LOCK IN Hack
Come lock in. Build the idea you've been sitting on. Meet the people you'll build it with.
You know the one. The idea in your notes app you keep almost starting.
No theme, no assigned problem. Build whatever you actually want to build. We'd rather see 40 different projects than 40 takes on the same prompt. Consumer app, dev tool, something nobody can categorize yet. Bring it.
Here's what the weekend is built to do:
Build it. Saturday morning to noon Sunday, a room full of people who know what they're doing, mentors when you're stuck, and credits from our partners so you're not paying for your own tokens.
Find your people. 100 builders, one room, one weekend. The person you build with on Saturday might be the person you start the company with. Come solo and we'll help you find a team.
Put it out there. We're partnering with Stan to help you create founder & builder content, and every team posts about what they made. Building it matters, and so does the part where people find out you built it.
Then demo it Sunday to showcase your work to our judges.
Not trying to start a company? Build on the Rho API. Best use of it gets a guaranteed interview with us, internship or full-time.
We're also making sure the weekend is actually fun. Good food. Music. Games. Side quests. Late-night surprises. Dumb prizes. Lots of caffeine. And a room full of people down to lock in with you.
You have one weekend.
Build the thing. Ship it. 🔒
*Food, drinks, free swag and overnight stay will be provided.
**** KEY AGENDA ****
Saturday
10:30am Doors Open
12:30pm Fireside Chat with Everett Cook, Co-founder and CEO of Rho
3:00pm Founder Content Session with Stan
10:00pm Builders Game Night
Sunday
12:00pm Submission Deadline
1:00pm - 5:00pm In-person Judging
5:00pm - 6:00pm Winners Demo & Announcement
**** PRIZES ****
1st Place | Grand Prize
$1,000 in cash
Social Media promotion
A seat at Rhoom (Rho's exclusive community)
2nd Place | Runner-Up
$500 in cash
Social Media promotion
A seat at Rhoom (Rho's exclusive community)
Best Content
Times Square Billboard
Blog post & social media feature
The Jalen Brunson Award (Best Solo Builder)
Jalen Brunson Jersey
Best Fintech
Provided by Rho - Guarantee Interview for internship & full-time
Best Use of Tavily API
10,000 additional credits for first place
5,000 credits for second place
3,000 credits for third place
Best Project Built with ElevenLabs
Each team member receives 3 months of our Scale tier ($897 value/team member, 1.8M credits/mo)
**** RULES & SUBMISSIONS ****
RULES
18+ in the US (doesn’t have to be citizen)
Maximum team size of 3
Required to attend in person at our soho office
We do not provide travel stipend or accommodation
WHAT TO SUBMIT
A working project.
A project description. Tell us what you created and how it works.
A demo video. Upload a <3-minute video showing your project working, audio covering your tech stack
A social post. Post about your project (we have templates) on Linkedin or X
Provide a URL to your code repository for judging and testing. The repository must be either public (with relevant licensing) or private and shared with lockinhack@rho.co.
Include a README with setup instructions, sample data (if needed), and clear guidance for running your project
**** JUDGES ****
Everett Cook - Co-Founder & CEO @ Rho
Anmol Sood - Co-Founder @ Alai (YC W24)
Roshan Kumar C. - Lead Full-stack Engineer @ MetLife
Jana Mithrakumar - Co-Founder & CTO @ Social Q
Yashwanth Sai - AI Engineer @ Stealth
Anna Kim - AI Innovation & Acceleration @ Ebay
Justin Wolz - VP, Marketing @ Rho
Sami Haouchi - Growth Lead @ Rho
Amy Wang - Head of Creator Adoption @ Stan
**** SPONSORS ****
Stan is an all-in-one e-commerce and digital storefront platform designed specifically for content creators, influencers, and digital entrepreneurs.
Rho is the all-in-one banking platform for startups and the accountants supporting them. With banking setup in minutes, cashback cards, and tools for managing spend, paying bills, and closing the books, Rho helps high-growth startups move fast and stay focused, backed by support that goes to the end of the earth to help you win.
Rho is a fintech company, not a bank. Checking and card services are provided by Webster Bank, N.A., member FDIC; savings account services are provided by American Deposit Management Co. and its partner banks.
CREDIT SPONSORS
Elevenlabs - Powering the best enterprises, creators, and developers. From ElevenAgents for customer experience, ElevenCreative for content creation, to the leading AI voice generator.
Tavily - Connect your AI agents to the web.
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