FAIRFAX, VA, Thurs., July 2, 2026 — MetroStar, a leading federal AI and technology company, partnered with Salesforce and George Mason University (George Mason) to host the Mission:Hire Hackathon at The Hub on George Mason’s Fairfax campus. The event brought together student teams from across the university to design and build innovative solutions using Missionforce — Salesforce’s mission execution platform purpose-built to deliver the best commercial innovation to government — to a real-world workforce challenge, modernizing how federal organizations hire, onboard, and support their people.
The two-day event asked participants to tackle a problem familiar to virtually every growing organization: fragmented recruiting workflows, inconsistent interview feedback, and onboarding gaps that leave new hires without structure. Teams were tasked with building a Missionforce-based solution, using low-code, configuration-driven tools within the platform, that could track candidates, manage interview stages, capture hiring decisions, trigger onboarding tasks, and surface real-time visibility for HR leadership.
The hackathon is the latest milestone in a deepening relationship between MetroStar and George Mason and signals a more formal partnership with Salesforce aimed at creating applied learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom. Students received free access to Salesforce Trailhead training resources and mentorship from Salesforce professionals.
"Companies are increasingly looking for new employees coming into the market to have hands-on experience building, not just theoretical approaches or processes. This hackathon was about giving students a real-world experience they can take to prospective employers,” said Jason Stoner, VP of Design at MetroStar.
MetroStar, Salesforce, and industry professionals served as mentors and judges throughout the hackathon's weekend, bringing real-world expertise directly to student teams as they design, build, and iterate on their solutions. For students interested in federal technology careers, the event offered a rare opportunity to work alongside Salesforce experts while competing for recognition and prizes.
For Salesforce, whose federal and public sector footprint is expanding with Missionforce, the event reflects a broader strategy of building applied platform fluency among the next generation of practitioners.
“Today's students will shape how the government and public sector operates tomorrow — and events like this are where that journey begins. Through Futureforce, Salesforce is committed to building the next generation of tech talent, and partnering with MetroStar and George Mason on important initiatives like this hackathon is exactly that in action. Students got the chance to build real skills while solving real challenges, turning academic curiosity into career-ready capabilities. That's an investment worth making,” said Mitch McGuffie, Regional Vice President, Department of the Air Force, at Salesforce.
The hackathon's central challenge — the TalentTrack scenario — put teams inside a problem familiar to every growing organization: manual, disconnected HR processes that slow hiring, introduce inconsistency, and leave new employees without a structured start. Judges from industry and academia evaluated submissions on technical rigor, solution design, usability, and business impact. The winning team Hirewell, pictured to the right, included students Pratyush Poudel, Varun Kadari, Bao Tran, Moeez Ahmad, Dhwani Chauhan, and Sehaj Gill.
MetroStar is actively hiring engineers, technologists, creatives, and mission-driven professionals across its federal practice. To learn more or explore open roles, visit metrostar.com/careers
MetroStar, a Veritas Capital portfolio company, is delivering next-generation products and solutions to U.S. government agencies. Focused on mission acceleration and cutting-edge technology, MetroStar equips agencies with the tools and strategies needed to navigate the future of national security, including AI, digital transformation, application modernization, and enterprise IT.