Founder Speedrun Hackathon
About the Hackathon
Aligned with NYC Tech Week and Meta’s Llama Hackathon in New York, this event aims to attract a strong developer turnout and inspire them to build innovative projects. The “Founder Speedrun” Hackathon will bring together 30–50 of New York City’s top engineers and builders for a focused, one-day sprint to create innovative AI use cases across web2 AI applications, crypto, lifestyle, and beyond. We’ll also be inviting select VC and project partners to the event, offering teams the opportunity for fast-track fundraising conversations and early feedback on their ideas.
There will also be opportunities for the public to come and meet the hackers!
Hackathon Co-Hosts (could be you): Pond
Hackathon Track Sponsors & Judges (will be more): Archetype, a16z, Blackbird
Partners (could be you for prize, credits etc):
Location: New York
Date and Time (Saturday, June 7): 9:00 AM - 8 PM
Goals:
Reimagine the Future of Crypto-AI: Encourage developers to explore novel applications of AI in the crypto space. From predictive agents to intelligent protocols, this hackathon aims to inspire a new generation of builders to experiment with graph-based machine learning and decentralized intelligence using the Pond platform.
Leverage Your Project’s Tech Stack: Educate and empower participants to build with the technologies that define next-generation crypto infrastructure and applications.
Embrace Creativity — Open Exploration Track: In addition to the main tracks, the hackathon will feature an open track designed to encourage unrestricted creativity. Participants are invited to surprise us with projects built using any tools or technologies—not limited to your projects and Pond. This track celebrates experimentation and originality, with special prizes for categories such as Most Creative Project, Funniest Concept, and other unexpected innovations.
Current Agenda:
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM: Welcome, Presentation and Product Research
Introduce cohosts and partners
Outline the hackathon’s objectives
Breakfast will be provided
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM: Interactive Team Formation
Help guests find & form teams
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM: Coding Session
7 hours for teams to develop MVPs
BUILDING TIME!
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Lunch Time
Food will be provided!
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM: Demo Session
Each team presents a brief demo (2-3 minutes) of their project
Presentations should cover the problem, solution, and potential future development
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM: Happy Hour
Post hackathon Happy hour with food and drinks
Announce winners at 7:00pm
Teams can connect with judges & VCs