🚀 Stanford x DeepMind Hackathon: Build with Google Gemini
Details
Win up to $5M in Seed Funding | February 1st, 10am–6pm PT
Join GDG Stanford for an elite hackathon where you'll build cutting-edge projects with Google Gemini and earn 30-minute VC pitch meetings with top-tier investors.
## 🏆 The Prize
Top teams will be judged by representatives from Stanford, Google, and multiple venture capital funds. Winners earn direct pitch access to VCs writing $500K–$5M seed checks, plus GCP credits sponsored by DeepMind:
- In-Person Track: Share of $80K in GCP credits
- Online Track: Share of $20K in GCP credits
Investment not guaranteed. Prize is pitch access only. Winning teams gain meeting access but must earn investment through their pitch and business fundamentals.
## ⭐ Judges & Investors
We're honored to have an incredible panel of judges and investors:
DeepMind
- Amit Vadi – Head of Community, Google DeepMind
- Paige Bailey – AI Dev Rel Lead, Google DeepMind
- Joana Carrasqueira – Sr Manager, Google DeepMind
- Thorsten Schaeff – Engineer, Google DeepMind
Stanford
- Prof. Garry Nolan – Stanford
- Prof. Nikesh Kotecha – Stanford
- Taarush Gover – Stanford BASES
- Naji Barnes-McFarlane – VC Partnerships, Google Cloud
- Francis Ma – Senior Director of Product, Google
Venture Capital & Investors
- Utkarsh Bajpai – Investor, General Catalyst
- Kunaal Patel – Investor, Acrew Capital
- Nikul Bhatt – Investor, KFC Ventures
- David Chi – Managing Partner, Beta Capital
- Amir Kabir – Founding & Managing Partner, Overlook Ventures
- Ramya Iyer – Investment Fellow, Entrepreneurs First
- Juhana Peltomaa – a16z Scout
- Anitha Vadavatha – Founder & Managing Partner, AB Plus Ventures
- Hongkyu Choi – Partner, Springcamp VC
- Diego Vargas – Investor, NXTP Ventures
- Neda Emami – Investor, Bay Angels
- Santiago Zavala – Managing Partner, 500 Global
- Maxim Karoubi – Investor, NextGen Ventures Partners
- Anne Dwane – Partner, Village Global
- Vicky Kuang – Investor, Draper Associates
- Leonid Litvak – Partner, Angelneers
- Andrew Allen – Executive Chairman, Peptone
- Denis Belyavsky – 12SF
## 📅 Event Schedule
Time
Activity
10:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast – Light refreshments and networking with fellow builders
10:30 AM
Opening Ceremony & Rules Briefing – Official rules, competition format, and optional VC investment thesis talks
11:00 AM
Speaker Session – Co-founder of DeepWriterAI on turning high-stakes questions into insights with modern AI
11:30 AM
Hacking Begins! – 3-hour intensive build sprint starts
2:30 PM
Submission Deadline (Hard Stop) – All submissions must be completed
3:30 PM
Semi-Finalists Announced – Top teams selected for live pitches
4:00 PM
Live Finals Presentations – Top 6 teams pitch on stage (5 min pitch + 5 min Q&A)
5:30 PM
Winners Announced – Grand prize winners revealed
6:00 PM
Event Wrap-Up
## 🌐 Online Track
Can't make it to Stanford on Feb 1st? We've got you covered.
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, February 1st
- Same deliverables as in-person participants
- Judging based on traction – same conditions as Phase 2 (7-day social engagement tracking)
- Prize pool: $20K in GCP credits for Online Track winners
- 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
Each team must submit by 2:30 PM sharp:
- One-Pager – Document describing your team and idea
- Hosted Prototype – A working demo link (via Google AI Studio & Google Cloud Run)
- 3-Minute YouTube Video – Demo of your prototype (plus optional team introduction)
- Code Repository – Link to code via Google AI Studio sharing mechanics
## ⚖️ Judging Criteria
Projects will be evaluated on:
- Technical Feasibility – Does it actually work? Is it functional?
- Innovation & Novelty – Is the approach creative, unique, or clever?
- Real-World Applicability – Would people genuinely use this solution?
- Market Potential & Fundability – Could this become a viable, venture-backable company?
- Go-to-Market Traction – Social engagement on your demo video (likes, shares, views)
Social Engagement Component
Your 3-minute demo YouTube video must be shared publicly! Social engagement counts toward your score:
- Phase 1: Engagement tracked during the hackathon (5pm deadline)
- Phase 2: Second chance – continued tracking for 7 days post-event (measuring viral reach and second/third-degree networks)
## 🎯 Competition Format
Semi-Finals
All submissions undergo asynchronous review by our judging panel. Judges score based on the criteria above.
Finals
Top 5 teams advance to live presentations:
- 10 minutes per team (5 min pitch + 5 min Q&A with judges)
- Present on stage to the full panel of VCs and special guests
- Winners announced at 5:30 PM
## 👥 Who Should Attend
This hackathon is perfect for:
- Builders with AI/ML experience or a passion for emerging technology
- Founders exploring new startup ideas or validating concepts
- Students & Developers eager to learn Google Gemini's coding capabilities
- Existing Teams who want exposure to top-tier VCs
- Fast Shippers ready to build and demo a working prototype in 3 hours
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 offers a unique opportunity to showcase your work to decision-makers at leading venture funds.
## ❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Q: 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.
Q: What's the team size limit? A: Up to 4 people
Q: Can I participate solo? A: Yes
Q: Can I participate remotely? A: Yes! The Online Track has the same deliverables, with submissions due by end of day Feb 1st. No live streaming—judging is based on 7-day social engagement (Phase 2 conditions). Online Track has a $20K GCP credits prize pool.
Q: When do VC meetings happen? A: Winners will schedule 30-minute pitch meetings with selected funds after the event.
Q: What should I bring? A: Laptop, charger, and your best ideas!
## 🎁 What You'll Win
Grand Prize
A 30-minute private pitch meeting with selected funds from our judging panel, where you can pitch your hackathon project or your existing startup.
