NYC Build w/ AI Hackathon | Google Cloud Labs x Columbia Business School - 2 Day
Details
March 7th 2026 | Evening Kick Off Event
Location: Columbia University | Columbia Business School | 665 130th street - Cooperman Commons Date & Time: Saturday, March 7 | 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
🎤 Keynote & Labs Evening Session
Get ready to build! This evening session is designed to provide the technical foundation and inspiration needed for a successful hackathon. Attendees will receive direct guidance on Google Cloud tools and Gemini APIs.
Agenda:
7:00 PM – 7:30 PM: 👋 Check-in & Welcome Refreshments
7:30 PM – 7:45 PM: 🎤 Keynote: The Future of Gemini & AI. Meet the judges and explore the technical possibilities of the hackathon theme.
7:45 PM – 8:00 PM: 🛠️ Environment Setup & API Access. We will ensure all participants have their credentials and dev environments ready to go.
8:00 PM – 8:45 PM: 💻 Guided Labs: Building with Gemini. A hands-on walkthrough of core tools and sample code featuring a live demo.
8:45 PM – 9:00 PM: ❓ Q&A and Team Formation. Final technical questions and an opportunity for solo hackers to find teams.
Workshop Guidelines:
https://codelabs.developers.google.com/way-back-home-level-0/instructions#0
https://codelabs.developers.google.com/way-back-home-level-1/instructions#0
https://codelabs.developers.google.com/way-back-home-level-3/instructions#0
https://codelabs.developers.google.com/way-back-home-level-4/instructions#0
## Day 2:
March 8th 2026 | All Day AI Hackathon
Location: Columbia University | Columbia Business School | 665 130th Street - David Geffen Hall Date & Time: Sunday, March 8 | 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM | Geffen Hall 620
🗓️ Hackathon Event Schedule
The main event is here. Since environment setup was completed during the previous evening's labs, we are hitting the ground running with a day dedicated to pure building and innovation.
9:30 AM: 🚪 Doors Open
9:45 AM – 10:15 AM: 🎤 Opening Remarks & Gemini Live Demo
Kick off with a physical device demo using Gemini Live to inspire the builds.
10:15 AM: 💻 Start Hacking!
Attendees start coding immediately since Labs were completed the night before.
1:00 PM: 🥗 Working Lunch
Food served; hacking continues to keep the momentum.
2:30 PM: 📤 Project Submission Deadline
Final push to get code into the portal.
3:00 PM: 👩💻 Judging & Presentations
Live demos and finalists present to the panel.
4:30 PM: 🏆 Awards Ceremony
5:00 PM: 🏁 Event Wrap-up
Step out of the traditional "text box" paradigm and build AI that truly connects. This hackathon challenges you to create immersive, multimodal AI agents using Google Cloud and Gemini.
Participants will leverage the speed of the Gemini Live API and the power of Google’s GenAI SDK/ Agent Development Kit to build solutions in one of two categories:
- The Live Agent: Build real-time, voice-and-vision enabled agents that can converse naturally and handle interruptions (e.g., real-time translators, vision-enabled tutors).
- The Creative Storyteller: Build agents that generate rich, interleaved outputs—seamlessly mixing text, audio, and visuals into a cohesive narrative flow.
The Mission: Don’t just build a chatbot. Build an experience that sees, hears, speaks, and creates.
Prizes:
$30,000 in Google Cloud Credits
Up to 4 tickets to Google I/O - 2026 - the ultimate annual showcase of AI breakthroughs and invite-only event on May 19-20 at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA.
$500 Personal shopping experience at the Google's St. John's Terminal store - not open to the public
Swag - Google x Columbia Business School limited edition t-shirts