This weekend, the Tech Exploration Lab and Badger Blockchain hosted our first-ever Badger Build Fest, and the energy was unmistakable. With 140 students registered, the rooms were buzzing from the moment hacking began. Teams dove into ideas spanning AI, blockchain, and rapid prototyping—building with intensity, curiosity, and a shared excitement to see how far they could push an idea in just 24 hours.
Unlike a traditional hackathon, Badger Build Fest brought rapid venture-building to the center of the experience, challenging teams to identify real problems, frame markets, validate assumptions, and articulate credible paths forward. The creativity and clarity on display made this inaugural event feel like the beginning of something much bigger.
Cursor Venture Track Winners
See all submissions (for both the venture and blockchain tracks) here.
These winning teams stood out not only for what they built, but for the sharpness of their problem definition and the credibility of their venture paths.
First Place — StyleSwap
Solves the problem of limited, expensive, and wasteful wardrobe choices by letting people digitally share closets with friends to borrow clothes seamlessly.
Second Place — UniBud
Tackles the challenge of overwhelmed and disengaged undergrads by offering an AI-powered guide that personalizes milestones while giving advisors real-time insights.
Third Place — ClearMove
Addresses renter–landlord disputes by turning leases, checklists, and photos into organized, shareable evidence that protects tenant rights.
Additional Award Winners
Best New Market Creation — TimeMyGate
Eliminates the guesswork of when to leave for the airport by giving travelers a smart, real-time departure recommendation that minimizes stress and wasted time.
Most Unexpected Project — BluWorld
Confronts the problem of passive social scrolling by using social features and blockchain incentives to spark real-world adventure.
Most Ready to Go to Market — Fairlytics
Solves the lack of real-time bias monitoring in AI systems with a tool that surfaces fairness issues as predictions occur.
Best Insight to Interface — Ares
Reduces aviation risk by giving air traffic controllers AI-driven predictive awareness to spot conflicts and prevent incidents before they happen.
Most Balanced Project — BadgerFlix
Fixes long, overwhelming lecture content by transforming courses into short, bingeable, personalized episodes that improve comprehension and engagement.
Huge Thanks to Our Sponsors and Campus Partners
Badger Build Fest came together because of extraordinary support from our campus partners and sponsors who provided funding for the event and prizes, held workshops and salons, mentored, judged, and provided support at the event. Thanks to Cursor, Kinetic Solutions, Strato VC, Cloud Native Madison, Gemini, Turtle.xyz, College.xyz, UW-Madison CDIS and Wisconsin School of Business and campus partners UX Club, Transcend UW, Cursor @ UW–Madison, and Badger Blockchain.
Ready for more? We plan to make this an annual event! Contact us to learn more about getting involved.