San Francisco Hub - Hacknation Global AI Hackathon

​Hack in July. Win to present at the MIT AI Conference in October.

​Join us at the San Francisco Hub and participate in the Global AI Hackathon on July 18–19, 2026.

​Build, prototype, and pitch the next generation of AI ideas.

​Who should join?
AI builders, researchers, students, engineers, designers, and early-stage teams who want to test new ideas in a high-energy environment.

​What to expect:
• Defined AI challenge tracks
• Mentor and jury feedback
• Local pitching in San Francisco
• Opportunity to continue into a coaching phase
• Potential showcase or live pitch at the MIT AI Conference

​What happens after the hackathon?
Top teams may be invited into an August–September coaching phase to refine their prototype, demo, and pitch.

​Selected teams may then be considered for the MIT AI Conference on October 17 in Mountain View — a major AI gathering in the MIT and Silicon Valley ecosystem, typically featuring founders, investors, researchers, and AI leaders from organizations such as Microsoft, General Catalyst, Greylock, OpenAI, and more.

​Timeline

​July 18, 8:30 AM
Local kickoff, mix & mingle, and icebreaker

​July 18, 4:00–5:00 PM
Local pitches at the San Francisco Hub

​July 19, 6:00 AM
Final submission deadline

​July 25, 9:00 AM
Finalist Pitches & Award Ceremony

​August–September
Coaching phase for selected teams

​October 17
MIT AI Conference in Mountain View
https://www.mitaiconference.org/

​No idea needed.
Just come and build with us in San Francisco.

The hackathon is hosted in collaboration with the MIT Club of Northern California, the MIT Club of Germany and Hack-Nation. Learn more: https://hack-nation.ai

Our sponsors and partners include OpenAI, Databricks, Lovable, ElevenLabs, Maschmeyer Group, and the European Startup Embassy.