--- title: Investing in the next generation description: KumoMTA team gives back in many ways image: https://kumomta.com/hubfs/hackathon.jpeg --- [Skip to content](https://kumomta.com/blog/investing-in-the-next-generation#main-content) [![KUMO\_Logo\_NEW\_Color](https://kumomta.com/hs-fs/hubfs/KUMO_Logo_NEW_Color.png?width=118&height=32&name=KUMO_Logo_NEW_Color.png "KUMO_Logo_NEW_Color")](https://kumomta.com) - Technology - [Architecture](https://kumomta.com/technology/architecture) - [Features](https://kumomta.com/technology) - [Open Source](https://kumomta.com/technology/open-source) - [Support & Pricing](https://kumomta.com/pricing) - About Kumo - [About Us](https://kumomta.com/about) - [Events](https://kumomta.com/events) - [Customers](https://kumomta.com/customers) - [Contact Us](https://kumomta.com/contact) - Resources - [Documentation](https://docs.kumomta.com/) - [Migration Center](https://kumomta.com/migration-center) - [Migration Center Hub](https://kumomta.com/migration-center) - [Momentum](https://kumomta.com/momentum-migration-guide) - [PowerMTA](https://kumomta.com/replace-powermta-with-kumomtas-infrastructure-built-for-mailops) - [Halon](https://kumomta.com/halon-migration-guide) - [SendGrid](https://kumomta.com/sendgrid-alternative-migration) - [Hurricane MTA](https://kumomta.com/hurricanemta-alternative-socketlabs-migration) - [Blog](https://kumomta.com/blog) - [Community Forum](https://community.kumomta.com/) - Guides & Reports - [2026 MTA Buyers Guide](https://kumomta.com/buyers-guide-2026-download) - [2026 State of MailOps](https://kumomta.com/2026-state-of-mailops-report-download-page) - [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC348UpfbnPgpKPAXIBW_JNQ) - [Github Repository](https://github.com/KumoCorp/kumomta) - [Contact](https://kumomta.com/contact) - [MTA](https://kumomta.com/blog/tag/mta), - [KumoMTA](https://kumomta.com/blog/tag/kumomta), - [hack](https://kumomta.com/blog/tag/hack) # Investing in the next generation ![](https://kumomta.com/hubfs/hackathon.jpeg) - September 18, 2025 ![Tom Mairs](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/50c5bbe56f0a485919666fb3f0a598f7) [Tom Mairs](https://kumomta.com/blog/author/tom-mairs) I normally fill this blog space with handy tips about using KumoMTA, but this one is a bit different.  I want to talk about something every successful entrepreneur should always have in mind:  Giving back.   Recently, I was approached by a local teen who was looking for a bit of help with a hackathon he and his friends wanted to pull together. I heard the pitch, and I was immediately reminded of my own journey from after-school hacker to successful tech entrepreneur.  There was zero hesitation with my "Yes, of course I will help - tell me what you need."   [KumoMTA](https://kumomta.com/)sponsors and attends a [number](https://emailsummit.ca/) of [events](https://2025.mauticon.org/#/) every year that are primarily focused on email transport and [security](https://www.m3aawg.org/), but as an [open-source company](https://github.com/KumoCorp), we also do quite a bit through our [code](https://github.com/KumoCorp/kumomta) and [Discord](https://fly.conncord.com/layover2?hubspotId=24054978&contactId=null) to encourage startups, developers, and other entrepreneurs who want to build interesting new things.  Helping this group of kids seems to be a perfect use of the event budget, even if we are not attending in person.   [![daydream](https://kumomta.com/hs-fs/hubfs/daydream.png?width=305&height=407&name=daydream.png)](https://daydream.hackclub.com/)As it turns out, this local hackathon is part of a [much larger network](https://hackclub.com/) of youth hack groups largely driven by teens for teens all over North America.  From the marketing material, "[Daydream](https://daydream.hackclub.com/) *is the world's largest Game Jam event for teenagers, happening simultaneously in over 100 cities. Participants with all levels of experience come together for 24 hours to socialize and develop a game from scratch.*" When I was a teen, the word "hackathon did not even exist. (seriously) And apparently, it was invented right [here in Calgary in 1999](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackathon#cite_note-2). - cool trivia tidbit :) I was writing my own games, rewiring my own computer and sharing wins and failures on text-based dial-up [BBS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulletin_board_system) systems with other like-minded geeks wherever I could find them, which was pretty rare back then.  I am actually pretty jealous of kids today who have so much access to tech, support resources, and masses of people who have access and interest in building cool things. If you are a teen and you are interested in collaborating with others on building games, learning code and exploring open-source, click on one of those [links](https://daydream.hackclub.com/) and find a club you can join. If you are a more senior geek like me and want to help support the next generation of hackers, builders and dreamers, you can invest in their future [right here](https://hackclub.com/philanthropy/). \------------------------------------------------------------------ KumoMTA is the first open-source MTA designed from the ground up for the world's largest commercial senders. We are fueled by Professional Services and Sponsorship revenue. [Join the Discord](https://discord.com/invite/tj4vrgC8k3) | [Review the Docs](https://docs.kumomta.com/) | [Read the Blog](https://kumomta.com/blog) | [Grab the Code](https://github.com/KumoCorp/kumomta) | [Support the team](https://donate.stripe.com/00g9AU5Dq7fresg7ss) STAY IN TOUCH ## Get periodic updates about the latest releases, features, and news around KumoMTA. [![KUMO\_Logo\_Files\_Color 1](https://kumomta.com/hubfs/KUMO_Logo_Files_Color%201.svg "KUMO_Logo_Files_Color 1")](https://kumomta.com) ##### Proud member of ![maawg 1](https://kumomta.com/hubfs/maawg%201.png "maawg 1") [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/91414337/) [Follow us on Github](https://github.com/KumoCorp/kumomta) [Follow us on Discord](https://discord.com/servers/kumomta-1072980126737907824) [Follow us on Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC348UpfbnPgpKPAXIBW_JNQ) ##### Explore KumoMTA - [Open Source](https://kumomta.com/technology/open-source) - [Features](https://kumomta.com/technology) - [Pricing](https://kumomta.com/pricing) - [Case Studies](https://kumomta.com/customers) - [About Us](https://kumomta.com/about) - [Privacy](https://kumomta.com/privacy) ##### Resources - [Blog](https://kumomta.com/blog) - [Documentation](https://docs.kumomta.com/) - [Community Forum](https://community.kumomta.com/?_gl=1*o6wdcs*_gcl_au*MTAxMDA2MjM0NC4xNzcyNzI4Njg3*_ga*MTQ0NjAzODcyNS4xNzU3MDkzMjQ2*_ga_LNBCW1KF8J*czE3Nzc5MzU3ODYkbzIkZzAkdDE3Nzc5MzYwMjMkajI3JGwwJGgw) - [FAQ](https://docs.kumomta.com/faq/) - [YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC348UpfbnPgpKPAXIBW_JNQ) - [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/KumoCorp/kumomta?_gl=1*12d5gs8*_gcl_au*MTAxMDA2MjM0NC4xNzcyNzI4Njg3*_ga*MTQ0NjAzODcyNS4xNzU3MDkzMjQ2*_ga_LNBCW1KF8J*czE3Nzc5MzU3ODYkbzIkZzAkdDE3Nzc5MzU3ODkkajU3JGwwJGgw) - [© 2026 Kumo Corp, All rights reserved. KumoMTA and the Kumo logo are registered trademarks of Kumo Corp. ](https://kumomta.com/privacy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Tom Mairs", "url" : "https://kumomta.com/blog/author/tom-mairs" }, "dateModified" : "2026-01-06T14:49:09.281Z", "datePublished" : "2025-09-18T00:12:35.000Z", "headline" : "Investing in the next generation", "image" : [ "https://kumomta.com/hubfs/hackathon.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://kumomta.com/blog/investing-in-the-next-generation", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://kumomta.com/hubfs/KUMO_Logo_NEW_Color.png" }, "name" : "KumoMTA" } } ```