Founder Speedrun Hackathon: Google Cloud | ElevenLabs | Ethereum Foundation
Launch Your AI Startup in 14 Days
Pond’s Virtual Hackathon | July 21 – August 3
Ready to turn your AI MVP into a real product with traction from day one? Join Pond’s 2-week virtual hackathon - your product launchpad to build, fund, and grow the next breakthrough AI startup.
You’ll build alongside Pond partners like Google Cloud, Eleven Labs, and Ethereum Foundation - with support from top mentors, tools, and community.
Please note, you can build any AI-related products.
How is this Hackathon Different?
This isn’t just a competition - it’s the start of your company.
Top teams get access to Pond Markets: a direct path to get funded, reach users, and go to market.
Case Study: Blai's Launch on Pond
• Website: https://blaiapp.io/
• $150,000 funded in 3 minutes
• 6,000+ users on day one
• 800 Twitter followers gained in 24 hours
Pond Markets Also Offers:
Hands-on support, expert mentorship, and a full suite of tools to go from idea to impact. Join a global community of seasoned founders and engineers at the frontier of AI and crypto.
What You’ll Get:
Expert Mentorship – Multiple workshops and Q&As from partners
Path to Growth – Access to Pond’s accelerator and launch platform
Co-founder Matching – Connect with the global builder community, meet cracked hackers and potentially meet your future co-founders
14 Days of Building – Ship a real product, not just a prototype
Pond is backed by: Archetype, Coinbase Ventures, Illia Polosukhin (co-author of Attention Is All You Need) and 30+ angels.
Think Y Combinator + AWS for AI startups - powered by crypto and accessible from anywhere.
Evaluation Criteria:
Problem Clarity & Importance
Innovation
Technical Execution
Market Potential
Community Engagement
Presentation & Pitch
This is your chance to take your products to the next level.
Tracks & Prizes:
Pond Tracks (Business & Vision)
Most Business Viable
Most Commercially Promising
Most Creative
Future Startup Prize
Prizes:
Up to $50,000 in non-dilutive community funding
Go-to-market and distribution support from Pond's 80,000 daily active users.
Eleven Labs Tracks
Best use of ElevenLabs voice AI
Prizes:
All participants: 3 months of Creator Tier
Overall winner: 1.1M characters/month (3 months) + Pro Tier (~$300 value)
Best ElevenLabs project: 11M characters/month (6 months) + Scale Tier (~$2,000 value)
Google Cloud (GCP AI Track)
Best use of GCP AI tools for model deployment, pipelines, or integrations
Prize:
$3,000 in Google Cloud credits for the winner
Ethereum Foundation (AI + Blockchain Track)
Best onchain AI application: verification, incentives, agents, or governance
Prize:
Bespoke support over two months: Bi-weekly check-ins, strategic guidance, and hands-on support tailored to each team’s needs
Free ticket to Devconnect: Full access to the Ethereum ecosystem’s flagship gathering in Buenos Aires this November
Introductions to growth paths in the ecosystem: Warm intros to relevant accelerators, incubators, and partners after the support phase
Eligibility:
Projects must be new or significantly upgraded
Teams must present a brief GTM plan during judging
Mentorship & Workshops:
Partners & judges will host workshops that cover:
AI business models
Go-to-market for AI startups
Fundraising
AI product design
Judging Panel:
Cyber Fund – Stepan Gershuni (VC Principal)
Ethereum Foundation – Devansh Mehta (AI Lead), Davide Crapis (Research Scientist)
Eleven Labs – Thor Schaeff (Developer Experience)
Pond – Bill Shi (CTO)
Google Cloud – Kyle Song (Crypto & AI Specialist)
Early sign-ups are open now. Please join the Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/kErd9uvHwA
Register now to reserve your spot. Once confirmed, you’ll receive full event details ahead of the July 21 kickoff.