You can register here on Devpost, but all participants must complete our application process to be eligible. You can fill that out now or later: Here's the link: https://forms.gle/9XjhmAtQu1Gf97z98
After registering here, you'll also receive an email with a link to our qualification form. Selected participants will be notified promptly!
Per hackathon tracks, you can build from scratch (new idea) or join the startup track if, see below:
Note: Only pre-seed startups that are 0–12 months old qualify. If your startup is older, join our Build-From-Scratch track—ideal for founders (startup-curious or startup-serious) who want to test brand-new ideas.
PROVING GROUND: AGENTIC STARTUP HACKATHONMay 16-18, 2025 | 500 Global, Palo Alto, CA |
WELCOME TO THE PROVING GROUNDFor enterprise professionals exploring startup ideas: You have domain expertise and technical skills, but limited time to test your concepts. Is your idea worth pursuing further? Could it become your next career move? For committed founders with early projects: You've started building, but is your direction right? Are you solving a real problem? Is your solution fundable and scalable? Most startups fail because they never validate early. This 72-hour sprint will pressure-test your AI-driven concept and give you clarity on your next strategic move. |
WHY THIS MATTERS
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CHOOSE YOUR PATHTRADITIONAL TRACK; Build from scratch
STARTUP TRACK (Only pre-seed startups that are 0–12 months old qualify)
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COLLISIONS BY DESIGN
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WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
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EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday, May 16th
PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP
| 1:30 PM | PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP REGISTRATION |
| 2:00 PM | Workshop: Building Reliable Agentic Systems and Agents |
| 3:00 PM | 10 minute break |
| 4:00 PM | Main workshop ends |
MAIN EVENT SCHEDULE DETAILS
Friday, May 16
Hackathon, Day 1
| 6:00 PM | Registration & Reception |
| 7:00 PM | Welcome: Hackathon Overview |
| 7:10 PM | From Idea to Impact: Making Agentic AI Market-Ready (panel) |
| 7:35 PM: | Main Sponsor presentations |
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| 8:15 PM: | Sponsor/Partner Pitches |
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| 8:55 PM | Team Formation |
| 9:30 PM | Go home, get rest and be ready to go! |
May 17
Hackathon, Day 2
| 9:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 10:00 AM | Housekeeping |
| 10:30 AM | Code/Hack |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 12:30 PM | Code/Hack |
| 3:00 PM | Snack/Break |
| 3:15 PM | Code/Hack |
| 5:30 PM | Dinner |
| 6:00 PM | Code/Hack |
| 9:00 PM | End of Day |
Sunday, May 18
Hackathon, Day 3
| 9:00 AM | Code/Hack |
| 11:00 AM | Code/Hack (Updates & Q&A) |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch |
| 12:30 PM | Code/Hack |
| 3:00 PM | Submission Deadline |
| 4:00 PM | Demos/Presentations |
| 5:00 PM | Dinner/Judges deliberate |
| 6:00 PM | Awards ceremony |
| 7:00 PM | It's a Wrap |
Ready to Prove Your Idea?
This isn’t just another hackathon—it’s your proving ground to validate, refine, and stress-test your AI-driven concept.
Spots are limited. Apply now to secure priority admission.
Requirements
Please be aware that this event is in-person only. Ensure that you register only if you can guarantee the attendance of at least one team member who will be physically present at the hackathon to showcase your demo live.
Note: This is a U.S. Only event.
What to Submit
- A brief summary of the project's key features and benefits (1-2 paragraphs)
- A high-level overview of how the project works (1-2 paragraphs)
- Any specific pieces of information that are relevant to the hackathon's theme or goals (e.g., usability, accessibility, etc.)
- Host your "code" on a public repository (e.g., GitHub, GitLab) with the tags rag-a-thon3.
Prizes
1st Place ($2.5K so far)
2nd Place ($1.5K so far)
3rd Place ($500 so far)
Best use of Arize Phoenix ($500)
500 Global Interview
500 Global will select one finalist team for a meeting to consider them for acceptance into their upcoming accelerator program.
1st Place (Startup)
Winner of the Spring 2025 Agentic Startup RAG-a-thon — recognized as the top startup at Proving Ground
2nd Place (Startup)
Awarded Second Place at the Spring 2025 Agentic Startup RAG-a-thon — proving their potential at Proving Ground.
3rd Place (Startup)
Third Place in the Spring 2025 Agentic Startup RAG-a-thon — recognized among the standout startups at Proving Ground.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Mark Evans
Managing Director, Proving Ground
John Gilhuly
Head of Dev Rel @ Arize AI
Rahul Parundekar
Founder, A.I. Hero
Matteo Zamparini
Founding Engineer @ PropRise.ai
Tharun Tej Tammineni
Staff Engineer GenAI, Llama, Meta
Daniele Bernardi
CEO, Co-Founder, Toolhouse
Junyu Huang
COO, Novita AI
Iris Sun
Investor, 500 Global
Shany Rimon
Director, Strategy & Operations, Meta
Meena Ganesh
Sr. Product Marketing Manager, AI, Box
Yi Ding
AI Architect, Qventus
Sahil Bansal
Sr. AI/ML Applied Scientist at SAP Labs
Jonathan Andersson
COO, Co-Founder, Bluebook
Sagar Sharma
Sr. Software Engineer, GenAI & Scalable Retrieval Systems, SAP
Filip Stål
Co-Founder, Bluebook
Eliza Tan
Sr Manager, Partnerships, Adobe
Matt Weeks
CEO, HealthyOPs
Ishita Prasad
Product Lead (FAIR) Meta
Maria Kitaigora
Sr. Enterprise Accounts, AWS
Judging Criteria
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Problem & Solution
Evaluates the importance of the problem, the relevance of the solution, and the clarity of both in the presentation. Is the problem clearly defined and meaningful? Does the solution directly and thoughtfully address it? -
Technical Execution
Evaluates the quality and difficulty of the technical work. Is the build functional, focused, and technically sound? Did the team make meaningful progress? -
Impact & Viability
Evaluates the potential impact of the work in the broader world. Is there evidence it could have real-world application or value? Could the concept attract users, customers, or funders? -
Innovation / Differentiation
Evaluates how the work stands out from other efforts. Is the approach original or inventive in a meaningful way? Does it differ from typical solutions in the same space? -
Next Steps
Evaluates how well positioned the team and project are to have impact after the hackathon. Are there clear next steps? Is the team willing and able to continue the work? -
Before & After (STARTUP TRACK ONLY)
Evaluates the progress made during the hackathon. Is it clear what features and improvements were added compared to what existed before? What does the before-and-after comparison suggest about the future of this effort?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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