Palmetto Hacks, organized by USC’s chapter of Kappa Theta Pi and presented by the Boyd Innovation Center, is open to students from any college or university.
COLUMBIA, SC, UNITED STATES, October 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The University of South Carolina chapter of Kappa Theta Pi (KTP), a co-ed professional technology fraternity, will host PalmettoHacks, a 24-hour hackathon presented by the Boyd Innovation Center (BIC), Oct. 10-11, 2026, at USC’s Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing. PalmettoHacks is an official Major League Hacking (MLH) event, open to students from any college or university, in any major, at any experience level.
Students can arrive without a team, an idea, or coding experience. Teams form at kickoff and build across five tracks: Clean Energy, Hardware, Startups, AI/ML, and Cloud. Projects draw on design, research, data, business, and product skills alongside software and hardware. By Sunday, every team has a demo, prototype, or pitch, plus experience tackling an open-ended problem on a deadline and connections with mentors, judges, and industry professionals. For many students, that work becomes the project they keep building or the story they tell in their next interview.
“We wanted to create an event where any student could walk in and leave with something that truly benefits them professionally,” said Luke Jannazzo, President of Kappa Theta Pi at USC. “Our team has put months into making this a weekend where beginners and experienced builders can work side by side, and we’re grateful to the Boyd Innovation Center and our partners for backing that vision.”
Participants will have access to mentors, workshops, overnight build space, and free meals before presenting their projects to judges on Sunday. The prize pool stands at $2,500 and growing, including $1,000+ for first place.
PalmettoHacks is backed by corporate partners including QNX, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Capgemini, CVS Health, Dominion Energy, and with support from USC’s Faber Entrepreneurship Center. Their involvement connects participants with companies across software, healthcare, energy, and technology consulting.
The BIC, Columbia’s tech startup hub, sees student-led events like this as a critical pipeline between the region’s technical talent and its startup community.
“Most founders don’t start by declaring they’re founders. They start by building something with other people and finding out it works,” said Sam Herskovitz, executive director of the Boyd Innovation Center. “Hackathons create that first experience. PalmettoHacks gives students a place to build skills, experiment, and meet collaborators, and it shows those who are hungry to build that serious technical and entrepreneurial work is happening in Columbia. We want talented and driven people to see a path to building innovative companies in South Carolina, and amplifying student-led efforts like KTP’s PalmettoHacks is a great way to do that.”
Event Details
What: PalmettoHacks, a 24-hour student hackathon
When: Saturday, Oct. 10 at 9 a.m., to Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026
Where: Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing, University of South Carolina, Columbia, S.C.
Who: Students from any college or university, all majors and experience levels
Cost: Free, meals included
Register: palmettohacks.com
Partner Opportunities
Organizations interested in sponsoring, adding to the prize pool, mentoring, judging, or contributing a challenge should contact Luke Jannazzo at jannazzo@sc.edu.
About Kappa Theta Pi at the University of South Carolina
Kappa Theta Pi is a co-ed professional technology fraternity at the University of South Carolina, open to students of all majors and backgrounds. Members build technical and professional skills through hands-on projects, workshops, and networking events. Learn more at ktpusc.com.
About the Boyd Innovation Center
The Boyd Innovation Center (BIC) is Columbia’s tech startup hub, helping founders build scalable technology companies in Columbia. The BIC provides the programming, workspace, resources, and community startups need to grow and stay in South Carolina. Boyd Innovation Center is a dba of GrowCo Columbia, Inc., a South Carolina 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at boydinnovation.org.
About Major League Hacking
Major League Hacking (MLH) is the official student hackathon league. MLH supports more than 1,000 hackathons each year, and over 500,000 participants one in three graduating U.S. computer science students are alumni of its programs. Learn more at mlh.io.
Media Contacts
Kennedy Marren
Community and Programs, Boyd Innovation Center
kennedy@boydinnovation.org | 803.529.1112
Luke Jannazzo
President, Kappa Theta Pi at USC
jannazzo@sc.edu
Sam Herskovitz
Boyd Innovation Center
+1 803-529-1112
sam@boydinnovation.org
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