Code4Hope’s June Recap

June was a month of meaningful execution at Code4Hope. We had the chance to work directly with students at HackJPS, host the first round of our annual hackathon, and launch new platforms to share the work being done across our community.

At HackJPS, we led a workshop on entrepreneurship, focused on what happens after the hackathon. We broke down the process of turning a project into a viable business venture. Students came in with MVPs and left with frameworks for testing assumptions, refining their goals, and identifying how to optimize their product for paying customers and a real-life consumer market. By the end of the session, teams were already revisiting the direction of their ideas with a clearer sense of purpose.

Later in the month, we hosted Round 1 of Code4Hope 2025, a 3-day virtual hackathon that brought together about 200 students from around the world. The challenge: build a working MVP in one of four global challenge tracks—sustainability, education, health and wellness, or finance. Submissions were evaluated by engineers and leaders from companies such as Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. Twelve finalist teams will be selected to advance to Round 2 next month, which will take place in person at the Microsoft Office in Times Square.

June also saw the launch of the Code4Hope Blog and Monthly Newsletter. Each month, we’ll share three articles—a recap of our impact from the month, tech news, and current events, and their technological influences. The goal isn’t just to document what’s happening, but to build a consistent space for ideas, lessons, and stories to be shared. The first issue dropped this week.

We closed out June proud of the momentum but ready for the work still to come. With a second event, Round 2 of Code4Hope 2025, on the horizon and more workshops planned, we’re focused on making sure the progress students are making can carry forward. See you next month!

Love, The Code4Hope Team