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The Date 11.06.2026
8:30am-6pm
Museum of Science
1 Science Pk, Boston, MA 02114
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The Possible Zone’s (TPZ) annual Hackathon, FastForge, offers Boston area high school students the chance to engage in a mini physical consumer product launch, reflecting our six-month post-high school Ventures Launch program. Throughout the day, students will collaborate in teams with corporate volunteers and TPZ staff to research, ideate, design, prototype, and pitch the next hot consumer product. The Hackathon adopts a science-fair format, with judges and investors circulating among the teams to hear pitches and ask questions. At the end of the day, the top three teams will present in the finals, where the full audience will vote to choose the winner.
Adding to the excitement, recent Founding Associates in our Ventures Launch program will showcase their recently launched Kickstarter products, inspiring high school students by demonstrating what’s possible at The Possible Zone!
The Possible Zone’s mission is to advance economic equity by ensuring young people develop the entrepreneurial spirit, skills, and networks to launch successful careers.
About TPZ Ventures
TPZ Ventures is the revenue-generating arm of The Possible Zone (TPZ), providing Boston area high school and post-high school youth with hands-on business experience. Launch, TPZ Ventures’ six-month physical consumer product incubator, develops TPZ alumni and other young adult associates from the community into co-founders. As part of the program, each Founding Associate researches, ideates, and brings to life a new consumer product in a competitive, collaborative sprint to $1,000,000 of gross sales. Participants learn Product Management, Digital Marketing, and E-Commerce Operations under the guidance of TPZ Ventures’ experts. Graduates of the Launch program emerge with a skill set aligned with careers of the future and are well-positioned to advance their business or to work in roles with various industry partners.
About The Location
Located along the Charles River in Boston's West End, the Museum of Science is one of New England's premier destinations for innovation, technology, and discovery—making it the perfect setting for FastForge. Conveniently located just minutes from downtown Boston, the Museum is easily accessible by subway, commuter rail, bus, and car. MBTA Green Line: Take the Green Line (D or E Branch) to Science Park/West End Station. After exiting the station, the Museum is just across O'Brien Highway via the Charles River Dam bridge. MBTA Orange Line: Take the Orange Line to North Station, then enjoy a short 10-minute walk along Nashua Street to the Museum. Commuter Rail & Amtrak: Arrive at North Station, then walk approximately 10 minutes to the Museum. Amtrak travelers may also arrive at Back Bay or South Station and connect via the MBTA. Parking: On-site parking is available in the Museum of Science garage at 1 Science Park. Parking is first-come, first-served, and visitors are encouraged to arrive early on weekends and other busy days. The garage includes accessible parking and EV charging stations.
Museum of Science, Boston Public Science Common
1 Science Pk
Boston, MA 02114
Schedule More details to come
Part One
8:30 AM
Breakfast and check in
9:00 AM
Kickoff and opening remarks
9:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Research, ideation, product concept and product name
Part Two
1:00 – 3:30 PM
Prototyping, branding and pitch creation
Part Three
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Semi-final pitches with judges circulating between groups
Part Four
4:30 – 6:00 PM
Final 3 Hackathon team pitches with audience voting
Closing remarks
Part Two
1:00 – 3:30 PM
Prototyping, branding and pitch creation
Part Three
3:30 – 4:30 PM
Semi-final pitches with judges circulating between groups
Part Four
4:30 – 6:00 PM
TPZ’s Founding Associates Reveal Kickstarter products
Final 3 hackathon team pitches with audience voting
Closing remarks
Judges
FastForge judges represent a diverse array of roles, including angel investors and venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, foundation executives, academics, community non-profits, and finance and industry executives. Past judges include:
Sharon Botwinik Executive, Fidelity Center for Applied Technology
Sam Carson Assistant Director of Administration, HMS MEDscience
Joshua Elysee International Marketing Specialist, HEYDUDE
Colin Hill CEO, Aitia, AI and Precision Medicine Leader
Stefan Kochi Co-founder & CTO, Paytronix Systems
Mark Levin Chairman Of The Board Of Directors, The Possible Zone
Liz Miranda MA State Senator
Rachel Meyers Biotech Entrepreneur
Richard Marshall VP Business Development, Tool Inc.
Marta McAlister Head of Commercialization & Enablement, ChromeOS|Browser,Google for Education
Susan O’Connor Chief Human Resources Officer, Beam Therapeutics, Inc.
Richard Orsini Director of Industrial Design and Visualization, Sprout Studios
Eileen Rudden Innovation Fellow, Harvard iLab
Brenna Schneider Chief Social Innovation Officer, Ascentria Care Alliance
SueAnn Sheehan Managing Director, Citizens Private Bank
Edward Tepper Biogen Associate, Passionate Startup Builder
Robert Tepper Partner, Third Rock Ventures
Dennis Van Oossanen Former Nike/Converse executive, Angel Investor
Stefan Vitorovic Co-Founder, Biotech Venture Fund
Lucy Wang Senior Director of Product Management, Toast
James Yazbek IT Recruitment & Admissions Manager, Per Scholas
Aidan Yeaw Blockchain/ Digital Assets Executive, Angel Investor, Edtech Impact Investor
Jing Zhao Entrepreneur, Investor, Founder Boston Youth and Arts Innovation
Interested in becoming a judge for the event? Contact us! BECOME A JUDGE DONATE (coming soon)
Past Sponsors & Partners
We are grateful to our 2025 Sponsors and Partners
Sponsors
Partners
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Schools
Want to join the Hackathon? To qualify:
- You are currently in grades 9-12;
- You are currently enrolled in TPZ programming;
- Or you are a student at one of TPZ’s partner schools:
- Madison Park High School; Holland School of Technology (The Burke); Dearborn STEM Academy; Brighton High School; Community Academy of Science & Health (CASH); Margarita Muniz Academy; The English High School; Ruth Batson Academy (BCLA); Dr. Williams Henderson Upper; TechBoston Academy; East Boston High School; Charleston High School; Fenway High School; New Mission High School; Another Course to College; Boston Green Academy; Snowden International School at Copley; Codman Academy Charter; Lawrence High School; Lowell High School; Brockton High School; Cristo Rey; Saint George Schools (Maine)
To sign up with your school contact us: hackathon@possiblezone.org
Friends, Families, Community
Join us for the reception and help select the winning high school team!
Be among the first to see the consumer products developed in our post high school 6 month program!
RSVP
The Possible Zone Works.
Our students tell us what TPZ means to them. And it’s more than just testimonials. Data shows that our program prepares students to be lifelong learners and ready to pursue innovative careers.
Over our first 15 years, nearly 2,500 students in the greater Boston area took part in TPZ programs. Those students who participated in more than three TPZ courses experienced measurable gains compared to matched peers.
- High School Graduation: On-time graduation rates are approximately 15 percentage points higher.
- School Attendance: Significantly higher rates, equating to 10+ additional days per year.
- College Matriculation: Rates are approximately 16 percentage points higher for students who completed 3 TPZ courses and 39 percentage points higher for students who completed 5 TPZ courses.
By Fall 2030, The Possible Zone will achieve national distinction as a premier, self-sustaining model for economic equity through four key pillars:
- Gold-Standard Evidence & Validation: Establish a fully validated program model backed by rigorous, large-scale, controlled studies that definitively demonstrate our impact on student economic mobility.
- Exponential Student Reach: Scale our operations to serve 5,000 students annually (consisting of 4,500 high school youth and 500 active alumni tracking toward high-wage, high-growth careers).
- Systems-Level Thought Leadership: Shape the national conversation and policy landscape regarding how personalized, career-connected learning closes the wealth gap and expands economic equity.
- Enterprise Resilience & Culture: Maintain a highly efficient, financially sustainable business model while consistently being recognized internally and externally as an industry-leading Best Place to Work and Learn.