TLDR: Gloo, a technology platform for the faith ecosystem, has awarded over $250,000 in prizes at its third annual AI Hackathon. Held from October 8-10, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado, the event challenged nearly 700 participants to develop AI solutions aligned with values that advance human flourishing and organizational thriving within Christian communities. The grand prize went to ‘Veritas,’ an immersive Bible app from Austin Christian University.
BOULDER, Colo. – Gloo, a prominent technology platform dedicated to serving the faith ecosystem, has successfully concluded its third annual AI Hackathon, distributing more than $250,000 in cash prizes for groundbreaking artificial intelligence innovations. The event, held from October 8-10, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado, attracted nearly 700 tech innovators from around the globe, participating both in-person and virtually.
The hackathon’s central theme, ‘AI that helps people flourish — spiritually, relationally, emotionally and beyond,’ challenged developers, content creators, Bible translators, publishers, church leaders, and game designers to harness AI’s potential for human flourishing and organizational thriving within Christian communities. Participants were tasked with reimagining how technology can serve the Church and the greater good, pushing the boundaries of values-aligned AI.
Scott Beck, co-founder and CEO of Gloo, emphasized the organization’s vision: “At Gloo, we believe technology should not only be powerful — it should be redemptive. The Gloo AI Hackathon brought together some of the brightest minds in tech and faith to build technologies that empower ministries, uplift communities and help people become all they were created to be.”
The event featured three distinct challenges: developers, gaming, and vibe coding tracks. These tracks encouraged participants to explore diverse applications, from strengthening community connections and creating immersive faith-based gaming experiences to designing innovative ways for people to engage with Scripture.
Among the 98 competing teams, the Overall Grand Prize of $100,000 was awarded to ‘Veritas’ from Austin Christian University. Veritas is an immersive Bible app designed to help users not just understand the Bible, but actively live its teachings. It aims to provide clarity, context, and confidence through biblically grounded tools, guiding users toward truth and transformation, particularly for a generation seeking meaning. Individual awards ranged from $5,000 to $100,000, with opportunities for future acceleration through continued investment and business development.
A distinguished panel of judges, including Scott Beck (Gloo CEO), James Chung (CTO of YouVersion), Eric Célérier (CEO of HelloBible), and Scott Mosley (VP of Software at RightNow Media), evaluated submissions based on functionality and their ability to ‘move people.’
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The hackathon also provided a platform for learning, with inspiring talks from industry leaders such as Bobby Gruenewald (Founder of YouVersion), Carey Nieuwhof (leadership author and podcaster), James Kelly (founder and CEO of FaithTech), Alex ‘Magnus’ Lehmann (director of creative management at Riot Games), Bryan Brown (CEO of Masterworks), and Michael Arena (dean of the Crowell School of Business at Biola University).
