Cox Enterprises Announces Winners of Student Sustainability Challenge

More than 200 student innovators participated in Cox's sustainability hackathon, developing real-world solutions for energy, agriculture, transportation, circular economy and sustainable cities

ATLANTA, July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Enterprises has announced the winners of its Play with Purpose Sustainability Hackathon, a five-day innovation challenge designed to help students turn bold sustainability ideas into practical solutions.

More than 200 students from universities across Georgia, the Southeast and beyond developed ideas focused on energy, agriculture, transportation, circular economy and sustainable cities.

"The Play with Purpose Hackathon gave students the opportunity to apply their creativity and technical skills to some of the most important challenges facing our communities," said Jack Semrau, Atlanta Venture Ecosystem Lead at Cox Enterprises. "By bringing together students, entrepreneurs and industry leaders, we're supporting the next generation of innovators while strengthening Atlanta's position as a hub for sustainability and cleantech."

Hosted at the Historic Biltmore, once home to WSB Radio and a symbol of Atlanta innovation, the event was part of Cox's Play with Purpose programming and held in partnership with Atlanta Tech Week and the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub. The competition connected students with entrepreneurs and industry leaders as they developed practical solutions for real-world sustainability challenges.

The overall prize went to Stuti Thummala, whose project MaterialOps uses AI to help divert event waste generated by large-scale events from landfills by improving sorting and materials management. She received four tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ and a first-round interview for the Cox Cleantech Residency, an Atlanta-based initiative designed to help early-stage founders accelerate the commercialization of climate and sustainability solutions.

Thummala, a mathematics and computer science student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, found the experience particularly meaningful thanks to the support of her mentors.

"One of the things that drew me to this hackathon was the chance to build something with real-world impact," said Thummala. "It's exciting to see how technology can be used to create more sustainable outcomes at scale."

Winners from each challenge track were:

SKIM | Energy:

• SKIM (Southern Knowledge Internal Mentor) captures technical and operational knowledge from veteran technicians, helping preserve institutional expertise to improve decision-making across energy operations.
• Participants: Mustafa Zaidi (Georgia Tech), Nikhil Yeminedi (Georgia State University), Aryan Shrestha (Georgia State University) and Selam Abiye (Emory University)

FarmFlow | Agriculture:

• FarmFlow gives small Georgia farmers supply chain intelligence to help forecast demand, plan purchases and reduce inefficiencies before the season begins.
• Participant: Sagarika Sankar Ganesh (Georgia Tech)

RetrospectIQ | Places & Spaces:

• RetrospectIQ is an AI-powered solution that analyses historical building permits to help contractors and cities accelerate retrofits, streamline approvals, reduce costs and cut building emissions.
• Participants: Michael Abraham (Georgia Tech), Aaron Jones (Georgia Tech), Samuel Fenderson (North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University) and Omar Arnaout (Georgia Tech)

Little Loop | Making & Remaking:

• Little Loop is a circular resale platform that uses AI to evaluate clothing garments, allowing them to serve multiple families instead of being discarded.
• Participants: Antara Vadher (Georgia Tech), Kanushi Dua (Georgia Tech) and Sheona Diwakar (Georgia Tech)

MaterialOps | Moving Things & People:

• MaterialOps uses AI to improve waste management at large-scale events, helping recyclable and reusable materials reach the right destinations instead of ending up in landfills.
• Participant: Stuti Thummala (Georgia Tech

Foresight | Freekick:

• Foresight uses machine learning and environmental data to simulate data center siting impacts, compare alternative locations and support more transparent approval decisions.
• Participants: Ian Sun (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Matthew Han (Georgia Tech)

Cox Enterprises extends its thanks to the challenge sponsors, mentors and judges who helped create meaningful, real-world experiences for participating students.

Why student innovation matters
The Play with Purpose Sustainability Hackathon reflects Cox Enterprises' commitment to investing in the next generation of sustainability leaders while helping address some of the world's most pressing environmental and infrastructure challenges.

"Hackathons matter when they connect young builders to real world problems that can be solved with cutting edge technology," said Avoilan Bingham, President of Atlanta Tech Week. "The Play with Purpose Hackathon was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the next generation of student builders building in Atlanta, and Atlanta Tech Week (August 9-14) was proud to stand alongside Cox and the Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub to bring this to life."

Since 2007, Cox Enterprises has invested more than $3 billion in cleantech through a combination of operating businesses, venture investments and strategic partnerships. The company's cleantech portfolio includes businesses and initiatives such as Cox Farms, Nexus Circular and the Cox Cleantech Accelerator.

By connecting students directly with industry leaders and real-world business challenges, the hackathon helped build the talent pipeline needed to advance innovation across energy, agriculture, transportation, circular economy and sustainable cities.

About Cox Enterprises
Cox Enterprises is a global privately held company that owns, operates and invests in businesses across multiple industries including automotive, broadband and mobile, greenhouse agriculture, renewable energy, and journalism. Guided by its purpose to build a better future for this generation and the next, Cox's diverse family of businesses deliver solutions to address some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since its founding in 1898, Cox Enterprises has been fueled by a relentless focus on innovation, resilience, and a deep commitment to people, the planet and progress. To learn more about Cox's history and how it's shaping what's next, visit www.CoxEnterprises.com.     

About Atlanta Tech Week
Atlanta Tech Week (ATW) is Atlanta's premier annual technology event, uniting thousands of builders, founders, students, investors and community leaders each summer to celebrate and accelerate the city's tech ecosystem. Now in its fourth year, ATW 2026 runs August 9–14 under the theme "Building Atlanta Together," bringing together neighborhoods including South Downtown, Peachtree Corners, Downtown, Tech Square, Buckhead and more, with the majority of programming free and open to the community. Last year's event drew more than 15,000 attendees, and this year is set to double that number. Learn more at www.atl.tech

About Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub
Georgia Cleantech Innovation Hub is a 501c3 public-private-academic partnership that aims to make innovation a driver of a robust cleantech economy that elevates people and communities throughout Georgia and the Southeast. By making it easier for innovators to access the talent, capital and resources necessary to create organizations built to last, the Hub aims to make Georgia a leader in cleantech innovation and tomorrow's growth industries. For more information on how to get involved, visit gacth.org.

SOURCE Cox Enterprises