HackMcGill

What HackMcGill does

HackMcGill is a Canadian non-profit student organization that produces McHacks, an annual 24-hour in-person hackathon held at McGill University's downtown campus in Montreal. Founded in 2014 and now in its 13th edition (scheduled for January 17-18, 2026), the organization operates as part of the Major League Hacking 2026 Hackathon Season and has built McHacks into Canada's longest-running student hackathon, attracting over 500 university and high school participants per edition. Participation is free and managed through a self-serve online application portal (app.mchacks.ca); the organization generates no participant revenue and instead funds operations through flexible corporate sponsorship tiers.

The core offering is the event itself — a 24-hour in-person hackathon combining coding, design, mentorship sessions, workshops, and networking with sponsors. HackMcGill also runs a post-hackathon 'Bot or Not' challenge with $1,000 and $500 top prizes to extend engagement beyond the main event window. The technical stack is light: an event management platform handling participant application tracking and day-of logistics, hosted on Google Cloud Platform, with a public-facing website at mchacks.ca. There are no proprietary AI/ML systems, patents, or disclosed software products; the organization's 'product' is the event service and community platform.

HackMcGill's business model is sponsorship-led rather than product-led. Revenue is sourced from corporate sponsors who pay for access to student talent for recruiting, employer branding, and community impact objectives. The 2026 sponsor roster spans financial services (National Bank, Desjardins, Finance Montreal), AI and developer tooling firms (Athena AI, Gumloop, Bassili AI, Sourcebot, Backboard.io, Holoray), institutional partners (Dobson Centre, SSMU), and travel/hospitality providers (Marriott, Hôtel Europa, Hotel Zero 1, Busbud). The organization is governed by Co-Directors and operates with 11-50 staff/contractors, likely heavily volunteer-driven, with no disclosed funding rounds, institutional investment, or M&A activity.

Name

HackMcGill

Legal name

HackMcGill

Website

https://mchacks.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HackMcGill is a Canadian non-profit that organizes McHacks, an annual 24-hour student hackathon at McGill University attracting 500+ participants. Now in its 13th edition, it is funded by corporate sponsors seeking student talent.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Hackathon Events

NAICS

Other Schools and Instruction (6116), Computer Training (61142)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Student hackathon events
• Coding competitions
• Tech mentorship programs
• University innovation events
• Hackathon event management

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship: McHacks generates revenue through corporate sponsorships. Companies sponsor the hackathon by providing funding, technology tools, and resources in exchange for access to talented student participants for recruiting purposes. Sponsorship tiers and add-ons are flexible and designed to meet sponsor goals including hiring, outreach, and community impact.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HackMcGill organizes and operates McHacks, a 24-hour in-person student hackathon held at McGill University's downtown Montreal campus, attracting over 500 university and high school students per edition to code, design, and build projects. The event includes mentorship from industry professionals, workshops, networking opportunities with corporate sponsors, and prize-based competitions (e.g., $1,000 and $500 prizes). Participation is free for students, and the event is supported through corporate sponsorships and managed via a self-serve online application portal.

Product overview

HackMcGill operates McHacks, a student hackathon event series now in its 13th edition. The organization provides a 24-hour in-person hackathon at McGill University featuring mentorship, workshops, and networking opportunities. Participation is managed through an online application portal. Post-hackathon challenges are also offered for extended engagement. The core offering is the event service rather than a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• McHacks (24-hour in-person hackathon event) A 24-hour in-person hackathon event at McGill University where over 500 students gather to code, design, and build innovative projects. The event provides mentorship, workshops, networking opportunities with corporate sponsors, and competition with cash prizes. Free for student participants.
• McHacks Application Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ students participate in each edition
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HolorayminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of McHacks hackathon event, providing funding and/or technology tools in exchange for access to student participants for recruiting purposes.
• Athena AIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor providing AI technology tools and resources for the hackathon, seeking access to student talent for recruiting.
• GumloopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor providing automation/orchestration technology for hackathon participants to use in their projects.
• National BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor financial institution sponsor of McHacks, providing significant funding and seeking to recruit student talent from McGill and surrounding universities.
• Bassili AIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAI chatbot company sponsoring the hackathon to engage with student developers and showcase their technology.
• Dobson CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMcGill's entrepreneurship and innovation center as a sponsor and community partner, providing resources and support for student innovators.
• Backboard.iominorGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company sponsor providing tools/resources for hackathon participants.
• DesjardinscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor financial cooperative and insurance company sponsoring McHacks for student recruiting and community impact.
• Finance MontrealminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMontreal's financial services industry association sponsoring the event as part of fintech ecosystem development and talent pipeline initiatives.
• PureButtonsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerButton/merchandise company providing sponsor benefits for hackathon.
• SSMU (Students' Society of McGill University)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial student society of McGill University as community partner, supporting hackathon and student innovation ecosystem.
• NOVAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOVA Biotech Club as community partner collaborating with McHacks for biotech-focused student engagement.
• Tail'edminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity platform partner connecting with McHacks to engage student developers.
• Marriott Residence Inn Montreal DowntownminorOthersTravel partner providing accommodation options for out-of-town McHacks participants at discounted rates.
• Hôtel Europa, BW Signature CollectionminorOthersTravel partner offering hotel accommodations for McHacks participants visiting from outside Montreal.
• Hotel Zero1minorOthersMontreal hotel partner providing accommodation options for McHacks attendees.
• BusbudminorOthersBus travel platform partner helping facilitate transportation for McHacks participants traveling to Montreal.
• Major League Hacking (MLH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial MLH hackathon league partner providing trust badge, access to MLH hacker community, and event support. McHacks is part of the MLH 2026 Hackathon Season.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• YHack: Yale University's student hackathon and MLH member event. Comparable operating model: student-run, corporate-sponsored, MLH-affiliated, focused on coding and innovation.
• HackMIT: MIT's premier MLH-affiliated student hackathon held annually in Cambridge, MA. Closely comparable operating model: student-run, free to attend, corporate-sponsored, with strong focus on coding and innovation projects.
• Hack The North: University of Waterloo's flagship student hackathon and one of Canada's largest MLH-affiliated events. Directly comparable to McHacks as a Canadian MLH hackathon targeting university students with corporate sponsorship and a 24-36 hour in-person format.
• BoilerMake: Purdue University's flagship hackathon for college students, MLH-affiliated. Comparable format (in-person weekend hackathon) and corporate sponsorship model targeting student recruiting.
• PennApps: University of Pennsylvania's student hackathon, one of the oldest collegiate hackathons in the world. Comparable as a long-running student-run MLH-affiliated event with corporate sponsorship and a similar participant scale.
• TreeHacks: Stanford University's flagship student hackathon. Comparable in format (in-person weekend hackathon), sponsorship model (corporate recruiting pipelines), and MLH affiliation as a top-tier North American student hackathon.

Emerging players

• Hack Club: A non-profit network of high school coding clubs and hackathons worldwide. Comparable as a community-driven non-profit focused on student coding engagement, though primarily serving high schoolers rather than university students.

Broad incumbents

• Major League Hacking (MLH): The official student hackathon league that McHacks is affiliated with. MLH provides infrastructure, trust signals, and the broader hacker community, operating as an umbrella for hackathons including McHacks.
• HackerEarth: Enterprise hackathon hosting platform serving corporate and university hackathons globally. Comparable in serving the hackathon market, though positioned as a B2B SaaS platform rather than a single-event organizer.

Others

• Devpost: A leading hackathon hosting platform used by many corporate-sponsored hackathons. Comparable as ecosystem infrastructure enabling hackathon operations, though operates as a software platform rather than an event organizer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mchacks
• Facebookfacebook.com/mchacks
• Instagraminstagram.com/mchacks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mchacks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HackMcGill