STUDENTS of the University of Asia and the Pacific made history after they became the first Filipino team to secure a podium finish in the global Estee Lauder Companies Hackathon.

Team Icarus — composed of Calalo, Javier Luis Barreiro, Danielle Marie Peralta, Jose Hector Calilung —  placed second in the competition held last October 28.

They bested students and alumni from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California Berkeley, New York University, University College London, University of Toronto, and professionals from EPAM Systems, Accenture, and Estee Lauder.

It was the first time that a Filipino team won in the hackathon.

The students were mentored by Jamie Emilie Alabin, the founding captain of Icarus.

Previous winners came from Cornell University, the University of Southern California, Johnson & Johnson, and Walmart.

Meanwhile, a group of learners from Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology in India and joint team of the University of Toronto and University of College London students and alumni ranked first and third, respectively.