Gloo awards $200,000 to builders applying AI to advance human flourishing. Austin Christian University team wins grand prize with Fosterly, an AI agent that connects the dots for young people aging out of Texas foster care.
Gloo, a technology platform serving the faith and flourishing ecosystem, today announced the winners of its 2026 Gloo AI Hackathon, awarding $200,000 in cash prizes. A team from Austin Christian University won the $100,000 grand prize for Fosterly, an AI agent that connects young people aging out of Texas foster care to the services and people they need, to help ensure young people do not slip through the cracks.
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A team from Austin Christian University wins the $100,000 grand prize at the 2026 Gloo AI Hackathon.
Fosterly team leader Jack Malouff was unable to attend due to a serious medical emergency. His team rallied with the slogan “Fight Like Jack” to win, representing him and the project he led.
More than 1,000 builders on more than 115 teams took part under this year's theme, "Building Together: Humans, Agents and the Future of Flourishing." Teams worked through a 30-day virtual build that began Sept. 8, then gathered for a 48-hour in-person build at the Limelight Hotel in Boulder, Oct. 6-8. Participants of all experience levels were invited, including people without a technical background.
“At Gloo we believe AI should be shaped for good, reflecting the needs, values and aspirations of the faith and flourishing ecosystem," said Scott Beck, co-founder and CEO of Gloo. "The Hackathon turns that belief into action. What this year's teams demonstrated is that AI is being used to help people flourish and communities thrive. That was true of the Fosterly team, which built something for young people who are easy to overlook. We were honored to celebrate them and their team leader, Jack, who is in our thoughts and prayers."
Three teams won their challenge tracks, each receiving $20,000:
- Best of Agents Track, powered by Gloo: Unify, from Austin Christian University. Unify equips nonprofits with agents that build software, replacing a stack of up to 20 disconnected tools with one system that grows with the organization.
- Best of Ministry Resourcing Track, powered by Masterworks: OnBoard, from Frontier Commons. OnBoard gives missionaries a new way to stay in touch with their donors. An AI interface collects and organizes ministry moments as they happen, so newsletters and updates are more timely and keep partners close.
- Best of Bible Track, powered by YouVersion: Envoy Mission, an offline, private Bible disguised as an ordinary app for people who could be imprisoned for having one. It is delivered through multilingual AI conversations with seekers around the world.
Gloo awarded the remaining $40,000 across a number of best-in categories. Full results are at gloo.com/hackathon.
A panel of judges scored submissions on concept, innovation, impact, use of AI and team presentation. The panel included Scott Beck, Gloo co-founder and CEO; Eric Célérier, CEO of HelloBible; Pat Gelsinger, executive chair and head of technology at Gloo; and Scott Mosely, vice president of software at RightNowMedia.
To learn more about the Hackathon and this year's winners, visit www.gloo.com/hackathon.
About Gloo
Gloo is a leading technology platform serving the faith and flourishing ecosystem. Gloo helps missional organizations amplify their impact by powering their technology and expanding their reach, so that people flourish and organizations thrive. The company's values-aligned AI platform modernizes systems, workflows and data, while its marketing and donor solutions expand reach, awareness and long-term giving for mission-based organizations.
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