Berkeley x DeepMind Hackathon: Build. Ship. Win up to $5M in Seed Funding*

Grand Prize — VC Pitch Access: A 30-minute private pitch meeting with selected funds from our judging panel — VCs writing $500K–$5M seed checks. Pitch your hackathon project or your existing startup. Google AI Studio Track (sponsored by DeepMind): In-Person: share of $15K in GCP credits Online: share of $5K in GCP credits *Investment not guaranteed. The prize is pitch access only — winning teams gain meeting access but must earn investment through their pitch and business fundamentals. 📅 Event Schedule 10:00 AM — Registration & Breakfast: light refreshments and networking with fellow builders 10:30 AM — Opening Ceremony & Rules Briefing: official rules and competition format 11:30 AM — Hacking Begins: 3-hour build sprint 2:30 PM — Submission Deadline (hard stop): all submissions must be in 2:30 PM — Late Lunch: sandwiches, beverages, and networking 3:30 PM — Semi-Finalists Announced: top teams selected for live pitches 4:00 PM — Live Finals: top teams pitch on stage (5-min pitch + 5-min Q&A) 5:30 PM — Winners Announced 6:00 PM — Event Wrap-Up ⚖️ Meet the Judges Google & Google DeepMindNaman Goyal — Researcher, Google DeepMindJaidev Shah — Researcher, Google DeepMindAmit Patel — Director, GoogleJoana Carrasqueira — Senior Manager, Google DeepMindMin Choi — Product Manager, Google DeepMindZviad Kardava — Staff AI Developer Relations Engineer, GoogleIvan Leo — DevEx, Google DeepMind Venture Capital & IndustryFelix To — Investor, NFXDenise Teng — Investor, Gradient VenturesLan Wu — Investor, Fusion FundGiuseppe Stuto — Investor, Offscript VenturesRob Smith — Investor, M13Jyotika Gupta — Investor, z21 VenturesSarah Loveland —Investor, Civilization VenturesTessa Osborne — Investor, Plug and PlayPauline Tsai — Investor, Bosch VenturesWanda Wang — Investor, Diversis CapitalPramod Gosavi — Investor, Blumberg CapitalZee Wang — Investor, Inventive CapitalSarah Wang — Investor, VU Venture PartnersBen Gorman — Investor, F-Prime CapitalKeerthi Nalabotu — Investor, True VenturesNikul Bhatt — Investor, KFC VenturesRaphaella Lancia — Senior Director, ExperianDenis Belyavski — TulaCoPablo Albrecht — OrchestrapayGreg Henrion — Sunset.video Berkeley & StanfordBen Fong — Berkeley SkyDeckEmile Shah — President, Girls into VC @ BerkeleyLisa Collier — Director, Girls into VC @ BerkeleyRolando Perez, PhD — Senior Scientist, Stanford UniversityTaarush Grover — Stanford BASES/Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL) 🌐 Online Track Can't make it to campus? We've added an Online Track for remote participants: No live streaming or video conferencing — work on your own schedule Submission deadline: end of day, September 27 Same deliverables as in-person participants Judging based on traction — same conditions as Phase 2 (7-day social engagement tracking) Prize pool: $5K in GCP credits 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 All projects must use the Google Gemini model. Each team must submit the following by 2:30 PM sharp: One-Pager — Document describing your team and idea Hosted Prototype — Working demo link (via Google AI Studio & Google Cloud Run) 2-Minute Video — Team introduction and elevator pitch 1-Minute Video — Prototype demo (Playcast) Code Repository — Link via Google AI Studio sharing 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 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 — Tracked during the hackathon (5:00 PM cutoff) 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 teams advance to live presentations — 10 minutes per team (5-min pitch + 5-min Q&A) on stage before the full panel of VCs and special guests. Winners announced at 5:30 PM. Whether you're a solo developer, have a team, or are already building a startup (some invited participants are at Series A stage), this event is a unique opportunity to showcase your work to decision-makers at leading venture funds. ❓ FAQ 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. What's the team size limit? Up to 5 people. Can I participate solo? Yes. Can I participate remotely? Yes! The Online Track has the same deliverables, with submissions due by end of day, September 27. No live streaming — judging is based on 7-day social engagement (Phase 2 conditions). The Online Track has a $5K GCP credits prize pool. When do VC meetings happen? Winners will schedule 30-minute pitch meetings with selected funds after the event. What should I bring? Laptop, charger, and your best ide