G2I COMMUNITY HACKATHON: Ship a Real Product in 2 Weeks

About Event Join us for a 2-week hackathon where you'll team up with other G2i developers to build and ship a real product - not a tutorial project, but something you can actually point to in your portfolio. Ready to Join? Step 1: Fill out the idea submission form: https://forms.gle/TnseKQ6VpjisDiNe8 Step 2: Register here on Luma to get all event updates. Step 3: We’ll add you to the #hackathon-2026 channel on Slack Oscar Gallo, founder of GD42 and Y Combinator alum who's built 70+ apps for major businesses, is leading this hackathon. You'll learn market validation, get daily mentorship, work in small teams, and walk away with a launched product plus prizes. This isn't a brutal 48-hour sprint. It's part-time friendly over 2 weeks, designed to teach you the full 0 to 100 product launch experience - including the non-code parts like validation and keyword research that’s actually important when shipping something real. How It Works Phase 1: Idea Submission (Now - Feb 12) Submit your product idea via Google Form. Describe a problem you want to solve and your proposed solution in 1-2 sentences. No idea is too small - we're looking for problems people actually have, not just technically impressive projects. You'll also share your skills, availability, and work preferences so we can match you with the right team. Phase 2: Community Voting (Feb 13-17) All submitted ideas get shared in Slack. Similar ideas are grouped, and the community votes on which ones to build. This ensures we're building things people actually want. Phase 3: Kickoff Session (Feb 18) Join Oscar for a 1-hour live session where he teaches: Market analysis and keyword research Tools for validating your idea before you build How to identify if a product is worth building After the teaching session, you'll be matched into teams of 2-3 based on your skills, timezone, and work style preferences. You'll meet your teammates in breakout rooms and start planning. Phase 4: Build Phase (Feb 19 - Mar 4) Spend 2 weeks building with your team. This is part-time friendly [dedicate 1-4 hours per day based on your availability.] What you get during the build: Daily Slack check-ins to track progress Oscar and senior devs are available for support Optional 10-20 minute troubleshooting calls with Oscar Team Slack channel for collaboration All teams build the same winning idea, but with their own interpretation. This means you're not competing against each other - you're learning from each other's approaches. Phase 5: Demo Day (Mar 5) Present what you built in Y Combinator-style demos. Show your product, explain your approach, and document everything for your portfolio. Prizes to be announced on Slack. About Oscar Gallo Oscar is the founder of GD42, where his team has built over 70 successful apps serving some of the biggest businesses in America. A Y Combinator alum, Oscar has spoken to thousands of students across universities and brings a unique perspective from both teaching and building at scale. He's been coding since age 12 and knows how to make things happen fast - and more importantly, he knows how to teach others to do the same. What You'll Learn This hackathon teaches skills most developers never learn in their day jobs: How to validate an idea before writing code Market analysis and keyword research Working in small, distributed teams Shipping an MVP quickly (without cutting corners) The full 0 to 100 product launch process How to scope a project for a 2-week timeline Who Should Join Developers who want a real portfolio piece, not another tutorial project Anyone who's great at coding but wants to learn the product side Junior to senior devs looking to stand out in the job market Developers interested in entrepreneurship or side projects Anyone who wants to ship something real with support and mentorship Important Dates Now - Feb 12: Submit your product idea Feb 13-17: Community voting on ideas Feb 18: Kickoff session (1 hour, live) Feb 19 - Mar 4: Build phase (2 weeks, part-time friendly) Mar 5: Demo Day Questions? Reach out to @Sanjana (Community Manager) on Slack! Let's build something real together and have fun in the process.