Four team members. 48 hours. A multi-agent AI solution that took first place at AI Code Connect #3 in Skopje. Here is what they built, what surprised them, and what they are still thinking about. Forty-two participants walked into AI Code Connect #3. Eight teams. One weekend. The brief: build something real with agentic AI. Spaghetti Agency walked out as winners. But more than the result, what stands out is how this team thinks about AI, under pressure, and about each other. We sat down with the four of them to find out what actually happened inside that room.
Marija Trpcheska Kostoska – Sr. Technical Consultant, Front-End Team
How did competition influence your motivation and focus during the event?
The competition pushed me to stay focused, think creatively, and give my best throughout the event. Knowing we were competing against strong teams motivated us to refine our ideas, collaborate effectively, and keep improving our solution- which ultimately helped us secure first place.
What book, movie, or podcast recently inspired you?
Recently, the podcast How I Built This inspired me. Hearing stories about how entrepreneurs turn ideas into successful products reminded me of the importance of persistence, teamwork, and continuous learning when tackling new challenges.
Marko Churlinoski – Sr. QA Consultant, QA Team
What role did you naturally take on within your team during the hackathon?
I naturally took on a quality-focused support role within the team. I helped by testing our multi-agent AI solution from different angles, looking for edge cases, unexpected behaviors, and ways users might interact with it that we had not initially considered. Since this area is still relatively new to me, I spent a lot of time learning, experimenting, documenting findings, and sharing feedback with the team. My focus was on helping improve the reliability of the solution by identifying issues and suggesting improvements through hands-on testing and exploration.
What’s your favorite travel destination, and why?
My dream travel destination is the Maldives. The beautiful beaches, crystal-clear water, and unique island resorts make it a place I would love to visit one day. Unfortunately, it is a bit outside my current budget, so I joke that I’ll need to win three more hackathons before I can afford the trip! 😄
Darko Djuteski – Sr. QA Consultant, Microsoft Team
How did working under time pressure change the way you approached problem-solving?
Time pressure forced me to get comfortable with “good enough.” In normal work I’d spend a lot of time researching the ideal architecture before writing a line of code, but at the hackathon I had to make fast, committed decisions and move forward, even when I wasn’t 100% sure they were right. It actually made me more decisive. I also leaned on the team more than usual; there was no room for solo rabbit holes, so we communicated constantly and cut scope ruthlessly when something wasn’t working. The deadline made prioritization instinctive rather than effortful.
What’s a skill or hobby you’d love to learn if you had more time?
The hackathon actually got me thinking about this , when you’re heads-down building something from scratch in a day, there’s a creative energy to it that I don’t always get in regular work. It made me want more of that feeling outside of a screen too. I’d love to pick up an instrument properly, something where you can hear the progress in a tangible way. There’s something appealing about a craft where the feedback loop is immediate and the stakes are low. No deadlines, no stakeholders, just you and the music.
Kristijan Momiroski – Sr. QA Consultant, Front-end Team
How did this experience change the way you see AI in real-world projects?
I learned that a powerful AI isn’t just about the model. It’s about good data, strong security, and presenting insights clearly through visualization. Low quality data leads to low quality outcomes, but clean, protected data? That’s a winning edge.
Which fictional character would thrive in your role?
Tyrion Lannister because he plays the long game with limited resources, spots hidden risks (like security flaws), and knows that the smartest move is often protecting what you have before chasing what you don’t.
