Name of activity/programme/experience
Manus AI for All Create-A-Thon
What motivated you to participate in this programme/activity?
I was drawn to the opportunity to work with Manus AI's agentic tools in a real-world setting and to collaborate with fellow students on solving an actual business problem. The hackathon's focus on making AI accessible to all resonated with my interest in building practical AI-powered solutions.
Please describe your overall experience.
Our team built a B2B analytics dashboard for Matsu Matcha, and we were selected as finalists. The experience was intense but incredibly rewarding, we went from ideation to a working MVP under time pressure, and the project has since evolved into an ongoing collaboration with the business.
In what ways did this experience add value to your SMU education and/or professional development?
It reinforced the importance of building for real users rather than just for grades. Working directly with a business stakeholder sharpened my product thinking and communication skills, complementing the technical foundations from my coursework in AI and software systems.
Why Asia? What advice would you give to juniors or fellow students who are considering a similar experience?
Asia's tech ecosystem is uniquely fast-moving, and events like these let you engage with startups and tools that are shaping the region's AI landscape firsthand. My advice: say yes to opportunities even if you feel underqualified, I was initially rejected and got in on appeal just one day before the event, and it turned out to be one of the most valuable experiences of my semester.
