2026 STARTUP WEEK BUILDATHON: TECH@NYU'S PREMIER BUILDATHON. REAL PRODUCTS. REAL OPPORTUNITIES. - DEVPOST

2026 Startup Week Buildathon Tech@NYU's Premier Buildathon. Real Products. Real Opportunities. Start late project Find more hackathons View the winners Who can participate • Register at nyusw.com • Above legal age of majority in country of residence • Students only • US only View full rules View schedule Feb 20 – 22, 2026 --- --- HOF Capital Invite only $21,300 in cash 219 participants Tech@NYU Fintech Machine Learning/AI Beginner Friendly APPLY HERE! BUILD FAST. SHIP REAL. Hosted by Tech@NYU in collaboration with HOF Capital, Startup Week’s Buildathon is a 48 hour, in person hackathon where builders come together to create real, working products that solve real world problems. Throughout the weekend, builders will gain practical experience, access free developer credits, compete for prizes, and connect directly with investors and startup leaders. Finalists in select tracks may also have their profiles expedited for potential internship opportunities. Track 1: Finance (DeFi + CeFi) Track 2: AI Automation Track 3: Consumer Application Deadlines Early Application Deadline: February 7th 11:59PM EST Early Application Decisions Released: February 10th 11:59PM EST Rolling Applications will follow. All decisions finalized by February 16th 11:59PM EST. Please complete application by visiting the Google Form on our website. Additionally, check out the FAQs to see if we have answered potential questions you may have. If you have more questions, please email us at startupweek@techatnyu.org. Requirements You must opt in toone and only one track. You can opt into as many sponsor/category prizes as you wish (provided you follow any listed guidelines). There is a maximum of 4 people per team. Everyone will be automatically competing for the "Best Overall" prize. Submit everything by Sunday, Feb 22nd at 12PM ET. You are only allowed to submit one entry. If you are using existing code from prior to this hackathon, you must disclose that to the judges. Only the code you developed this weekend will be considered for judging purposes. No cross-posting is allowed. You must be present at the closing ceremony to claim your prize. Your project should have some level of functionality and should attempt to solve the problem that is proposed by the track you have chosen. Submit a link to your project as a working demo and/or a GitHub repository or zip file. Make sure to add " http://" or " https://" before your URL (otherwise we can’t see it!). Also, be prepared to record and upload a video showcasing your work. Hackathon Sponsors Prizes $21,300 in prizes Best Overall Hack (1st Place) $1,500 in cash 1 winner 1st Place: 1x Nvidia RTX 5080 Per Team member (Eleven Labs Pro Tier - $99 Per Month) Exclusive Dinner w HOF Capital & Head of Innovation @ Nvidia Best Consumer Track $500 in cash 3 winners 1st Place: $500 Visa Gift Card Interview with Vert for FT or Internship 2nd & 3rd Place: Interview