🚀 GDG Stanford Hackathon. Win up to $5M in seed funding*
Hosted on LumaFetched about 3 hours ago
Sunday, May 31, 2026
to Monday, June 1, 2026
•
8 hours long
Artificial Intelligence
Event Type
in person
$5,000,000
Prize Pool
🚀 GDG Stanford × Red Bull Basement Hackathon
Fuel up and build with Gemini and Google AI Studio. Win up to $5M in seed funding* 📅 May 31 | 10 AM–6 PM PT
Join GDG Stanford for an elite hackathon where you'll build cutting-edge projects with codegen tools and earn 30-minute VC pitch meetings with top-tier investors.
🏆 The Prize
Top teams will be judged by representatives from Stanford, Google, and multiple venture capital funds. Winners earn direct pitch access to VCs writing $500K–$5M seed checks.
*Investment not guaranteed. Prize is pitch access only. Winning teams gain meeting access but must earn investment through their pitch and business fundamentals.
⭐ Judges & Investors You'll pitch to a lineup of operators and investors from leading funds:
Ursheet Parikh — MayfieldAndrew Parambath MD MBA — Pear VCTessa Osborne — Plug and Play Tech CenterDerick En'Wezoh, MD, MBA — Susa VenturesLena Stocker — DTCPVikram Venkat — Cota CapitalKevin Bernal — Mighty CapitalKavon Badie — Mighty CapitalZenetta Burger — Giant VenturesNeda Emami — Bay AngelsMatt Goldman — J2 VenturesMagne Jul Pedersen — Exponential VenturesZhen Xia — INCE CapitalAnitha Vadavatha — AB Plus VenturesProf. Nikesh Kotecha — Stanford HealthJoana Carrasqueira — DeepMindDebojyoti (Debo) Dutta — NutanixDenis Belyavsky — 12 Scrappy FoundersTasha Rose — RedBullRemi Kaito — Arcade AIPhilippe Mallette — Investor, Flourish VenturesNicole Seah — Investor, Costanoa VenturesBenjamin Gorman — Investor, F-Prime CapitalHerman Zhou — Investor, Llama VenturesPauline Tsai — Investor, BoschTracy Liu — Investor, M12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund)Raphaella Lancia — Sr. Director, ExperianRajmohan Rajagopalan — General Manager, MicrosoftChao Zhao — Researcher, OpenAINaman Goyal — Researcher, DeepMindShalin Mantri — Founder, Superlink; ex-Director, GoogleAkash Sahoo — Researcher, SamsungKarthik Ganesan — Researcher, SnowflakeVino Duraisamy — Developer Advocate, SnowflakeParth Maheshwari — Founder, Mochatrade (YC P26); ex-AdobeBin Sheng — Founder, AnyTransformer Inc.; ex-Director, Pony.ai
📅 Event Schedule
10:00 AM — Registration: signup and networking with fellow builders10:30 AM — Opening Ceremony & Rules Briefing11:00–11:15 AM — Speaker Session: short talk from sponsor Red Bull Basement11:30 AM — Hacking Begins! 3-hour intensive build sprint2:30 PM — Submission Deadline (Hard Stop)3:30 PM — Semi-Finalists Announced4:00 PM — Live Finals Presentations: Top 6 teams (5 min pitch + 5 min Q&A)5:30 PM — Winners Announced6:00 PM — Event Wrap-Up
🌐 Online Track
Can't make it to Stanford on May 31st? We've got you covered.
No live streaming or video conferencing — work on your own scheduleSubmission deadline: End of day, May 31stSame deliverables as in-person participantsJudging based on traction + playcast metrics (same as Phase 2 conditions)VC pitch access for top submissions
Build with Gemini, ship a prototype, post your demo, and let your network do the talking. Top submissions get 30-minute meetings with funds.
📋 Submission Requirements
Each team must submit by 2:30 PM sharp:
One-Pager — Document describing your team and ideaHosted Prototype — Working demo link (via Google AI Studio & Google Cloud Run)2-Minute Video — Team introduction and elevator pitch1-Minute Video — Prototype demo (Playcast)Code Repository — Link via Google AI Studio sharing mechanics
Data Usage & Judging Consent: By submitting your prototype playcast, you authorize organizers to use your submission in paid social ads (e.g., Facebook). Real-world performance metrics (CPM, CTR, CPC, etc.) will be collected and used as core market validation data for Phase 2 (post-event) judging. You may opt out by notifying organizers prior to submission; data sharing with sponsors and investors is a condition of participation.
⚖️ Judging Criteria
Projects will be evaluated on:
Technical Feasibility — Does it actually work?Innovation & Novelty — Is the approach creative or clever?Real-World Applicability — Would people genuinely use it?Market Potential & Fundability — Could this become venture-backable?Go-to-Market Traction — Social engagement on your demo video (likes, shares, views)
Social Engagement Component
Your demo YouTube video must be shared publicly. Engagement counts toward your score:
Phase 1: Engagement tracked during the hackathon (5 PM deadline)Phase 2: Continued tracking for 2 weeks post-event (viral reach + playcast metrics)
🎯 Competition Format
Semi-Finals: All submissions undergo asynchronous review by the judging panel.
Finals: Top 5 teams advance to live presentations:
10 minutes per team (5 min pitch + 5 min Q&A)Present on stage to the full panel of VCs and special guestsWinners announced at 5:30 PM
👥 Who Should Attend
This hackathon is perfect for:
Builders with AI/ML experience or a passion for emerging techFounders exploring new startup ideas or validating conceptsStudents & Developers eager to learn Google Gemini's coding capabilitiesExisting Teams wanting exposure to top-tier VCsFast Shippers ready to build and demo a working prototype in 3 hours
Whether you're solo, on a team, or already building a startup (some invited participants are at Series A stage), this event offers a unique opportunity to showcase your work to decision-makers at leading venture funds.
❓ FAQ
Q: Can I pitch an existing startup? Absolutely! If you win, you can pitch either your hackathon project or your existing company during the 30-minute VC meetings.
Q: What's the team size limit? Up to 4 people.
Q: Can I participate solo? Yes.
Q: Can I participate remotely? Yes — the Online Track has the same deliverables, with submissions due by end of day, May 31st (Phase 2 conditions, no live streaming).
Q: When do VC meetings happen? Winners schedule their 30-minute pitch meetings with selected funds after the event.
Q: What should I bring? Laptop, charger, and your best ideas!