FoundersHack Sydney 2026
Welcome to FoundersHack Sydney
Note: All registrants must apply on Luma to be a part of the hackathon. You must register individually by answering the questions and purchasing your ticket. Teams formed should be between 2-4 individuals, which will be submitted via a seperate form closer to the hackathon. In the meantime, read the overview below on what will happen during FoundersHack.
REGISTRATIONS CLOSE MARCH 19TH, 11:59PM
🏗️ What is FoundersHack?
Traditional hackathons were built for a world where coding speed was rare. Today, building an MVP is easier than ever but building the right product for real customers is still the hard part. That’s why we started FoundersHack, a university-focused startup hackathon spanning two weeks that gives students a taste of what it means to be a founder. Teams work on venture-scalable problems where they are encouraged to uncover real customer insights before building and pitching to a panel of judges in a final showcase.
Following the debut of our 'Request for Startups' at FoundersHack Melbourne in 2025, we're excited to soon release the second edition for FoundersHack Sydney. Stay tuned 🔔
🏆 Prize pool: $3,000
Thank you to our official partners
OpenAI Codex Ambassadors
FoundersHack has partnered with the OpenAI Codex Ambassadors to provide selected participants with access to OpenAI Codex during the build phase. Codex is OpenAI's AI-powered coding agent, capable of writing, refactoring, and debugging code autonomously. Teams can use Codex to accelerate their prototyping and ship faster across the three-day build sprint.
Venue Partners
FoundersHack wouldn't be possible without the generosity and partnership of Airtree Ventures (Caitlin Evans), Folklore Ventures (Rochelle Richie), and The Women's College (USYD).
Societies
FoundersHack is proud to partner with Sydney University AI Society (USYD), Google Developers Group (USYD), CSESoc (UNSW), UTS MechSoc (UTS) & UTS Consulting Club (UTS).
❗Important: Don’t Miss These Steps!❗
To complete your registration, meet other hackers, and stay up to date with latest announcements, make sure you join the Discord channel here
Fireside: Tuesday, 17th March
📍Location: Airtree Ventures, Surry Hills
Link (must register): https://luma.com/9k4z7uda
The Founder Fireside is a candid panel with VC-backed founders on what “building hard problems” actually looks like, including a glimpse of how they started, what they built, what went wrong, and what they’d do differently.
This is a live Q&A, and time to network with other hackers. If you don’t have a team yet, this is also the perfect opportunity to meet potential teammates.
Build Phase: 20th March–22nd March 2026
📍Location: Folklore Ventures, Redfern
Link (current page): https://luma.com/sxwod50s
Over the 3-day Build Phase, you’ll work in a focused, high-energy environment alongside other cracked and ambitious hackers. Ideating, prototype, test, refine, and push your product forward through tight iteration loops.
You’ll have 60 hours total to build. The agenda is:
Friday 20th, 11am: Opening Ceremony
Friday 20th, 12pm: Start building
Sunday 22nd, 11:59pm: Submit via Devpost
Beyond having a great venue to work from, you’ll also get access to mentors on the 21st of March. Booking links will be shared via our Discord closer to the date. These sessions are designed to get actionable feedback to allow you to tackle blockers and avoid spending hours building in the wrong direction.
The Build Phase is the cornerstone of FoundersHack because it creates the conditions for momentum through proximity to other builders and fast feedback.
Closing Ceremony & Pitch Night: Thursday 26th March 2026
📍Location: The Sibyl Centre, Camperdown
Link (must register): https://luma.com/qx82rn9b
Celebrate the culmination of your FoundersHack journey at our Pitch Night! Five finalist teams will pitch their solutions live to a panel of experienced judges from the startup and tech ecosystem.
This event will be open to all registered participants, friends, and ecosystem partners. Join us for a night of pitches, celebration, and connection. Oh, and food.
Follow along on the NextGen LinkedIn or join the FoundersHack Discord