SparkHub's GenAI Hack makes its global debut in the Maldives, concluding with live product launches, expert-led sessions, and a clear signal that Maldivian builders are ready for the AI era

SparkHub's flagship AI hackathon format, GenAI Hack, made its world debut in the Maldives — and it delivered. GenAI Hack 2026 concluded on February 8, 2026, with BidHub Maldives claiming the top prize at what became the country's first-ever Generative AI Hackathon. The hackathon was organised in partnership with Dhiraagu PLC and Synetecs.

Developed by team Prompt Pilot, BidHub Maldives is an AI agent built to simplify the entire lifecycle of government tenders, from discovery through to completion. The product stood out for its direct relevance to a widely felt pain point in the local business landscape, and for being a fully functional, publicly launched product by the time it reached the judges — exactly what the event demanded.

The runner-up prize went to Unbiased, built by team Tectic — an AI-powered platform designed to generate data-driven, unbiased feasibility reports.

GenAI Hack is a SparkHub original — a hackathon format purpose-built around the realities of the generative AI era. The Maldives served as its first-ever pilot market, with Dhiraagu coming onboard as the key local partner to bring the event to life, alongside Synetecs as co-partner. GenAI Hack next destination has also been locked.

Held from February 6 to 8 at Udu Villa, the hackathon brought together teams of three to five members competing under an open-category format with one firm rule: no shipping, no pitching. Rather than slide decks or concept walkthroughs, every team was required to publicly launch a live, accessible product before stepping up to present. The result was an event floor filled not with prototypes, but with real products built from scratch in under 48 hours.

The three-day event was led by Charissa Ong as head facilitator, who was flown in by SparkHub specifically for the occasion. Charissa, who also serves as Production Manager heading the Creative Department at PlayStation Malaysia, conducted the Growth & Marketing session — guiding builders on how to position, communicate, launch, and scale the AI products they had just created. Hussain Jinan, CEO and Co-founder of SparkHub, co-facilitated the event alongside her. Nattu and Haris each led the remaining two expert sessions, rounding out an intensive programme of curated masterclasses covering ideation, development, deployment, and go-to-market strategy.

Teams that competed included Kurimagu, an AI-powered career pathways platform for school leavers; Aadhey, a lost pets finder; Medily, a personal health app; ilm.me, an education platform; Hingaa, a social activity companion; Smart Stay, a hotel discovery tool; TrustChain, a document verification system; Civexa, a CSO operations suite; Spend Mirror, an AI-driven personal finance tracker; and Unwind, designed to help users rest more intentionally.

Sharing SparkHub's vision for the format, Hussain Jinan reflected on what made this pilot meaningful: "Globally, founders are using AI to overcome skill gaps and dramatically accelerate product development. GenAI Hack was designed to reflect this shift — moving beyond conventional hackathons and placing the emphasis firmly on real product launches rather than conceptual demonstrations. Piloting this in the Maldives first was a deliberate choice, and the builders here proved exactly why."

Mohamed Musad, CTIO at Dhiraagu, spoke to the importance of the partnership: "“AI is a term we hear everywhere today. The Maldives’ first generative AI hackathon has shown how powerful these tools can be when paired with the right mindset, learning, and action, enabling teams to develop live solutions in a very short period of time. It also highlights how important it is to foster the knowledge and experience needed to use these technologies meaningfully. At Dhiraagu, we are committed to empowering digital talent and inspiring the next generation of startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators in the Maldives""

To explore the full range of products shipped at GenAI Hack 2026, visit genaihack.io/listings.

Watch the highlights video
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">🎥Watch the highlights 📽️ from an epic last weekend, 12 teams of builders came together with one mission — build a product &amp; ship it. 🚀<br><br>48 hours. Real launches. No theory.<br><br>Explore all products: <a href="https://t.co/RtbMtg9LRj">https://t.co/RtbMtg9LRj</a><br><br>In partnership with <a href="https://x.com/Dhiraagu?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Dhiraagu</a><br>Co-partnered with <a href="https://x.com/synetecs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@synetecs</a> <a href="https://t.co/CPCg5FoAfg">pic.twitter.com/CPCg5FoAfg</a></p>&mdash; SparkHub (@sparkhubmv) <a href="https://x.com/sparkhubmv/status/2022966613750788149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>