This hackathon condenses traction generation outcomes into a week and a half of building! First online, then in person. It provides founders, developers, visionaries, and viewing guests with direct access to yconic's resources and AI startup ecosystem. AI is strongly encouraged. You may use AI tools to build your project, incorporate AI or AI agents into your product, or both.

Every builder/team accepted into the competition will have to prove traction, show adoption, or demonstrate working AI-driven features/prototypes. Winners walk away with more than just cash; they earn automatic entry into yconic's larger $100,000 International Startup Hackathon and the chance to scale into a venture-ready company.

yconic AI acts as your 24/7 Entrepreneur in Residence — always available, always ready to help you think through strategy, pressure-test assumptions, and keep you focused on what matters most: customer validation and traction.

At yconic AI, you'll have access to thousands of yconic's AI-powered digital customers spanning dozens of industries. These digital users have backstories, careers, and context: executives, managers, fast-food workers, blue-collar operators, even those between jobs. They'll react to your product, pressure-test your ideas, and give you instant feedback.

Think of it as bringing your first thousand users into the room on day one.

✨ Multiple categories can be won by the same team!

Winners also earn automatic entry into the $100,000 International Startup Hackathon