30 Hours in Santa Marta: Inside the First Hackatón Samatech
July 2, 2026· 2 min read
Santa Marta had never hosted a hackathon. Ever. So when the Primera Hackatón Samatech was announced — 70 builders, teams of 5, 30 hours, +50M COP in prizes and benefits — I knew I had to be there.This is the story of those 30 hours.
A city putting tech on the table
What made this event special wasn't just the format. It was what it meant: for the first time, technology was at the center of the city's most important conversations. More than 20 mentors traveled from all over Colombia to guide us. Sponsors believed in the event before it was anything more than an idea. Volunteers gave up their weekend out of love for their city.You could feel it in the room: this wasn't just a competition. It was Santa Marta saying we build here too.
The team
Teams of five, mixed on purpose so skills and backgrounds would collide. Two days before, we were strangers; by hour 30, we were finishing each other's sentences.
TODO(rulo): introduce your four teammates — names, what each brought to the team, and links if they want the credit.
The build
TODO(rulo): tell the story of what you built — the problem you picked, the moment the idea clicked, the stack you chose under time pressure, and the thing that almost broke at 3 a.m.
The pitch, and the podium
After 30 hours of building, everything came down to a few minutes of pitching. When they announced our team in 3rd place, the exhaustion turned into something else entirely.
TODO(rulo): describe the pitch moment — what you presented, what the jury asked, how it felt on stage.
What I'm taking with me
A hackathon compresses everything I love about engineering into one weekend: ruthless scoping, fast decisions, teammates who cover your blind spots, and the discipline of shipping something real by a hard deadline.If the first Hackatón Samatech proved anything, it's that Santa Marta has the talent. It just needed the stage.
TODO(rulo): close with your personal takeaways and whether you'd recommend the experience.
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