Events / Healthtech Impact Sprint

Overview

A two-day sprint for turning impactful ideas into newly-funded ventures

​Join us for GiveBackHack’s HealthTech Impact Sprint—a weekend of building new healthcare projects from 0 to 0.1.

1. ​Pitch your idea
2. Form teams
3. ​Research and build a prototype (with help from GBH and industry experts!)
4. ​Win funding to drive your venture forward

​All tickets are pay-what-you-can, $15 suggested, $5 minimum. These include food and help us keep the event open to everyone. Don’t hesitate to chat with us if price is an issue

Looking to just attend on Sunday? RSVP here for the Community Brunch.

​GiveBackHack is generously supported by The Columbus Foundation and IGS Energy.

Coding is NOT required

This event is open to everyone—hackers, designers, SMEs, students, folks with lived experience, and more.

While you’ll have some time to code a prototype, we’re more focused on learning the basics of talking with real people, designing unbiased tests, and getting clear on how your project actually makes a difference.

​Building with AI

If you do chose to build software, we encourage the thoughtful use of AI tools to aid in the product development process. For those not yet familiar with using AI tools, we’ll provide guidance on using them to assist (and not replace) you with research and prototyping.

About GBH

GiveBackHack is a community of founders building exceptional impact-focused businesses. Since 2014, we’ve hosted dozens of world-class experiences for anyone who wants to become a social entrepreneur.

​Questions? Talk to us.

FAQs

Do all ideas have a chance at getting funded?

​Not all ideas will move forward after initial pitches on Saturday. Once pitches are complete, we’ll vote for top ideas and form teams around the 4 – 7 ideas with the most votes. You must recruit at least three total team members (including the founder(s)) to move forward and have a chance at getting funded on Sunday. If your idea doesn’t move forward, you can join another team!

​Do I have to submit my idea online prior to the event?

​Unlike previous years, we don’t have the option to submit your idea online prior to the event. Instead, everyone will be going through a brainstorming exercise on Saturday that’ll help you prepare for your initial pitch.

​Will we be working for 24 hours straight?

​Nope. The event is split over two days. You’ll be building on Saturday and pitching on Sunday.

​Do I have to pitch an idea?

​Nope. You can pitch your own idea or join a team.

​What types of entrepreneurs does GBH support?

​While GBH most often works with technology startups, we support any organization (for- or non-profit) that incorporates non-negotiable social impact. Read more about types of social entrepreneurs here.

Schedule

Sat, Mar 28

9a

Doors open & breakfast

9:30a

Kickoff & intros

10a

Ideation session

11a

Pitches and team formation

12p

Working lunch

2p

Mentor visits

6p

Free work (optional)

9p

Doors close

Sun, Mar 29

9a

Doors open

10a

Mentor visits

12p

Showcase

1p

Final pitches and awards

2p

Wrap

Judges

Stephanie Wightman

Senior Software Engineer/Startup Advisor

A seasoned tech leader with over 15 years of experience, Stephanie has worn many hats, from founding engineer to technical director. Stephanie has explored diverse fields such as finance, autonomous robots, healthcare, and farming where she balances established technologies with exploring experimental innovations. Fostering an inclusive environment in Columbus' growing tech scene is a priority for Stephanie ... Read More » and she spends her free time judging robotics competitions for FIRST, serving on the board for getWITit Columbus, and volunteering as a startup advisor.

Cheryl Graffagnino

Director, Community Health Grantmaking at The Columbus Foundation

Cheryl leads The Columbus Foundation’s health grantmaking initiatives, with an emphasis on population health, the social determinants of health, infant and maternal health, mental health, emergency food assistance and nutrition, hospice and palliative care, and developmental disabilities. Within her role, Cheryl also cultivates relationships with key partners to lead programs and drive strategic investments ... Read More » that improve community health indicators and services across Central Ohio.

Leah McDougald

Managing Director, ZoCo Design

Leah serves as Managing Director at ZoCo Design, where she leads growth strategy and healthcare innovation. Previously, she founded and led McDougald Research, a boutique research firm known for delivering measurable outcomes across healthcare, financial services, tech, and consumer goods. From uncovering hidden patient barriers to designing scalable service models, her work has always been about aligning ... Read More » human needs with strategic action.  

Mentors

Candice Mims

Customer Research, Senior Consultant OhioHealth

Candice is an insights professional with experience in the Healthcare, Consumer Packaged Goods and Retail industries. She is adept in triangulating and translating data into digestible and actionable insights and recommendations. Her excellent written and oral communication skills, coupled with a passion for data and being the voice of those not in the room, allow her to effectively disseminate and ... Read More » present information to stakeholders at all levels of an organization.

Priyam Khan

Project Manager, Accenture

Priyam is a public sector leader at Accenture, where she advises state and local government clients on transformation, governance, and technology modernization initiatives. She brings 15+ years of experience across consulting and government, with prior leadership roles at Guidehouse, the City of Columbus Mayor’s Office, CelebrateOne, and Columbus City Council. Her work has focused on translating public ... Read More » sector priorities into operational strategy, cross-sector collaboration, and measurable outcomes.

Maria Seguin

Founder & CEO, MOS Consults

Maria is a marketing leader and fractional CMO who's spent over 15 years scaling omni-channel brand programs for companies like Justice, DSW, and Bath & Body Works. Currently, she's the founder & CEO of her own marketing consulting firm, MOS Consults.

Max Buck

Engineering Lead, AndHealth

Max is an experienced full-stack engineering leader at AndHealth and long-time GiveBackHack organizer. He's worked across impactful healthcare and human services organizations for nearly 10 years, including building specialty tools for CoverMyMeds and leading compliance at Tandem.

Event Sponsors

Lead Sustaining Sponsors

The Columbus Foundation is dedicated to strengthening and enriching the Central Ohio community through impactful philanthropy and community-driven solutions. Guided by our core values of innovation, collaboration, and inclusivity, we are committed to supporting initiatives that create lasting change. Our investment in social enterprises exemplifies this commitment, as we believe in the power of entrepreneurial solutions to address complex social issues. Partnering with organizations like GiveBackHack, we aim to empower changemakers to transform visionary ideas into real-world impacts, improving lives and fostering a brighter future for all.

IGS is driven by a set of core beliefs that moves us toward an energy-independent United States, powered by domestically-produced, environmentally-responsible resources. And just as IGS seeks disruptive innovations in the energy space, they take a similar approach to their community investments. For this reason, the company has made social enterprise a primary focus of their philanthropy. IGS is proud to partner with GiveBackHack to invest in entrepreneurial solutions to complex social issues – improving lives by harnessing market forces to get innovations to the people who benefit the most.

Community Leaders

Event Partners

In-Kind Partners

Facilitators

Owen Myers

Education Programs Lead, GiveBackHack

 

Owen Myers leads education programs for GiveBackHack, which have reached over a thousand students since 2022. Previously, he was the founder of TeachTo, a GBH-backed edtech startup, and an associate researcher for the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.

Adam Morris

Community Impact Lead, GiveBackHack

Adam is the Community Impact Lead for GiveBackHack, where he oversees community events and programs that empower social entrepreneurs. A co-founder of Wild Tiger Tees, Adam brings his extensive experience in technology and social innovation to his role, guiding teams to create impactful solutions for social issues. He also hosts two podcasts, People Helping People and Green Champions, which focus on ... Read More » social change and sustainability. Driven by a belief that business can be a force for good, Adam is dedicated to fostering meaningful connections within the community.

Organizers

Lydia Stutzman

Art Director & Designer, Lydiary Design

 

Lydia is the senior graphic designer at AndHealth and has over 10 years of experience working with nonprofits, social enterprises, and startups. She is on the boards for the Columbus Center for Architecture and Design (CFAD) and Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA).

Suzy Bureau

Founder, GiveBackHack

The ebullient Suzy Bureau (as she was referred to in TechCrunch) is dedicated to building impactful communities & products. Suzy is the Founder of GiveBackHack, an organization that helps bridge the gap between tech & social impact communities through the integration of Lean Startup/Design Thinking. GiveBackHack comes to life via a volunteer-based team of 50+ and has helped vet over 100 social ... Read More » impact concepts into prototyped products and provided over $150,000 in initial funding to take them to next steps. She honed her technology & startup chops via Product Ownership as an early employee at CoverMyMeds, a US-based HIT startup that grew from 40 people to $ 1.3 billion "Unicorn" acquisition over her time there. In addition to GiveBackHack, Suzy is a Group Product Manager for Thirty Madison, a fast-growing unicorn health tech startup. Suzy has been honored as the first “Create Columbus Visionary” award recipient via resolution by Columbus City Council and the Create Columbus Commission, and was recently honored with the VentureOhio Catalyst of the Year award and the YWCA “Woman on the Rise” distinction.

Wesley Giles

AI Full Stack Software Engineer, CoverMyMeds

 

Wesley Giles is the founder of SeraphDev and an full-stack engineer at CoverMyMeds.

Shah Syed

Staff Software Engineer, Gap Inc.

 

Shah is Staff Software Engineer at Gap Inc.

Noel Castillon

Co-Founder, Columbus Code & Coffee

 

Noel is the co-founder of Columbus Code & Coffee and a Technical Support Engineer at Buckeye Innovation.

Clayton Nelson

IT Specialist, Office of the Ohio Attorney General

 

Clayton is a versatile professional with a background spanning hospitality, tech, real estate, and finance. His career journey began in hospitality, where he honed his customer-centric approach, and he transitioned into the tech startup ecosystem, igniting his passion for innovation and entrepreneurship. In real estate and finance, Clayton excelled in strategic thinking and risk management. However, ... Read More » his true calling lies at the intersection of business and social impact. In the startup industry, he co-founded ventures that pursued profitability and positive change, championing community empowerment and volunteering with non-profits. Clayton believes in the transformative power of business for good, and he's dedicated to forging new paths to make a lasting impact on the world.