North American Bancard Presents University of Michigan's 48-Hour Mobile Apps Hackathon

TROY, Mich., Oct. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- North American Bancard (NAB), an industry leader in credit card processing and one of the fastest growing companies in Michigan, is sponsoring the University of Michigan's College of Engineering's 48-Hour Mobile Applications Hackathon.

The "North American Bancard Pay Anywhere 48-Hour Mobile Apps Hackathon" provides students with the resources and time to develop an original mobile application for the Apple iOS or Android platforms. Apps developed can be a solo or combined effort, but participants are encouraged to team up in order to foster a collaborative and creative environment.

Elliot Soloway, an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), organized the event for any University of Michigan student interested in mobile apps programming. Soloway's former students include Google CEO Larry Page and Apple iPod creator Tony Fadell.

"I am thrilled to once again hold the 48-Hour Mobile Apps Hackathon with a company that's just as excited as we are about cutting-edge technology in the mobile marketplace. NAB has proven itself as a leader in this space with their mobile app, Pay Anywhere," said Soloway. "This event represents a unique experience for our students that they don't get through their regular classes. We provide a block of uninterrupted, collaborative time in a creative space that the students can use to really work on their ideas in a deep way."

The Hackathon is held on campus at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, beginning Friday, October 28 at 6 pm and ending Sunday, October 30 at 6 pm. At the end of the event, participants demo their app and the students themselves choose three winning apps. Winners will receive Amazon gift cards. Previous Hackathon winners saw their apps become available for download and purchase in the app stores.

This is the fifth Hackathon for EECS and the second year that North American Bancard is sponsoring the event. NAB encourages participants to consider pursuing a career within the Pay Anywhere development team. Since its launch in February 2011, Pay Anywhere has outperformed its competition. To support its success, NAB is actively recruiting new talent by offering up to 10 paid internships totaling in $120,000 for mobile application developers.

"We are excited to partner with the University of Michigan for this year's 48-Hour Mobile Apps Hackathon. We are very impressed with the talent that the University of Michigan has, which we saw when we sponsored the previous year's Hackathon," said Marc Gardner, CEO and Founder of North American Bancard. "We know these students will be instrumental in developing tomorrow's technology."

About North American Bancard

Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, North American Bancard is a multi-faceted payment solutions provider dedicated to providing the latest technology as well as committing to the highest service levels. As a registered MSP/ISO since 1992, North American Bancard provides its clients with a full suite of products and services including Credit, Debit, EBT, Check Conversion and Guarantee, ATM, Gift and Loyalty Card and Online Payment Gateway solutions. NAB processes more than $12 billion in electronic transactions annually for more than 125,000 merchants nationwide. For more information, visit www.nabancard.com.

About the University of Michigan's College of Engineering

The University of Michigan's College of Engineering is ranked among the top engineering schools in the country. At $180 million annually, its engineering research budget is one of the largest of any public university. Michigan Engineering is home to 11 academic departments and a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center. The college plays a leading role in the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and hosts the world class Lurie Nanofabrication Facility. Find out more at www.engin.umich.edu.

SOURCE North American Bancard