Collegiate Entrepreneurs Impress with FinTech Solutions at the 2026 HuskyHack

TACOMA, Wash., Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sound Credit Union (Sound) and the Milgard Center for Business Analytics at the University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) welcomed college and university students from across Washington state to the second annual HuskyHack over the weekend. More than 100 students registered to participate in the 24-hour hackathon, where they worked to create a financial technology (FinTech) solution designed to help consumers manage their finances with confidence and ease.

Students gathered at William Philip Hall on the UWT campus at 9am on Saturday, October 17, to kick off the competition. The event began with a panel discussion featuring business and industry leaders who shared insights from their careers and offered advice to participants before the challenge began.

Students then learned their assignment: create a solution that would enable Sound Credit Union to recognize when a member is being manipulated, compromised, or deceived and develop a FinTech tool that could intervene before money is lost to fraud. Participants had the option to compete individually or as part of a team.

There were two phases to HuskyHack. During Phase 1 on Saturday, presented their initial concepts to the judges. Students were presented with the challenge and then delivered a two-minute pitch to the judges. The top three pitches were recognized, and each received a $1,000 cash prize.

Following feedback from the judges, participants had the opportunity to further develop their concepts during Phase 2 of the competition. At stake was a $15,000 cash prize and a six-month membership to CoMotion Labs in Seattle, where the winning team can continue developing its concept alongside other entrepreneurs and innovators.

On Sunday, each individual and team delivered a five-minute presentation to a panel of judges. After reviewing the solutions, the judges selected Scout as the winner of the 2026 HuskyHack. Created by Colin Sica and Noah Soepardi, both finance students at UWT, Scout is a live scam-detection service that monitors phone conversations for common fraud tactics. When a caller requests money, passwords, account information, verification codes, or remote access, Scout places the caller on hold and privately alerts the member to potential fraud. The member can then choose to continue the call, end it, or safely connect with Sound Credit Union.

"We were thrilled not only by the number of students who participated, but also by the passion and innovation they brought to the competition," said Jennifer Reed, Vice President of Public Relations at Sound Credit Union. "The judges had a difficult decision to make. Several submissions demonstrated tremendous potential. In the end, Colin and Noah developed a solution that we believe could help financial institutions better protect consumers from increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes."

The competition showcased an impressive level of innovation and creativity, with the top five submissions finishing within just one-half point of each other. In addition to Scout, the top five solutions included Flowgate by Chau Dang Le, Harbor by Halim Lee, Wire Assist by Rithin Karthik, Arnav Mittal, and Gabrael Ramos, and Vantis by Dheeraj Tallapragada and Bhargava Perumalla. A complete list of participants and project teams can be found on DevPost, the website used to host the competition.

"Winning the 2026 HuskyHack reinforced the value of our idea," said Colin Sica and Noah Soepardi, founders of Scout. "As finance students entering our first hackathon, we knew that creating a solution that was unique, feasible, and scalable would be critical to our success. We enjoyed every step of the process, from brainstorming and whiteboarding concepts to building and testing our solution in less than 24 hours. Seeing Scout work live in front of the judges proved that a strong idea, combined with a willingness to learn and adapt, can compete with anyone."

Over the past decade, Sound and UWT have built a strong partnership that continues to benefit both students and the broader community. Events such as HuskyHack provide students with valuable opportunities to collaborate, apply their knowledge to real-world challenges, and build relationships with business and industry professionals as they prepare for their future careers.

Sound and UWT are already looking ahead to the next HuskyHack, which is anticipated to return in fall 2027.

About Sound Credit Union

Sound Credit Union was founded in 1940 and today is one of Washington State's largest credit unions. With 26 full-service branch locations throughout the Puget Sound area, Sound provides its more than 186,000 members with authentic and trusted financial support and services. Sound is driven by the purpose of standing with members, employees and the community through all waves of life.

About University of Washington Tacoma Center for Business Analytics
The Center for Business Analytics (CBA) in the Milgard School of Business at University of Washington Tacoma serves as a catalyst for research, education and innovation. It advances the use of "analytics", "big data" and "smart machines" for actionable insights and business decision-making. The CBA draws on the expertise of the Milgard School's faculty in Accounting, Business Analytics & Operations, Economics, Finance, Management and Marketing. The Center works directly with corporate partners to identify, frame and study critical business issues and opportunities. 

SOURCE Sound Credit Union