Aperta

Inspiration

The best hackers in the world came together at Stanford TreeHacks 2026 to build astonishing projects under very limited time. While most hackathons focus on internal teamwork and side quests all around, networking for long-term benefits is often forgotten. We decided to change that!

What Aperta:Agent-Echo does

Challenged by two quests in this context - hackers’ sometimes stereotypical lack of interest in networking and the time constraint of talking to everyone - we tackled both with a focus on human-machine interaction in product design. The result: a fashionable microphone worn on your neck that records intended conversations. With mutual consent, it's software Agent-Echo enables effortless note-keeping for both sides, retrieves key info through a personal, on edge and secure LLM, and provides feedback & coaching on your journey to becoming a networking expert. But that’s not all: it also matches and suggests to your conversation partner people you met earlier - creating opportunities even when you would’ve forgotten them. All you need is to then share this possibility of serendipity and your surroundings will thank you later.

How we built it

We started developing a competitive strategy with our strenghts: one software dev, one ML scientist, a robotics/hardware specialist and a transdisciplinary physicist. We quickly identified challenges like data security and trust, and tested assumptions early in the field - gaining valuable feedback and refining our hack each iteration.

Challenges we ran into

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Beyond building a technically complex product in a relatively short time - especially as a team that had never worked together - our most memorable moments were seeing other hackers, many hours deep in their projects, still feeling able to network meaningfully in just a couple of minutes of talking to us.

What we learned

Testing unknown hypotheses in a new social setting can be challenging and not everyone had time to try our project’s algorithms. But empirical testing - just like code testing - can also be fun, especially when it reveals new ways to think about familiar problems from a different perspective.

What's next for Aperta

Bootstrapping to Series A, or a special gift to TreeHacks - every path feels possible after an intrinsically rewarding weekend. The only certainty: we had lots of fun, slept way too little and drank far too many caffeinated drinks. No wonder that, at the time of writing, we truly believe our product can change the world.