It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your programmers are?
If they’re part of the 4th Annual CU Build event, they’re probably heads-down in design, coding, or testing. For those who haven’t been to CU Build, this isn’t your father’s hackathon. Take the unlimited energy drinks and coffee, and combine it with all-nighters, a Money Booth (read: cold hard cash), a snack mountain that seems to get more impressive each year, and a growing bank of prizes from integrator partners.
I’ve been to every CU Build – from its inception – and it seems to outdo itself every year.
The year 2024 marks the first time this event has gone on the road – moving from its historical venue in Dallas, Texas to Salt Lake City, Utah.
With the higher elevation also came higher stakes for the participants, as vendor integrators each offered prizes for the best use(s) of their solution. However, the vibe in the room wasn’t an overly competitive one. Focused and determined to be sure, but nonetheless egalitarian in its aspirations, as teams and vendors together created the best solutions for the credit union communities they serve.
This was also a year of firsts in terms of involvement.
Team members represented 29 different credit unions, across 26 states, along with 10 integrator partners – with each of these metrics being the most of any CU Build event to date. The teams comprised of approximately 50% returning participants, which brought much more of a focused, mature vibe to the event.
I caught up with Brad Hickey, the founder of CU Build, who commented about what made this year different. “The 2024 CU Build has been the best year yet. We’ve seen way more engagement prior to the event on Discord and amongst the teams. There seems to be way more collaboration than in years past, especially with the Vendor Integrators. The amount of ‘heads down, get after it’ mentality is something I haven’t seen to this extent.”
In the timeless words of French author Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr (or Bon Jovi), “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
Bon Jovi’s sentiment was certainly true for the CU Build event, as I saw some of the same things that have made each CU Build event memorable. “CU Builders” working through the night is a signature of this event, and I’ve yet to attend an event when there hasn’t been at least one person burning the midnight oil.
On Friday evening, I set my alarm for 2:50 a.m. Saturday just to see if this tradition was alive and well. I was not disappointed.
At 3 a.m., there was a sole CU Builder, just as focused as ever, continuing to work on his team’s solution. Our very own James Burke-Frazier was also pulling his typical all-nighter, accompanied by Libum (an integrator partner), working to improve an offering into the early morning hours. The time was 3:02 a.m. when we captured this moment, after which I gladly went back up to my room to get a few more hours of sleep.
The theme for this year’s CU Build was “Pioneering Progress,” which was fitting, as it takes place just days after Pioneer Day in Utah.
Pioneer Day celebrates the arrival of the first pioneers in Salt Lake City, commemorating the sacrifice, bravery, and resiliency of these early settlers. Moreover, Utah – known as “The Beehive State” – served as the backdrop for this year’s event. The beehive symbolizes the work ethic of those early pioneers who had to build so much with so little, relying on industry (also the state motto) and grit to determine their destiny.
The credit union movement has prided itself on being pioneers within their own industry, while continuing to maintain a community-based focus in their endeavors.
Those who participate in CU Build are asked to harness those same pioneering virtues to step beyond their comfort zone, turning good ideas into great ones. Perseverance, innovation, and collaboration are a few of the hallmarks that has propelled each of these teams through the weekend. It was truly inspiring to see a loose collection of individuals go through Tuckman’s stages of group development in a span of a weekend and emerge with a presentable solution.
Each year of attending CU Build has brought a renewed curiosity in seeing what these teams can create organically, relying mostly on the skillsets and knowledge of their teammates.
The solutions created by the CU Build teams ranged from budgeting platforms, real-time alerting for elder accounts, and AI-teller assist.
The incorporation of AI within the teller experience is particularly compelling, in its ability to improve upon the know your customer (KYC) archetype. AI provides the teller with suggestions on the member’s previous engagement, based on past activity. This addresses the apprehension of interacting directly with AI, while equipping the teller to be smarter about their member behavior and increasing targeted engagements. This just serves as one example for how solutions generated by CU Build can have an immediate impact on both the branch operations, as well as the broader credit union membership.
Brynn Ammon, President of Jack Henry™ Credit Union Solutions was a first-time attendee this year, and also served as one of the three judges for the CU Build event.
“The cohesion between the teams has been impressive,” said Brynn. “I saw fully baked code just 20 hours into the event. I love the fostering of innovation, and the creativity that happens when individual contributors have the opportunity to grow and stretch in a way they wouldn’t have in their own environment. CU Build gives somebody who might be buried in their own organization the opportunity to show up here and be a superstar on their team.” (Check out Not Just Coding, But Connecting)
I noticed the magic of CU Build lies not only in the technology and solutions created, but in the format of the event.
Teams are expected to design, develop, test, document, and present a full-fledged solution in just 36 hours. Everyone is encouraged to step outside of their comfort zone, whether it be public speaking, diving into code, or creating documentation. Another dimension of this event is the continued focus on the credit union community. Brad Hickey hopes to build upon this paradigm as the event grows each year. He said, “In another five years, I see us operating a mature launchpad. I see us having a significant giveback component as we continue to try to embed within the communities that credit unions operate.”
CU Build lies at the intersection of vendor integration and client collaboration.
There is an incredible synergy that occurs when end users are put in the driver’s seat of the software solutions they use every day, with direct access to the subject matter experts, and vendor partners who can turn possibility into reality. The fintech ecosphere is rife with solution demos and presentations about the latest tech that lies just beyond the horizon. However, this experience provides a rare opportunity for a true digital playground: one where vendors can freely offer their solutions within the Jack Henry ecosystem and allow team participants to not only see the tech, but tear it apart, and build it back up again.
Fostering development happens best when you take off the reins and let allow creativity to set the pace.
Discover what's possible with Jack Henry Developer. And keep an eye out for next year’s registration, you won’t want to miss it!
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