The current housing market might be a whole mess, but we can thank Gen Z for coming with solutions to fix the foolery. Get into the new apps the Zillow HBCU Hackathon winners from Howard & Fisk created to help out buyers and lenders in this crazy market.
Morgan State may have won first place with their Z-Save app (it’s honestly genius), but the runners up brought the heat as well.
The other Zillow Hackathon winners – out of 65+ teams – were teams Straw Hat Crew of Fisk University and First Move of Howard University.
The Fisk students won second place and $12,000 for its “Hey Roomie” concept, a Zillow rental hub integration that uses machine learning to pair renters with potential compatible roommates or cosigners based on housing and lifestyle preferences. Collins Ikpeyi, Sopuruchi Ndubuisi and Elijah Okoroh presented their idea that for sure will help renters find the right rommate to save money. And in this economy? That’s a necessary hack!
Team First Move from Howard won third place and a $6,000 prize for “VibeZ”, an application geared toward millennial and Gen Z home shoppers that lets users search for homes based on community preferences, such as access to nightlife, greenspaces, the presence of an art scene and more. And it’s no surprise the entire team is made up of Freshmen – Bryce Gordon-Pinkston, Ife Martin, Ayotunde Ogunroku and Joshua Veasy. It’s definitely not the norm for this Hackathon which usually is comprised of upper classmen.
The semifinalist teams were: Team Atom of Alabama State University, with team members Arnold Bhebhe, Best Olunusi, Robert Mukuchura and Lucky Chitundu Broker Bears of Morgan State University, with Efosa Isujeh, Subomi Popoola, Martin Adu-Boahene and Dimitri Watat Rocket of Howard University, with Jeremy White Jr., Karis Lewis, Morayo Adeyemi and Tyler Williams.
All students from the top three teams also will receive new laptops and textbook gift cards, and all eligible hackathon participants interested in a role at Zillow will have an opportunity to interview for an internship. Nice!
Judges of the semifinal round included Lakshmi Dixit, Zillow vice president of Tech Engineering and Operations; Kevin Regensberg, Zillow senior technical product manager; Damien Peters, founder, Wealth Noir; Richard Clay, investment partner, Door Room Fund; and Chad Womack, Ph.D., vice president of National STEM Programs and Tech Initiatives at UNCF.
The hackathon’s final pitch round was judged by Zillow and tech industry leaders that included Eric Bailey, vice president of Experience Design at Zillow; Aldona Clottey, vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility at Zillow; April Daley, software engineer at Etsy; Jonathan Rabb, founder and CEO of Watch The Yard; and Chad Womack, Ph.D., vice president of National STEM Programs and Tech Initiatives at UNCF.
Gen Z’s saving America once again. We love to see it.
Photos: Zillow
