Description

​🚀 Build with Google Gemini Hackathon

​Win up to $5M in Seed Funding | November 15th, 10am–6pm*

​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 partners from 17 venture capital funds managing $119B+ who backed Google, SpaceX, and 200+ unicorns. Winners earn direct pitch access to VCs writing $500K–$5M seed checks.

​👨‍⚖️ Our Judges

​Mega Funds ($1B+ AUM)

• ​Utkarsh Bajpai - General Catalyst ($40B AUM)

• ​Janelle Teng – Bessemer Venture Partners ($37B AUM)

• ​James Kaplan - NEA ($25B AUM)

• ​Leigh Marie Braswell – Kleiner Perkins ($10B AUM)

• ​Joff Redfern – Menlo Ventures ($5B AUM)

• ​Crystal Liu - NVIDIA Ventures ($4.3B AUM)

• ​Clayton Bryan - 500 Global ($2.5B AUM)

• ​Vicky Kuang – Draper Associates ($2B AUM)

• ​Aniket Kamthe – Nexus Venture Partners ($3B AUM)

• ​Denise Teng - Gradient Ventures ($1B AUM)

​Established Funds

• ​Anne Dwane – Village Global

• ​Shaurya Mehta – Workplay Ventures

• ​Maxim Karoubi – NextGen VP

• ​Minsoo Chi – Spider Capital

• ​Roger Van Duinen – Cove Fund

• ​Sri Rao – MCHN Ventures

• ​Rob Smith – M13

​Special Guests

• ​Alisa Fortin - DeepMind

• ​Zviad Kardava – Google

• ​Prof. Nikesh Kotecha – Stanford

• ​Prof. Garry Nolan - Stanford

• ​Phd. Yury Goltsev - Stanford/Cellformatica

• ​Darsh Mann - StartX

• ​Bryann-Noel Revilla - Stanford ASES

• ​Taarush Grover - Stanford BASES

• ​Ishmeet Kaur - Apple

​📅 Event Schedule

​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

​11:30 AM – Hacking Begins!
3-hour intensive build sprint starts now

​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

​📋 Submission Requirements

​To compete, each team must submit by 2:30 PM sharp:

1. ​One-Pager – Document describing your team and idea

2. ​Hosted Prototype – A working demo link (via Google AI Studio & Google Cloud Run)

3. ​3-Minute YT Video – Demo of your prototype (plus optional team introduction)

4. ​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 YT video has to 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 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: 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.

​These are the same VCs who have backed:

• ​Google, SpaceX, Stripe, Airbnb

• ​200+ unicorn companies

• ​And are actively writing $500K–$5M seed checks

​*Investment not guaranteed. Prize is pitch access only. Winning teams gain meeting access but must earn investment through their pitch and business fundamentals.