What’s Next for Roots: From Hackathon to Real-World Impact

This is a submission for the World’s Largest Hackathon Writing Challenge: After the Hack.

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Activation Over Validation

Right after sharing Roots online, the response was swift and powerful. Our LinkedIn post generated immediate outreach—educators, technologists, and even people with ties to Madrid’s public school authorities stepped forward. Some said, “We should bring this to the city council.” That moment wasn’t just a boost—it was a call to action. The community didn’t just cheer for us; they offered to help make it happen.

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From Prototype to Policy

We’re now using July and August to prepare materials in Spanish—posts, slide decks, video demos—to share with our newfound network. Our goal: arrange meetings with the people who can turn Roots from a prototype into a pilot for Madrid’s public schools. We hope to find partners who can take our voice-first, AI-powered system and run with it—integrating Roots into the city’s education ecosystem.

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Lessons Learned & Skills Gained

This month of intense creative focus taught me more than technical skills—it was a lesson in empathy-driven development and community-powered momentum. Here’s how it reshaped me:

• Storytelling matters: You can build the perfect demo, but without a compelling narrative and clear use cases—your impact stalls.
• Building quickly with Bolt and AI tools taught me how to architect scalable systems in record time—even under pressure.
• Community is your co‑founder: The moment people volunteered support, the project transformed into a movement.
• Navigating institutional systems is its own skill: Preparing to speak with public-sector stakeholders in the past taught me to translate tech into policy value.

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A New Trajectory: Launching Public‑Scale Innovation

Roots has evolved from a hackathon spark into a public‑good initiative. While competition was the starting point, collaboration is what will carry us forward. For me personally, this project has unlocked a new path: building not just apps, but tools that can shape public systems.

Over the next months, We will:

1. Finalize pitch materials in Spanish for public-sector audiences.
2. Iterate the platform based on feedback from educators and parents.
3. Prototype real-world pilots with municipal partners.
4. Keep growing our international team and open-source community.

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A Final Thought

This experience showed us that the real reward of a hackathon isn’t a prize—it’s what happens next. And what’s next for Roots is real-world change.