Utah’s Largest Hackathon Brings Together Top Collegians from Across the U.S. for a Marathon Coding Competition
Galileo, the Salt Lake City-based company that powers world-leading financial technology businesses, is proud to be the lead sponsor of the University of Utah’s 2019 two-day HacktheU hackathon, bringing together an expected 400 top computer science collegians from Utah and campuses across the U.S. to compete for more than $4,500 in prizes. The competition will start at 9 a.m. MT on Saturday, Oct. 5 and conclude at 5 p.m. MT on Sunday, Oct. 6 at the Marriott at University Park. Admission is free, but hackers must have pre-registered.
“HacktheU is a highlight on Galileo’s calendar,” said Galileo CEO Clay Wilkes, who will be the keynote speaker at the event. “Our sponsorship helps bring together students who are the next generation of software developers and who will code the future of business, philanthropy, the environment and—close to my heart—financial technology.”
First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded for the best hacks. A separate prize also will be awarded to a student or student team that uses Galileo’s open APIs to build their hack.
“Galileo team members will be out in force around the clock to coach, mentor and deliver food and caffeine to students during the hackathon,” Wilkes continued. “We love the energy and ideas that fill the room when you get a bunch of smart students together and give them the tools to code creatively. We’re absolutely inspired by them.”
Hackathons provide those involved in tech—particularly developers, computer programmers and others in software development—with the opportunity to collaborate intensively to create working software or hardware during the duration of the event. The competitive atmosphere and interaction with other participants stimulate participants’ creativity and problem-solving abilities, while the time limit requires participants to distil their concepts into actionable solutions. Successful businesses that have evolved from apps created during hackathons include Carousell, GroupME (acquired by Skype), Docracy, Zapier and Appetas.
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American consumers spent cautiously on debit through January and early February before early tax refunds and spring weather sparked a March spending surge, according to the inaugural Galileo Debit Spend Index.
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For people worried about the economy and dealing with affordability issues, one option could be to tuck that high interest rate credit card aside and reach for a trusty debit card instead. To uncover the latest debit card trends, CardRates recently sat down with Paul Dunning, Vice President of Business Development at Galileo Financial Technologies, a fintech firm owned by SoFi. He explained why Gen Z consumers are turning to debit cards and expecting rewards, the compelling case for debit card rewards, and the appeal of debit cards for the debit-first consumer.
Half of Consumers Have Chosen One Brand Over Another Because Paying or Getting a Refund Was Easier
Consumer demand for financial services embedded within brand apps is outpacing brands’ ability to deliver, with most executives recognizing the gap. New research from Galileo Financial Technologies, soon to become SoFi Technology Solutions, found that 80% of brand executives say they plan to launch integrated financial services, but only 20% have done so thus far. The 2026 Galileo Integrated Financial Services Research Report, based on surveys of more than 2,000 U.S. consumers and 150 senior executives, shows that while consumers are already using features like saved cards, rewards, and instant refunds inside brand apps, most brands have yet to launch these capabilities.
Brand Executives Fear They’re Losing Customers to Rivals With In-App Financial Tools, Galileo Research Finds
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Introducing SoFi Tech Solutions: A Unified Brand Built to Power End-to-End Financial Innovation
We’re evolving from Galileo to SoFi Tech Solutions to reflect the full scope of our platform. We deliver end-to-end infrastructure for fintechs, brands, and financial institutions, now backed by SoFi’s scale and resources. Our mission stays the same: support our clients’ growth while maintaining platform neutrality and strong data protections.
