HSO Connect Education Hackathon Grows: 600 Head to Barcelona to Visit Cupra

Following last year’s successful debut, the HSO School of Business and Computer Science is further expanding its educational hackathon, HSO Connect. From September 21 to 24, 2026, approximately 600 students in Barcelona will develop solutions for a real-world business challenge presented by Cupra Switzerland, once again making it the largest educational hackathon in Europe. For the first time, students from the Certified Business Administrator (HF) program will be joined by students from the Certified Business Information Systems Specialist (HF) program. This year’s venue is the Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, a hotel specializing in meetings and events with the capacity to accommodate the event’s expanded format.

At the heart of HSO Connect is a current marketing and digitalization challenge from Cupra Switzerland. Instead of working on a theoretical case study, students develop solutions—based on their own input—for a specific real-world business problem. Working in interdisciplinary teams, they go through three sequential sprints: They analyze the problem, develop and test initial solutions, and use these to create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). The solutions are then further refined in the module and finally presented on Pitch Day.

«Practice-oriented continuing education is one of the cornerstones of HSO. The Intra- and Entrepreneurship module epitomizes this: Our partnership with Cupra Switzerland gives our students access to the real-world challenges of an international brand even while they’re still in school, and provides them with the opportunity to immediately apply what they’ve learned in a practical setting,» says Hannah Felber, Executive Director of HSO.

Education and the Economy Together Create Added Value

With the «Road Trip of a Lifetime,» HSO and Cupra Switzerland are combining theory and practice: In teams of two, four HSO students will drive a fully electric Cupra Born from Zurich to HSO Connect in Barcelona, with the goal of completing the route as energy-efficiently as possible, while competing against one another. The challenge requires strategic planning, teamwork, and cost-effective thinking under real-world conditions.

The collaboration between HSO and Cupra Switzerland extends beyond HSO Connect. As a practice partner, Cupra Switzerland supports the Intra- and Entrepreneurship module and brings real-world business challenges directly into the continuing education program. The module—and the partnership—will conclude in 2026 with the Pitch and Career Day on October 23, at which Cupra Switzerland will participate as a career and corporate partner. Through masterclasses, one-on-one discussions, and insights into various career paths, Cupra Switzerland aims to create valuable connections and professional opportunities for students, according to the company.

«Interacting with students opens up new perspectives on issues that concern us as a company. At the same time, participants can develop their ideas under real-world conditions and gain direct insight into the demands of the professional world. It is precisely this connection between education and business that makes the collaboration valuable for both sides,» says Nicolas Hobi of Cupra Switzerland.

isolutions is also participating as a digital transformation partner. Experts from the company serve as mentors to the teams during the various sprints. They help the students assess technological possibilities, further develop their ideas, and turn them into concrete prototypes.

For four days, Barcelona becomes a classroom

The choice of venue is closely tied to the challenge partner. Barcelona is home to Cupra and offers students a direct glimpse into the brand’s environment. Representatives from Cupra Switzerland and Cupra’s headquarters in Barcelona will be on hand for the event.

For four days, HSO will move its classes to an environment where entrepreneurial thinking, product development, prototyping, and interdisciplinary collaboration are put into immediate practice. At the Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower, the expanded HSO Connect program will have a larger event venue at its disposal.

HSO Contact: Hannah Felber, Managing Director. Contact at Cupra Switzerland: Nicolas Hobi.

For more information about the HSO School of Business and Computer Science, visit https://www.hso.ch