Creative AI &

Digital Media

Hackathon 2026

Rajeshwari Sah

Machine Learning Engineer

Apple

Technical Judge

I’m a Machine Learning Engineer at Apple, building scalable, multilingual AI systems that make complex technology more accessible and useful across global communities. My work focuses on designing intelligent assistants powered by LLMs, combining retrieval, reasoning, and responsible AI guardrails to deliver reliable, real-world impact. I specialize in taking ideas from concept to production, developing end-to-end ML systems with strong evaluation, performance, and scalability in mind. From crafting data pipelines and fine-tuning models to building robust evaluation frameworks, I aim to create AI solutions that are not only powerful, but trustworthy and inclusive.

I’m looking for passionate collaborators to build impactful, real-world AI solutions that align with the hackathon’s mission and can scale beyond prototypes into meaningful products.

Yauheni Kruk

Art Manager

Meta

Creative / Artistic Judge

I’m an Art Manager, currently working on the globally recognized VR title Beat Saber, where I help shape immersive, high-impact visual experiences for millions of players. My work sits at the intersection of creativity, technology, and execution, bringing ideas to life through strong design direction and cross-functional collaboration. I’ve contributed to a range of successful projects across the gaming industry, from live service environments like World of Tanks Blitz, to fast-growing startups such as Forces of Freedom, and large-scale franchise development on Transformers: Reactivate. Across these experiences, I’ve led teams, managed complex creative pipelines, and delivered engaging content at scale.

I’m looking for people that combine strong creative vision with thoughtful execution to build engaging, user-centered experiences that stand out both visually and functionally.

Ícaro Valgueiro Malta Moreira

Staff Software Engineer

Meta

Technical Judge

I’m a Staff Software Engineer (IC6) at Meta, where I help drive initiatives shaping the future of the Metaverse. With over a decade of experience spanning game development, full-stack systems, and cloud infrastructure, I bring a multidisciplinary approach to building scalable, user-centric products. My background includes founding projects and leading efforts across frontend, backend, and mobile platforms (iOS and Android), along with product growth and R&D. I’m especially passionate about turning ambitious ideas into tangible solutions, and tackling complex technical challenges through thoughtful design and execution. At my core, I enjoy collaborating with builders who are curious, bold, and focused on creating meaningful experiences that push technology forward.

I’m looking for teams that combine strong technical execution with creative vision to build innovative, user-focused solutions that push boundaries and demonstrate real potential beyond the hackathon.

Sidhesh Badrinarayan

Senior Software Engineer

Google

Technical Judge

I am a Senior Software Engineer and Tech Lead at Google, where I specialize in building the AI infrastructure that powers next-generation agentic capabilities for advertisers by automating complex tasks—from campaign creation to real-time troubleshooting - across diverse platforms. During my time at Google, I have also contributed to the evolution of Workspace AI by designing novel LLM-based evaluation pipelines for Google Slides and optimizing high-performance infrastructure for Google Chat. Before Google, I spent several years at Amazon Alexa, where I led the technical development of multimodal, guided cooking experiences and built the business intelligence infrastructure for the Alexa Kitchen team. I specialize in bridging the gap between agentic research and product reality, focusing on the infrastructure required to scale stateful reasoning and long-context capabilities into high-performance, user-centric systems.

I am looking for projects that move beyond simple prompts to demonstrate stateful agentic reasoning capable of solving complex, multi-step workflows. I’m particularly excited by builders who can show how these intelligent agents transition from creative concepts into robust, production-ready tools that tackle tangible real-world problems.

Tatiana Andronova

Product Design Lead

Tabby

Creative / Artistic Judge

I’m a Product Design Lead in fintech with over a decade of experience crafting digital products used by millions. I’ve worked across leading technology companies, designing large-scale financial services with a strong focus on usability, trust, and scalability. My work centers on simplifying complex financial experiences—turning intricate flows into intuitive, user-friendly journeys while building design systems that scale across products and teams. I’m particularly passionate about creating products that users can trust, especially in high-stakes environments like finance. Beyond my core role, I run Design Warmups, a community initiative that helps designers sharpen their product thinking through hands-on challenges and practical feedback. I enjoy mentoring teams and helping them translate ideas into clear, thoughtful, and impactful user experiences.

I’m looking for teams that demonstrate strong product thinking and craft intuitive, user-centered solutions that simplify complexity and build trust.

Kateryna Tertiienko

Tech Lead

Infonetica

Technical Judge

I’m an engineering leader with 20 years of hands-on experience building and scaling production systems across startups and regulated industries. My work has focused on delivering reliable, high-quality systems under real-world constraints, where performance, maintainability, and long-term ownership matter as much as speed. I’ve led engineering efforts in fast-paced environments, balancing rapid delivery with sustainable practices, and scaling teams while maintaining strong technical foundations. I care deeply about code quality, system reliability, and building architectures that stand the test of time. More recently, I’ve worked extensively with AI development tools in production settings, gaining a practical perspective on how they shape engineering workflows, decision-making, and system design. I’m particularly interested in how teams can use AI effectively without losing critical thinking and technical rigor.

I’m looking for teams that demonstrate strong engineering fundamentals while using AI thoughtfully to build reliable, scalable systems that can work in the real world.

Sergey Polyashov

Chief Operating Officer

Toloka

Technical Judge

I’m currently the COO at Toloka and a seasoned engineering leader with a background in building large-scale, ML-driven platforms. I previously led Microsoft’s Web Data Platform and spearheaded Bing Shopping, where I developed machine learning–powered search systems that significantly improved user engagement and revenue. Earlier in my career at Yandex, I built high-performing video search and recommendation systems, delivering state-of-the-art relevance and personalization at scale. My work included launching the Yandex Shopping vertical from the ground up, creating a comprehensive ML-driven ecosystem for search, product indexing, and analytics. Across these roles, I’ve focused on turning advanced machine learning into impactful, user-facing products, combining technical excellence with strong operational execution to scale systems used by millions.

I’m looking for teams that leverage data and machine learning in thoughtful ways to build scalable products with clear user value and measurable impact.

Kshitij Aranke

Data Engineer

ElevenLabs

Technical Judge

Senior Software Engineer with 8 years of experience building and scaling data-intensive systems across the US and UK. Has worked in both high-growth startups and large-scale tech companies, including Amazon, LinkedIn, Vouch Insurance, and dbt Labs, with a strong focus on data platforms and analytics infrastructure.

I'm looking for opportunities to build and scale impactful data systems in fast-paced environments where engineering rigor meets real-world business problems.

Sanjana Arun

Product Manager

eBay

Business / Ethics Judge

I’m a Product Lead at eBay, where I architect AI-driven search and advertising systems that determine how visibility, relevance, and monetization are allocated across one of the world’s largest digital marketplaces. My work focuses on ranking, retrieval, and personalization models that directly shape buyer experience, seller outcomes, and platform revenue at scale. I specialize in designing AI systems as decision engines - where models, data, and feedback loops continuously influence user behavior and marketplace dynamics. My expertise lies in translating machine learning outputs into product strategies that balance short-term performance with long-term ecosystem health. I am a frequent contributor to the AI product community and serve as an Ambassador for Product-Led Alliance. I’ve been a featured speaker at Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC), Women in Tech Conference, and ProductWorld, and my frameworks on AI-native product strategy have been published by Mind the Product and CMSWire.

I’m looking for ideas that move beyond surface-level AI features to build products where intelligence is central to the experience. Strong projects will demonstrate clear thinking around how their systems allocate visibility, shape user behavior, and create durable value beyond the prototype stage. I am keen to chat with builders who can solve the 'Cold Start' problem or innovate within the attention economy.

Kundan Sharma

IT&D Solution Architect

Business / Ethics Judge

I’m an IT&D Solution Architect specializing in procurement transformation, with a focus on using data, AI, and modern SaaS platforms to drive measurable business outcomes. My work centers on rethinking procurement and operational processes through digital transformation—leveraging data analytics, machine learning, and process mining to unlock cost savings, optimize working capital, and improve decision-making. With experience across product management, engineering, and DevOps, I bring an end-to-end perspective on building and scaling data-driven systems. I’m particularly interested in how AI can accelerate data transformation and reshape enterprise workflows, making them more intelligent, efficient, and adaptive. At a hackathon, I enjoy working with teams to connect technical ideas to real business value—helping shape solutions that are not only innovative, but also practical and impactful in enterprise environments.

I’m looking for teams that apply AI and data thoughtfully to solve real business problems, especially in areas like operations, procurement, and digital transformation.

Egor Grositskiy

Art Director

Creative / Artistic Judge

I’m an Art Director working at the intersection of design, gaming, and emerging technologies, with a background in architecture that shapes how I bring structure and clarity to creative work. My experience spans game development, animation, exhibition design, and mobile products—blending aesthetics with systems thinking to create impactful user experiences. I’ve contributed to one of the most successful and innovative VR titles in the medium, Beat Saber, where my work on visual design for music packs played a key role in driving user engagement and revenue. I’m particularly interested in how design influences user behavior—where the first visual impression becomes the entry point into the experience. Currently, I explore the cutting edge of AI as a creative tool—pushing how generative technologies can enhance, accelerate, and transform design workflows across industries.

I’m looking for teams that combine strong visual direction with innovative use of technology to create memorable, engaging, and commercially viable user experiences.