In Fall 2018, Dr. Mike started a club called the Hacking Team at Sinclair College for students in any major to learn about cybersecurity. Dr. Mike had found several hacking and cybersecurity computer games for the new club to use, but just before the fall semester started, he had a new idea. 

At the DEFCON cybersecurity conference a few weeks earlier, Dr. Mike had competed in the Darknet Challenge, a role-playing game that requires teams to solve various hacking puzzles and tests to complete a quest. Now Dr. Mike was determined to create a similar cybersecurity game for his students, one that combined elements of virtual cybersecurity games with a hands-on challenge, but that could be completed inside a single classroom within the length of a class period. 

He came home and got working on an idea called Sticker Heist, a  challenge he would test on his newly formed Hacking Team.  He purchased a Lock Sport kit from Hacker Boxes and created the v1 prototype with his own funding, time, and effort.