Berkeley x DeepMind Hackathon: Build. Ship. Pitch. Win.

Win up to $5M in Seed Funding* | September 27th, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM PT

In partnership with "Girls into VC" @ UC Berkeley

Join us for an elite hackathon where you'll build cutting-edge projects with Google Gemini and earn 30-minute pitch meetings with top-tier VCs.

🏆 The Prize

Top teams will be judged by representatives from Google, Berkeley, Stanford, and multiple venture capital funds.

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 DeepMindZviad Kardava — Staff AI Developer Relations Engineer, GoogleVenture Capital & IndustryUtkarsh Bajpai - Investor, General CatalystVinod Joseph - Investor, Samsung NEXT VenturesFelix To — Investor, NFXLan Wu — Investor, Fusion FundRob 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 PartnersKabir Sial — Investor, Emergence CapitalKeerthi Nalabotu — Investor, True VenturesNikul Bhatt — Investor, KFC VenturesBenny Liao — Investor, Acorn Pacific VenturesCelestine Schnugg — Investor, Boom CapitalNikhil Suresh — Investor, Striker Venture PartnersSarah Romanko — Investor, Geek VenturesÖmer Karışman — inference.shDenis Belyavski — TulaCoPablo Albrecht — OrchestrapayGreg Henrion — Sunset.videoIlia Bolgov — Touchmark (YC S26)Roman Yanushevskyi — Touchmark (YC S26)Ayush Patel — Osseus (YC S26)Anish Mariathasan — Osseus (YC S26)Kingston Kuan — Hebbian Robotics (YC S26)Brandon Ong — Hebbian Robotics (YC S26)Silen Naihin — Experiential Labs (YC S26)Adam Rida — Tracer (YC S26)Ishmeet Kaur — Apple

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 ideas!

📌 Age Requirement

This event is open to participants 18 years and older. Valid ID may be required for check-in.