Code. Create. Innovate.
Startup Week's Buildathon is a 36-hour hackathon where teams tackle one of three challenging tracks, building technical solutions to real-world problems. Expect expert-led workshops, exciting prizes, and great food—including lunch and brunch—to keep you fueled. Whether you're here to innovate, disrupt, or learn, Buildathon is your chance to make an impact.
Time to build the future.
You will pick from one of the Buildathon tracks and work to create a Hack that solves the proposed problem over the course of the weekend! Finalists in some tracks will get their profiles reviewed for potential summer internships.
This event was made in collaboration between Tech@NYU, the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) NYU Chapter, and the NYU Blockchain Lab.
This event will take place IN PERSON March 1-2 at 45 East 20th Street, New York, NY.
Please check the "Resources" tab for our FAQ to see if we have answered potential questions you may have. If you have more questions, please email us at startupweek@techatnyu.org.
Requirements
You must opt in to one and only one track. You can opt into as many sponsor/category prizes as you wish (provided you follow any listed guidelines). There is a maximum of 4 people per team.
Submit everything by Sunday, March 2nd, at 12:00 PM EST. You are only allowed to submit one entry. If you are using existing code from prior to this hackathon, you must disclose that to the judges. Only the code you developed this weekend will be considered for judging purposes. No cross-posting is allowed. You must be present at the closing ceremony to claim your prize.
Your project should have some level of functionality and should attempt to solve the problem that is proposed by the track you have chosen.
Submit a link to your project as a working demo and/or a GitHub repository or zip file. Make sure to add "http://" or "https://" before your URL (otherwise we can’t see it!). Also, be prepared to record and upload a video showcasing your work.
Prizes
TRACK: The Future of Travel Technology
1st place: $250 in cash
Finalists: profile guaranteed to be reviewed for SWE internship with Soar* (Stealth Startup backed by VC's and ex CEO of Expedia)
Global business tourism spending reached an estimated $1.357B in 2023, and it’s forecast to reach $1.782B in 2027. More than ever, Gen-Z travelers who defy the traditional method of creating travel plans are becoming the main demographic of spenders. With old tools lacking the ability to develop individualized, community-oriented experiences, how do we redefine travel?
Challenge: Build an iOS or web-based prototype that pushes the boundaries of travel tech. Go beyond basic AI trip planning — ChatGPT already does this. Think about how you can improve how people interact with travel apps. Consider things like adapting plans on the go, rideshare coordination, and personalized recommendations.
Show us your vision!
*International Students can be considered if they are on CPT or on O1. Soar cannot guarantee OPT support.
TRACK: AI Agents for Onchain Innovation
1st place: $500 cash prize
Finalists: Priority consideration for the ORA Builder Program and ORA Internship Program
Web3 ecosystems have evolved rapidly over the past few years, granting access to financial primitives to anyone in the world. However, many users struggle to navigate the complexities of these systems in real time. AI and Agents have recently gained popularity for their potential application in solving these UX problems. How can AI agents transform these interactions, making DeFi more accessible, efficient, and secure for everyone? We’d love to see you explore this!
Challenge: Build an AI Agent using ORA’s Onchain Perpetual Agent Kit
Go beyond basic automation—think about how your agent can enhance user experience, optimize financial outcomes, and integrate seamlessly with specific DeFi protocols. Example projects include agents that assist users with protocol interactions, optimize yield on their assets, or manage liquidity for better returns.
We’re excited to see your vision and will reward creativity and utility!
ORA Documentation: https://docs.ora.io/doc
ORA Developer Help Chat: https://t.me/+p9wAbjFQDBlkMTVh
Suning Yao, Research Engineer at ORA, prev. NYU, will also be hosting a workshop on Sunday March 2nd!
TRACK: The Future of Personal Finance & Wealth Management
1st place: $250 in cash
Finalists: Consideration for Capybara.AI internships
Financial literacy and personal wealth management tools often fail to cater to younger generations and low-income individuals. How can technology make finance more accessible, smarter, and automated?
Challenge: Build a tool that empowers individuals to manage, grow, or protect their finances. Don’t limit yourself to budgeting apps; think about AI-driven insights, smart investments, credit optimization, or decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions.
Potential ideas include AI Financial Advisor chatbot, Credit Optimization Tool, Debt Repayment Assistant, Gamified Investing, or Privacy-Preserving Banking. We look forward to your submissions!
Anthropic: Best use of Claude
$1,500 in API Credits for Claude.
Projects must use Anthropic's Claude in some way
Adobe: Best UI/UX Design
$50 gift card for each team member
Sponsored by Adobe
Best iOS App
$250 in items
Best Fullstack Development
$250 in items
Mini projectors
Best Overall Technical
$250 in items
JBL speakers
Most Creative Hack
Anker Merch
Best Beginner Hack
Paperlike screen protectors, sponsored by Paperlike
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Suman Sigdel
SWE @ Next Door | Consumer App founder| KP Fellow | Prev : Uber, Coinbase
Danil Temnikov
SWE Team Lead @ EPAM Systems
Siri Varma Vegiraju
SWE @ Microsoft
Daniel Tam
Head of Product @ ORA
Jerry Ji
ML Engineer, GenAI @ META, Co-Founder of Capybara.AI
Judging Criteria
-
Innovation & Creativity
How original is the hack? Does the project introduce a novel approach to solving the problem? -
Relevance
How effectively does the hack address the core challenge of the track? -
Design and Usability
Is the solution intuitive, accessible, and easy to use? Does the project have broad applicability across diverse users? -
Technical Execution
How well is the hack built from a technical standpoint? -
Scalability
Is the hack adaptable for future improvements?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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