Stanford x DeepMind Hackathon: Build. Ship. Win up to $5M in Seed Funding*
βπ Stanford x DeepMind Hackathon: Build with Google AI Studio and Fastshot.ai
βWin up to $5M in Seed Funding* | April 12th, 10amβ6pm PT
βJoin 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.
βπ The Prize
βTop teams will be judged by representatives from Stanford, Google, and multiple venture capital funds. Winners earn direct pitch access to VCs writing $500Kβ$5M seed checks, plus Fastshot.ai Gemini build credits, DeepMind GCP credits, and cash prizes:
βIn-Person Track: $60K prize purse (DeepMind GCP credits + FastShot.ai Gemini Credits)
βOnline Track: $10K prize purse (DeepMind GCP credits)
β*Investment not guaranteed. Prize is pitch access only. Winning teams gain meeting access but must earn investment through their pitch and business fundamentals.
ββ Judges & Investors
βJudges
βOmri Drory, Ph.D. β General Partner @ NFX Bio
βNancy Wang β Venture Partner @ Felicis
βBryan Liu β Principal @ Alumni Ventures
βMohan Iyer β General Partner @ SOSV
βParikshit Sharma β Partner @ SOSV
βDenny Gabriel β Investor @ Runa Capital
βArpit Mittal β Partner @ Threshold Ventures
βPramod Gosavi β Sr. Principal @ Blumberg Capital
βVikram Venkat β Principal @ Cota Capital
βTessa Osborne β Investor @ Plug and Play
βCourtney Schoeb β Investor @ Giant Ventures
βMatt Goldman β General Partner @ J2 Ventures
βAshtan Jordan β Principal @ Precursor Ventures
βPrateek Joshi β Investor @ Moxxie Ventures
βJoanna Gough β Managing General Partner @ Pulse Impact Ventures
βDaniel Darling β Co-founder & GP @ Focal VC
βShahram Seyedin-Noor β Founder & Managing Partner @ Civilization Ventures
βAngelica Parente, PhD β Investor @ Civilization Ventures
βRaj Shekhar Singh β Founder & General Partner @ Z21 Ventures
βKrish W. Ramadurai β Partner @ AIX Ventures
βKaan Eren β Partner @ e2vc
βYang Tran β Partner @ Zero Prime Ventures
βPourya Moradi β Venture Partner @ Think + Ventures
βDilan Sisu β Investor @ e2.vc
βGiuseppe Stuto β Founder @ Offscript VC
βBrian Zhan β Partner @ Striker Venture Partners
βBenny Liao β Principal @ Acorn Pacific Ventures
βKevin Bernal β Investor @ Mighty Capital
βKavon Badie β Investor @ Mighty Capital
βAndrew Sorohan β Investor @ u.ventures
βMark Wasuwanich β Incubating @ Open Core Ventures
βDebojyoti (Debo) Dutta β Chief AI Officer @ Nutanix; Angel
βFrancis Ma β ex-Sr. Director @ Google; Angel
βZhen Xia β Investor @ INCE Capital
βNeda Emami β Investor @ Bay Angels
βC.C. Gong β Principal @ Menlo Ventures
βWanda Wang β Partner @ Diversis Capital
βAnitha Vadavatha β Managing Partner @ AB Plus Ventures
βDenis Belyavsky β Angel; recent exit
βVig Sachidananda, PhD β Partner @ Gradient Ventures
βThomas Shehadeh β Investor @ M13
βMatias Porras Paniagua β Investor @ Insight Partners
βFrancesca Gnuva β Investor @ Audacious Ventures
βGaurav Manglik β General Partner @ WestWave Capital
βVincent Zhou β Investor @ Strike Capital
βAndy Tang β Founding Partner @ Draper Dragon
βAmrut Rajkarne β Investor @ Nexus Venture Partners
βAndrew Couillard β Investor @ Harpoon Ventures
βLeonard Lee β Head of Accelerator @ 500 Global
βDerick En'Wezoh β Partner @ Susa VC
βChris Bradbury β Investor @ Alumni Ventures
βCharlotte Xia β Investor @ Fusion Fund
βKayla Kavanaugh β Principal @ Afore Capital
βStanford
βProf. Nikesh Kotecha β Head of Data @ Stanford Health
βTaarush Grover β VP Startup Development @ Stanford Bases
βGoogle / DeepMind
βNitya Ramani β Sr. Director, Google
βAmit Vadi β Head of Community, DeepMind
βJoana Carrasqueira β Product Lead, DeepMind
βIvan Leo β DevEx, DeepMind
βCo-organisers
βElvira D
βDmitry Fatkhi
βAlexander Sukhanov
βJesse (Juefang) Z.
βArpinΓ© Arakelyan
βπ Event Schedule
β
10:00 AM Registration & Breakfast β Light refreshments and networking with fellow builders
10:30 AM Opening Ceremony & Rules Briefing β Official rules, competition format
11:00 β 11:15 AM Speaker Session β Fastshot.AI will give a short talk on how and why to use their codegen platform for mobile apps
11:30 AM Hacking Begins! β 3-hour intensive build sprint starts 2:30 PM Submission Deadline (Hard Stop) β All submissions must be completed
2:30 PM Late Lunch β Sandwiches/beverages and networking with fellow builders
3:30 PM Semi-Finalists Announced β Top teams selected for live pitches
4:00 PM Live Finals Presentations β Top 6 teams pitch on stage (5 min pitch + 5 min Q&A)
5:30 PM Winners Announced β Grand prize winners revealed 6:00 PM Event Wrap-Up
βπ Online Track
βCan't make it to Stanford on April 12th? We've got you covered.
βWe've added an Online Track for remote participants:
βNo live streaming or video conferencing β work on your own schedule
βSubmission deadline: End of day, April 12th
βSame deliverables as in-person participants
βJudging based on traction + playcast metrics β same conditions as Phase 2
βPrize pool: $10K in GCP credits for Online Track winners
βVC pitch access for top submissions
βBuild with Gemini, ship a prototype, post your demo, and let your network do the talking. Top submissions get 30-minute meetings with funds.
βπ Submission Requirements*
βEach team must submit by 2:30 PM sharp β Google AI Studio Gemini track:
βOne-Pager β Document describing your team and idea
βHosted Prototype β A working demo link (via Google AI Studio & Google Cloud Run)
β2-Minute Video β Team introduction and "elevator" pitch
β1-Minute Video β A demo of the prototype. Playcast.
βCode Repository β Link to code via Google AI Studio sharing mechanics
βEach team must submit by 2:30 PM sharp β FastShot.ai mobile app track:
βOne-Pager β Document describing your team and idea
βHosted Prototype β A working demo link (via FastShot.ai sharing mechanics)
β2-Minute Video β Team introduction and "elevator" pitch
β1-Minute Video β A demo of the prototype. Playcast.
β*Data Usage & Judging Consent: By submitting your prototype playcast, you authorize the organizers to use your submission in paid social ads (e.g., Facebook). Real-world performance metrics generated from these campaigns (including but not limited to CPM, CTR, and CPC) 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.
ββοΈ Judging Criteria
βProjects will be evaluated on:
βTechnical Feasibility β Does it actually work? Is it functional?
βInnovation & Novelty β Is the approach creative, unique, or clever?
βReal-World Applicability β Would people genuinely use this solution?
βMarket Potential & Fundability β Could this become a viable, venture-backable company?
βGo-to-Market Traction β Social engagement on your demo video (likes, shares, views)
βSocial Engagement Component
βYour demo YouTube video must be shared publicly! Social engagement counts toward your score:
βPhase 1: Engagement tracked during the hackathon (5pm deadline)
βPhase 2: Second chance β continued tracking for 2 weeks post-event (measuring viral reach and second/third-degree networks + collecting playcast metrics for 2 weeks post-event)
βπ― Competition Format
βSemi-Finals
βAll submissions undergo asynchronous review by our judging panel. Judges score based on the criteria above.
βFinals
βTop 5 teams advance to live presentations:
β10 minutes per team (5 min pitch + 5 min Q&A with judges)
βPresent on stage to the full panel of VCs and special guests
βWinners announced at 5:30 PM
βπ₯ Who Should Attend
βThis hackathon is perfect for:
βBuilders with AI/ML experience or a passion for emerging technology
βFounders exploring new startup ideas or validating concepts
βStudents & Developers eager to learn Google Gemini's coding capabilities
βExisting Teams who want exposure to top-tier VCs
βFast Shippers ready to build and demo a working prototype in 3 hours
βWhether you're a solo developer, have a team, or are 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.
ββ Frequently Asked Questions
βQ: Can I pitch an existing startup? A: Absolutely! If you win, you can pitch either your hackathon project or your existing company during the 30-minute VC meetings.
βQ: What's the team size limit? A: Up to 4 people.
βQ: Can I participate solo? A: Yes.
βQ: Can I participate remotely? A: Yes! The Online Track has the same deliverables, with submissions due by end of day, April 12th. No live streaming (Phase 2 conditions). The Online Track has a $10K GCP credits prize pool.
βQ: When do VC meetings happen? A: Winners will schedule 30-minute pitch meetings with selected funds after the event.
βQ: What should I bring? A: Laptop, charger, and your best ideas!