The University of the District of Columbia is proud to announce it will host the 2024 Vista North America Hackathon July 22-24—the first HBCU in the nation to host the annual event.

The 24-hour hackathon, whose clock starts ticking July 23, aims to find innovative tech solutions to unique challenges and will bring 100-plus participants to UDC’s Van Ness Campus. Among them are more than two dozen students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including five UDC Firebirds.

Vista Equity Partners Founder, Chairman and CEO Robert F. Smith

“UDC is thrilled to host this event. This collaboration is aligned with our vision to establish UDC as a leading national public urban university and specifically supports our ‘Delivering on the Promise’ strategic plan—positioning UDC as a national model for urban student success,” said UDC Chief Operating Officer David A. Franklin. “Fostering this strategic relationship with Vista will enhance our efforts to cultivate a highly skilled, well-prepared and dynamic future workforce for the District of Columbia and beyond.”

Vista Equity Partners is a global, tech-focused investment firm led by founder, chairman and CEO, Robert F. Smith. The philanthropist and entrepreneur launched the organization in 2000 to invest in enterprise software businesses and to “promote economic equity, ecological responsibility and diversity and inclusion for the prosperity of all.”

Among Smith’s known acts of philanthropy are a $20 million donation to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and a $50 million donation to Student Freedom Initiative. Smith founded the latter organization to expand access to education for students at Minority Serving Institutions.