LIGHTSPEED: a startup hackathon at the Lighthouse, powered by Cline
Lightspeed is a high-energy, 48-hour sprint where developers, designers, marketers, and builders form teams and build real solutions to startup and investor-provided challenges.
The goal: Launch, don’t just pitch.
We are thrilled to partner with Cline for this event, where they will offer $50 in credits to all hackathon participants! Credits will be sent to all participants with a Cline account through the email they use to sign up.
Cline is an open-source AI coding agent that seamlessly integrates into your IDE and allows you to use any AI model that you'd like. Whether you're a seasoned programmer or a vibe coder, it pairs with your team to plan, write, and debug end-to-end.
What makes Lightspeed different? The challenges aren’t just made up: they’re real problems sourced from pre-seed investors and startups actively hiring. That means you’re not just building for fun, you’re building something that could actually go to market.
By the end of the weekend, each team will present a working prototype or MVP, validated by customer insights, and judged by a panel of experts and the community.
🏆 $2,500 will go to the overall Judges’ Pick
🏆 $2,500 will go to the overall Audience Favorite
🔥 And each Challenge Sponsor (investor or startup) will pick a winning team to receive 6 months of mentorship — one meeting per month to help keep momentum going post-event.
You can learn more about our challenge sponsors here.
Whether you’re looking to land a job, impress an investor, or ship something meaningful with new collaborators, Lightspeed is the weekend to do it.
🗓️ Weekend Schedule
Friday – Kickoff
5:00 PM – Doors open + check-in
5:30 PM – Welcome & challenge presentations
6:15 PM – Team pitches + formation
8:00 PM – Hacking begins
Saturday – Build Day
9:00 AM – Breakfast + work begins
10:00 AM – Mentorship support
1:00 PM – Workshops (UX, pitching, validation)
7:00 PM – Midpoint check-ins
Late – Keep building (or rest up!)
Sunday – Final Push & Pitches
9:00 AM – Breakfast + final stretch
1:00 PM – Submissions due
2:00 PM – Live pitches
4:30 PM – Awards: Judges’ Pick + Community Favorite
5:00 PM – Wrap-up + networking
If you are in need of financial assistance to participate in this event, we want to help you! Please fill out this form.