Catalyst Hackathon is Olin Catalyst’s first hackathon: 12 hours on a Saturday to take an idea, build a working prototype, and pitch it that night to founders, investors, and sponsor judges.
What makes it different
Projects are judged the way early-stage startups are, on three questions. Built: does it work? A live demo beats a slide. Wanted: is there evidence a real person needs it? Pitched: why this, why now, and why this team? Halfway through the day, every team tests its idea on real users or mentors before the final push.
Mentors and sponsor engineers are on the floor all day. You don’t need a team or a CS background. Teams need builders, designers, and people who can talk to users. Food is provided.
After hour 12, teams that keep going get mentorship from Catalyst, and Olin teams get a path into Catalyst grants of up to $1,000.
Who can come
College students in the Boston area. Teams of up to four. About 100 spots.
Requirements
What to build
A working prototype of anything, built during the 12 hours. Hardware, software, or both. Any problem you can make the case for. Sponsor challenges are optional tracks, not requirements.
What to submit on Devpost, by 8:00 PM on Saturday, February 6
- Project name and a short description: the problem, who it’s for, and what you built
- What you learned from testing it on real users or mentors during the day
- A link to your code, CAD, or design files (a public repo is easiest)
- At least one photo or screenshot
- Optional: a demo video, 2 minutes or less, on YouTube or Vimeo
- Every team member added to the submission
One submission per team. Judging happens in person at the live demos, so the Devpost entry is the record, not the pitch. Make sure what you submit matches what you demo.
Prizes
Best Use of AI Agents sponsored by Mechanize
Best Overall
Prizes and sponsor challenges are being finalized and will be posted here before February 6. Register now and we’ll let you know.
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
TBD
Judging Criteria
-
Built
Does it work? Judges want a live demo of a working prototype, not a slide about one. Hardware, software, or both. -
Wanted
Is there evidence a real person needs it? What you learned from testing with users or mentors at the halfway check-in counts here. -
Pitched
Why this, why now, and why this team? Can you make the case to founders and investors in a few minutes?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Invite others to compete
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