline and Deadlines:
Participant Registration Opens: June 15, 2025
Educational Sprint Begins (Workshops available on Moodle): July 1, 2025
Participant Registration Closes: July 31, 2025
Skill-Up Saturday(Optional): August 2, 2025
Pitch Day Sunday(Mandatory): August 3, 2025
Development Report 1: August 3, 2025
Development Report 2: August 5, 2025
Development Report 3: August 7, 2025
Hardware Lending Form Due: August 5, 2025
Hackathon Weekend: August 8–10, 2025
Judging & Awards: August 10, 2025
Post-Hackathon Support: August 2025 – August 2026
Prizes
1st Place Team
The 1st place team will be eligible for $3000 CAD in reimbursement-based seed funding, going towards the future development of their hackathon projects. An additional $3000 CAD of in-kind services are available (legal services, cloud compute resources, business mentorship) are available as needed.
2nd Place Team
The 2nd place team will be eligible for $1500 CAD in reimbursement-based seed funding, going towards the future development of their hackathon projects. An additional $1500 CAD of in-kind services are available (legal services, cloud compute resources, business mentorship) are available as needed.
3rd Place Team
The 1st place team will be eligible for $500 CAD in reimbursement-based seed funding, going towards the future development of their hackathon projects. An additional $500 CAD of in-kind services are available (legal services, cloud compute resources, business mentorship) are available as needed.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Reza Enaloui
ERIN
Tomi Oyende
Growth Product Manager/Black Business Ventures Association
Ashutosh Ahuja
Enterprise Architecture Lead/Starbucks Technology
Clinton Senkow
ERIN
Eric Fredlin
NVIDIA
Kendrea Sicotte
Co-Founder/LifeTech Care
Jeff Shon
Lead Executive/Edmonton Unlimited
Rehma Khan
Research and Evaluation Lead/LifeTech Care
Eden Redman
CEO/NAT
Judging Criteria
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Judging Criteria
Technical Rigor (10 pts) Functionality (10 pts) Creativity & Innovation (10 pts) Commercial viability (5 pts) Delivery (5 pts) Demo quality (5 pts) Impact (5 pts) Written summary (5 pts) Development report quality (5 pts)
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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