Don DuChateau, Sheetal Sonar, and their team holding the Hacks With Friends Trophy

Ross IT Takes Top Honors at Hacks With Friends

Don DuChateau, Sheetal Sonar, and their team hold a sign that says "The Legacy Loop: AI-Powered Legacy System"

A team led by members of our Michigan Ross IT community recently earned first place and the People’s Choice Award at the MTech 2026 Hacks With Friends. 

Don DuChateau, Sheetal Sonar, and their team won for their hack, “The Legacy Loop: AI-Powered Legacy System.” The concept addresses a familiar challenge across teams: how to preserve institutional knowledge when someone leaves a role. Their tool uses an AI chatbot to guide a departing employee through a structured exit process — including interviews, documentation, and videos — capturing key context and practical information that can be handed off to the next person who fills the position.

Hacks with Friends is a hackathon-style event where members of the U‑M IT community team up to build and demo new ideas that address common IT or business education challenges. This year’s event was held March 5-6 at Michigan Ross. Congratulations to Don and Sheetal!

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