Major League Hacking (MLH) Partners with Backboard.io to Bring AI Memory and Persistent State to Global Student Developers

New York, NY — April 9th, 2026 — Major League Hacking (MLH), the world's largest developer community, is excited to announce a 12-month promotional partnership with Backboard.io, the #1 ranked AI memory platform. Launching ahead of Global Hack Week (GHW), this collaboration establishes Backboard as the primary AI memory layer for the next generation of builders, making "memory-first" development the new standard for the AI stack.

At MLH, the mission has always been to help developers learn by doing. As AI applications shift from simple chat interfaces to complex, long-running agents, the need for persistent state has become critical. Backboard.io provides the stateful API necessary to ensure AI applications stay consistent across prompts, sessions, and users. Backboard is model agnostic across 17,000+ models with built-in model routing, so developers can use any model, coordinate agents, and build AI apps that stay consistent across prompts and sessions without piecing together their stack. 

Through this partnership, MLH will introduce a "Best Use of Backboard.io" category across 50 hackathon events worldwide, 3 Global Hack Weeks, and a DEV Challenge. This category challenges participants to move beyond "stateless" prototypes and build production-ready applications that remember user context and maintain state across the entire development lifecycle.

The MLH community, spanning over 135 countries, will receive direct access to Backboard.io’s cutting-edge technology through several key initiatives:

Free State Management for Life: Powered by MLH, students can maintain the state of their projects indefinitely without cost. With Backboard.io's bring-your-own-API-key support, any model or existing API they're already using becomes instantly stateful.Software Credits: Participants at MLH events will receive free credits to access Backboard.io’s premium AI memory features.Exclusive Rewards: Hackers building with Backboard.io will be eligible for specialized swag and high-value prizes.

“MLH is where the most ambitious developers, hackers, and software creators go to learn fast and build the future of technology,” said Mike Swift, CEO and Cofounder of MLH. “By integrating Backboard.io into our global hackathon league, we are giving student developers the foundation they need to build more sophisticated, context-aware AI. Backboard.io’s ability to handle persistent state and model routing through a single API allows our community to focus on what they do best: innovating and shipping real-world solutions.”

Jonathan Murray, CSO and Cofounder of Backboard.io, added: “We believe the next wave of world-changing tools will come from this community. We’re making Backboard.io the starting point of the AI stack for MLH builders, ensuring they can scale from weekend tinkering to enterprise-ready deployments without reworking their foundation”.

Developers can start building with Backboard.io at upcoming MLH events. To find a hackathon near you or to join Global Hack Week, visit mlh.io/events. Learn more about the stateful AI stack at backboard.io.

About Major League Hacking: Major League Hacking (MLH) is the largest developer programs platform in the world reaching over 1 million developers through hackathons, fellowships, open source programs, and mentorship. MLH helps technical talent gain real-world experience through global hackathons, online fellowship programs, and open-source projects. Each year, MLH supports thousands of in-person and digital learning experiences across nearly 100 countries, alongside fellowship programs that help developers gain real-world experience and build lasting professional skills. Through these programs, MLH develops a deep, data-informed understanding of how developers learn and build in real-world settings, shaping long-term partnerships with companies like Meta, GitHub, and Google. For more information, visit mlh.io.

About Backboard.io: Backboard.io is the memory-first, stateful API platform for building AI applications that stay consistent across prompts, sessions, and users. Ranked #1 on both LoCoMo and LongMemEval, Backboard.io supports 17,000+ models and lets developers bring their own API key — making any model instantly stateful. It handles persistent state, RAG workflows, multi-agent coordination, and tool calls through a single integration, enabling teams to go from prototype to enterprise-ready deployment without reworking their foundation. Learn more at backboard.io.