Joshua Lin, 20
From Biology to Venture-Backed Builder: How Joshua Lin Redefined His Path
A linear algebra class set off a spark that completely changed Joshua Lin’s trajectory. "It wasn’t until I took linear algebra at community college with my professor Frank Tran that something really clicked. He was genuinely one of the best teachers I've ever had and made me fall in love with the mathematical foundations that underpin everything in CS and AI." Inspired, Joshua began teaching himself technical concepts on the side, picking up web development, artificial intelligence, and systems work through relentless trial and error. Though he transferred to the University of California San Diego (UCSD) as a biology major with no formal background in computer science, he was quickly immersed in the hacker community. “The community [...] became a constant in my life and I never looked back,” Joshua recalls. "I found my people and just tapped in completely.” Today, Joshua is in his second year studying Data Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science.
That rapid immersion launched an extraordinary streak across the Major League Hacking circuit. At his first MLH event, BigRedHacks at Cornell University, his team built Pulse - a glassmorphic, WebGL-powered audiovisual interface that used a multi-stage AI pipeline to transform human humming into real-time evolving music and 3D visualizers. “We ended up winning People's Choice, which was kind of surreal for a first real hackathon. That win gave me a ton of confidence and made me hungry to keep going,” Joshua recalls. He went on to quickly rack up victories including taking top honors across four tracks at HackPrinceton Fall 2025 with EdgeCart, Best Use of Solana with Scaled at Hack@Brown 2026, placing in the top five at the OpenAI Codex Hackathon, and taking home Ironsite's sponsor prize alongside MLH Best Use of Solana at HackTech at Caltech 2026 with VIMA - a spatial intelligence tool built for construction sites.
At NexHacks, hosted at Carnegie Mellon University, his team built Opal and initially missed the podium. However, a traveling judge encouraged them to keep pursuing the idea. “We listened,” Joshua states. Taking that advice to heart, he helped build Opal into a breakout success, winning top honors at the Build in Public hackathon. “We won $250k at a $10M valuation, and now it's a real company,” he shares. "That hackathon project turned into the thing I'm going full time on.” Ultimately, Opal serves as a powerful reminder of what hackathons are truly about: the real value lies beyond the prize table, in the freedom to experiment, fail forward, and turn raw inspiration into lasting change.
Beyond his competitive achievements, Joshua has dedicated himself to paying forward the support he received as a newcomer. As an active organizer and support pillar within SDxUCSD, he reinvests his hackathon prize money and startup earnings directly into the ecosystem by sponsoring meals, covering travel expenses for hackers who cannot afford flights, and mentoring first-time participants. Joshua actively works to foster a culture where every hacker feels valued, included, and ready to build. "I came from community college with no CS background so I know what it feels like to not know if you belong," he reflects. "I want to make sure nobody else has to wonder that."
Outside of hackathons, Joshua finds balance as a dedicated aquarium geek. With his betta fish Gilbert, he spends “way too much time on live plants and water parameters.” Speedcubing serves as another favorite outlet and late-night ritual. “I've been into Rubik's cubes for years and now I solve them between prompts while waiting for my agents to finish running,” he remarks. “If you ever hear Rubik's cube ASMR from across the room at 3am, come say hi.”
Joshua’s journey is proof that “you don't need a traditional path to make things happen.” All it takes is one spark, one inspirational moment, a dose of curiosity, and the bravery to take that first step - and you can rewrite where your story leads.
Quick Facts
Joshua Lin, 20
From Biology to Venture-Backed Builder: How Joshua Lin Redefined His Path
A linear algebra class set off a spark that completely changed Joshua Lin’s trajectory. "It wasn’t until I took linear algebra at community college with my professor Frank Tran that something really clicked. He was genuinely one of the best teachers I've ever had and made me fall in love with the mathematical foundations that underpin everything in CS and AI." Inspired, Joshua began teaching himself technical concepts on the side, picking up web development, artificial intelligence, and systems work through relentless trial and error. Though he transferred to the University of California San Diego (UCSD) as a biology major with no formal background in computer science, he was quickly immersed in the hacker community. “The community [...] became a constant in my life and I never looked back,” Joshua recalls. "I found my people and just tapped in completely.” Today, Joshua is in his second year studying Data Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science.
That rapid immersion launched an extraordinary streak across the Major League Hacking circuit. At his first MLH event, BigRedHacks at Cornell University, his team built Pulse - a glassmorphic, WebGL-powered audiovisual interface that used a multi-stage AI pipeline to transform human humming into real-time evolving music and 3D visualizers. “We ended up winning People's Choice, which was kind of surreal for a first real hackathon. That win gave me a ton of confidence and made me hungry to keep going,” Joshua recalls. He went on to quickly rack up victories including taking top honors across four tracks at HackPrinceton Fall 2025 with EdgeCart, Best Use of Solana with Scaled at Hack@Brown 2026, placing in the top five at the OpenAI Codex Hackathon, and taking home Ironsite's sponsor prize alongside MLH Best Use of Solana at HackTech at Caltech 2026 with VIMA - a spatial intelligence tool built for construction sites.
At NexHacks, hosted at Carnegie Mellon University, his team built Opal and initially missed the podium. However, a traveling judge encouraged them to keep pursuing the idea. “We listened,” Joshua states. Taking that advice to heart, he helped build Opal into a breakout success, winning top honors at the Build in Public hackathon. “We won $250k at a $10M valuation, and now it's a real company,” he shares. "That hackathon project turned into the thing I'm going full time on.” Ultimately, Opal serves as a powerful reminder of what hackathons are truly about: the real value lies beyond the prize table, in the freedom to experiment, fail forward, and turn raw inspiration into lasting change.
Beyond his competitive achievements, Joshua has dedicated himself to paying forward the support he received as a newcomer. As an active organizer and support pillar within SDxUCSD, he reinvests his hackathon prize money and startup earnings directly into the ecosystem by sponsoring meals, covering travel expenses for hackers who cannot afford flights, and mentoring first-time participants. Joshua actively works to foster a culture where every hacker feels valued, included, and ready to build. "I came from community college with no CS background so I know what it feels like to not know if you belong," he reflects. "I want to make sure nobody else has to wonder that."
Outside of hackathons, Joshua finds balance as a dedicated aquarium geek. With his betta fish Gilbert, he spends “way too much time on live plants and water parameters.” Speedcubing serves as another favorite outlet and late-night ritual. “I've been into Rubik's cubes for years and now I solve them between prompts while waiting for my agents to finish running,” he remarks. “If you ever hear Rubik's cube ASMR from across the room at 3am, come say hi.”
Joshua’s journey is proof that “you don't need a traditional path to make things happen.” All it takes is one spark, one inspirational moment, a dose of curiosity, and the bravery to take that first step - and you can rewrite where your story leads.
