Dubai AI Hackathon
Dubai AI Hackathon
Hosted by Collabute x TheBlock
Join us in Dubai for an intensive one-day AI hackathon bringing together developers, designers, product builders, founders, and AI enthusiasts to build and launch working products in a single day.
Participants will use Devin by Cognition, Convex, and Context.dev to turn an idea into a functional prototype before the submission deadline.
This is not a pitch-deck competition. Teams are expected to build something real, demonstrate how it works, and explain the problem it solves.
Event Details
Date: 30 August
Time: 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Location: TheBlock, Dubai
Hosted by: Collabute
Co-hosted by: TheBlock
Technology partners: Devin by Cognition, Convex, and Context.dev
Community partner: TheCircle
The Challenge
Build an original AI-powered product that solves a real problem.
Projects may focus on areas such as:
Developer tools
AI agents
Productivity and workplace automation
Enterprise software
Fintech and commerce
Education
Collaboration
Knowledge management
Consumer applications
Creative tools
Social impact
There is no fixed industry theme. The objective is to create something useful, technically credible, and demonstrable by the end of the event.
Every eligible project must meaningfully use all three technology partners:
Devin by Cognition
Convex
Simply creating accounts, installing SDKs, or mentioning the technologies in the presentation will not be sufficient. Teams must be able to demonstrate and explain how each technology contributed to the product.
Who Should Attend?
The hackathon is open to:
Software engineers
AI engineers
Product designers
Product managers
Technical founders
University students
Independent builders
Participants of different experience levels are welcome, but every team should be capable of producing a working prototype during the event.
You may register with an existing team or form a team at the venue.
Speakers and Panelists
The event will conclude with a panel discussion featuring leaders from AI, fintech, product, and the regional startup ecosystem:
Head of Product at Tabby
Behrooz Evans, CEO of Collabute
Founder of TheBlock
MENA Lead at Cognition / Devin
The discussion will cover building AI products, moving from prototype to production, product execution, and opportunities for founders and builders in the MENA region.
Agenda
10:00–10:30 AM — Registration and Opening
Participant check-in
Welcome from Collabute and TheBlock
Introduction to the challenge
Partner technology overview
Rules and judging criteria
Prize overview
Team formation and preparation
10:30 AM–12:30 PM — Building Session 1
The hackathon officially begins.
Teams will define their problem, select their product direction, divide responsibilities, and begin building the core product.
Mentors and partner representatives will be available for technical questions.
12:30–1:00 PM — Lunch Break
Lunch, networking, and informal conversations with participants, mentors, and partners.
1:00–3:00 PM — Building Session 2
The main development session.
Teams should focus on:
Completing the primary user journey
Integrating Devin, Convex, and Context.dev
Connecting additional APIs and models
Validating the core functionality
Resolving major technical risks
Preparing a stable product demonstration
3:00–3:15 PM — Snack Break
A short refreshment break before the final development sprint.
3:15–5:00 PM — Final Building Session
Teams complete their prototypes, test their integrations, and prepare their submissions.
By the end of this session, each team should have:
A working prototype
Meaningful use of all three partner technologies
A clear product demonstration
A concise explanation of the problem
A summary of the technical implementation
A short presentation for the judges
5:00 PM — Strict Submission Deadline
Development ends at exactly 5:00 PM.
All projects must be submitted through the official submission form before the deadline. Late submissions may not be accepted.
5:00–5:45 PM — Panel Discussion and Judging
The panel discussion will take place while the judging team reviews the submitted projects.
Selected teams may be asked to provide a short demonstration or answer questions from the judges.
5:45–6:00 PM — Winner Announcement and Closing
First-, second-, and third-place announcements
Prize presentation
Partner awards and credits
Closing remarks
Group photos
Prizes and Participant Benefits
To qualify for the placement prizes, teams must meaningfully integrate Devin, Convex, and Context.dev into their submitted product.
First Place
The first-place team will receive:
$1,000 Convex cash gift card
$1,500 in Devin credits
100,000 Context.dev credits
$1,000 in Collabute credits
100% complimentary TheCircle Startup Global Membership, valued at $990
Founder interview
Podcast appearance
Investor Readiness Assessment
Fast-track evaluation for TheCircle’s Foundry or Seed Program
Second Place
The second-place team will receive:
$500 Convex cash gift card
$1000 in Devin credits
$500 in Collabute credits
50% off TheCircle Startup Global Membership
Third Place
The third-place team will receive:
$750 in Devin credits
$200 in Collabute credits
30% off TheCircle Startup Global Membership
Every Participant Receives
15,000 Context.dev credits
$200 of Devin credits
$100 in Collabute credits
20% off TheCircle Startup Global Membership, valued at $990 per year
Fast-track approval without the standard application process
Priority onboarding
Exclusive Founding AI Builder Cohort status
TheCircle’s participant offer will remain valid for 10 days after the hackathon.
Hackathon Rules
1. Team Size
Teams may include between one and four participants.
Each participant may only join one team. Team members cannot be added or replaced after the hackathon begins without approval from the organizers.
2. Build During the Event
All meaningful product development must take place during the official hackathon.
Participants may prepare their development environment, general-purpose libraries, design systems, reusable tools, and basic project scaffolding in advance.
However, the submitted product and its core functionality must be created during the event.
Previously completed products, existing commercial applications, or projects substantially built before the hackathon are not eligible.
3. All Three Technologies Are Required
Every eligible submission must meaningfully use:
Devin by Cognition
Convex
Each technology must contribute directly to the product’s development, infrastructure, functionality, context system, or user experience.
A superficial integration, unused SDK installation, logo placement, or simple mention during the presentation will not satisfy this requirement.
Failure to meaningfully use all three technologies may result in disqualification from the placement prizes.
4. Additional Technologies
Teams may also use additional APIs, frameworks, models, libraries, hosting services, datasets, and third-party tools.
These tools may supplement the required partner technologies but cannot replace them.
5. Originality
Projects must be original work created by the participating team.
Open-source software, templates, public libraries, AI coding tools, and existing datasets may be used where legally permitted.
Teams must disclose any major pre-existing components included in their project.
6. Use of AI Tools
AI-assisted development is permitted and encouraged.
Participants may use Devin, coding assistants, language models, design-generation tools, and other AI systems.
Teams must still understand their product and be able to explain, operate, and demonstrate what they have built.
7. Submission Requirements
Each team must submit:
Project name
Team member names
Short product description
Problem being solved
Target users
Explanation of how Devin was used
Explanation of how Convex was used
Explanation of how Context.dev was used
Repository or source-code link
Demo link, where available
Presentation or demonstration materials
Disclosure of major pre-existing assets
The official submission form will be shared during the opening session.
8. Demonstration
Projects must be demonstrable at the end of the hackathon.
A deployed production application is not required. Local prototypes are accepted, provided the core product experience and functionality can be clearly demonstrated.
Teams should prepare a concise demonstration of approximately three minutes covering:
The problem
The product
The working functionality
The use of Devin, Convex, and Context.dev
The project’s potential impact
A pre-recorded video may be used as a backup, but teams should be prepared to demonstrate the product live if requested.
9. Intellectual Property
Participants retain ownership of the intellectual property they create during the hackathon.
By submitting a project, participants allow the organizers and partners to display the project name, description, screenshots, recordings, and demonstration footage for event-related communication and promotion.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that their work does not violate the rights of others.
10. Fair Participation
Mentors, sponsors, and organizers may provide guidance, but they may not build substantial portions of a team’s project.
Participants must not interfere with another team’s work, accounts, systems, devices, data, or development environment.
11. Data and Security
Projects must not use unlawfully obtained, confidential, private, or sensitive data.
Teams should use test or synthetic data wherever possible and follow reasonable security practices when handling personal information, authentication, financial data, or sensitive functionality.
Projects designed to facilitate fraud, compromise systems, cause harm, or violate applicable laws will be disqualified.
12. Code of Conduct
All participants must maintain a respectful, professional, and inclusive environment.
Harassment, discrimination, plagiarism, sabotage, abusive behavior, deliberate disruption, or unauthorized access to another team’s work may result in immediate removal from the event.
Participants must follow all venue and organizer instructions.
13. Submission Deadline
The 5:00 PM submission deadline is strict.
Teams are responsible for managing their time and successfully submitting their project before the deadline.
Technical difficulties, unfinished features, deployment delays, or last-minute changes may not justify an extension.
14. Final Decisions
The judging panel’s decisions are final.
The organizers may disqualify any team that:
Violates the event rules
Misses the submission deadline
Misrepresents its work
Uses substantially pre-built functionality
Fails to meaningfully integrate all three required technologies
Engages in misconduct or unfair participation
Judging Criteria
Product Value — 25%
Does the project solve a clear and meaningful problem? Is it useful to its intended users?
Technical Execution — 25%
Does the product work? Is the implementation technically credible and sufficiently complete for the available time?
Partner Technology Integration — 25%
Does the project meaningfully and effectively integrate Devin, Convex, and Context.dev?
Are all three technologies essential to the product rather than added superficially?
Innovation — 15%
Does the project introduce an original idea, interaction, workflow, or technical approach?
Demonstration and Clarity — 10%
Can the team clearly communicate the problem, solution, product experience, and technical implementation?
What to Bring
Please bring:
A laptop and charger
Any required adapters
Access to GitHub or another source-control platform
Accounts required for your development tools
Any personal equipment needed for building or presenting
A valid identification document if required by the venue
Internet access, seating, power, lunch, snacks, and refreshments will be provided.
Registration
Capacity is limited, and submitting a registration does not automatically guarantee admission.
Applications may be reviewed to maintain a balanced group of engineers, designers, product builders, founders, and students.
Approved participants will receive final venue instructions and event information before the hackathon.
Please register only if you can attend the full event from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.