Hands-on learning in action: Students tackle real-world challenges through hackathons

For our students, learning extends beyond the classroom, as they tackle real challenges, develop practical solutions, and present their ideas to industry professionals. Organized by the Career Services & Alumni Relations team, these hackathons create opportunities where academic knowledge meets industry practice. As highlighted by Career Services and Alumni Relations Coordinator Aleksandra Gečević, “the primary goal of these hackathons is to provide a platform for experiential learning, enabling our students to apply what they’ve learned through lectures and projects to rich, meaningful experiences outside the classroom.”

This approach was put into practice in March through two hackathons, both initiated at the Zagreb campus in collaboration with industry partners. The MiMs Digital Hackathon began on March 9, when Maya in der Muhlen and Margita Miše, co-founders of MiMs Digital, introduced the challenge, giving students 48 hours to develop and present their strategies on March 13. The KPMG Hackathon followed on March 10, with RIT Croatia alum Matej Samardžić presenting the case, after which students had 36 hours to prepare their solutions and deliver final presentations on March 12 at the headquarters of KPMG.

Solutions that lead to co-op opportunities

At the MiMs Digital Hackathon, eight students in three teams were tasked with developing content directions that can realistically contribute to the growth of the official TikTok and Instagram profiles of their company, while maintaining a recognizable tone of voice and brand identity. Reflecting on their approach, the winning team, New Media Design students Shivika Chopra and Asita Singh, shared: “We took a personal, audience-first approach, focusing on creating content that we ourselves would genuinely enjoy engaging with.” Their collaborative process, built on open idea-sharing and complementary strengths, resulted in a solution that stood out for its authenticity and creativity, earning them a co-op opportunity in the company.

Just days later, at the KPMG Hackathon, 21 students across eight teams tackled a complex international business expansion case. With only 36 hours to deliver a data-driven strategy, students were challenged to think critically and present under pressure. The winning team Global Business Management students Lucija Barić, Martina Michelle Jagar, and Lovre Sasso, earned a co-op opportunity at KPMG for their solution, emphasizing the importance of structure: “Our approach was to build a hypothesis and support it with analysis and evidence,” ultimately recommending expansion into Hungary through a Greenfield strategy, a strategy that involves establishing a new business in a foreign market. Drawing from courses such as Financial Management and Strategic Management, they demonstrated how academic knowledge translates directly into real-world decision-making.

Importance of teamwork

Beyond technical skills, both hackathons provided students with invaluable insight into professional environments. As Shivika noted, “we gained insight into what works in real-world scenarios and how ideas translate into practical outcomes,” while Lucija highlighted the importance of teamwork, time management, and presenting under pressure. These experiences reflect what RIT Croatia aims to achieve, creating environments where students move from theory to action, delivering tangible business solutions for current industry needs.