The Heist: Actian VectorAI DB Hackathon
Every heist needs a crew, a target, and a plan that still works when things go dark.
Your target: build an AI application, a RAG pipeline, an autonomous agent, or a search or monitoring tool, that keeps running in the places a typical cloud-dependent vector database can't follow. On-prem, at the edge, on constrained hardware, or fully disconnected. Actian VectorAI DB is your inside connection, the vector layer your build runs on.
No safe cracks itself. You bring the plan.
$10,000. One grand prize, one winner, no runner-ups.
The Jobs
Pick one, or run your own play:
The Ghost Job (Offline Agent). Build a persistent agent that survives a real network blackout mid-task and resumes cleanly once reconnected. Your demo video has to show you disconnecting your own network live on camera, no cuts.
The Inside Job (Edge Intelligence). Run a small, quantized model on real constrained hardware, under a hard budget: 4GB RAM or under $100 in hardware. Bonus for multimodal, text and image, on the same device.
The Crew Job (Multi-Agent, Shared Memory). A crew of specialized agents, rather than one do-everything agent, sharing a local knowledge base with a visible permission layer showing who did what.
The Wildcard. Pick a narrow, real vertical and build something tuned to it specifically.
A full breakdown of each job, with constraints, examples, and what "good" looks like, is pinned in our Discord.
What is Actian VectorAI DB
A portable, multimodal vector database built to run anywhere an AI application needs to live: at the edge, in disconnected environments, or in the cloud, without losing performance, consistency, or trust along the way. Lightweight and embeddable, built for edge and OEM environments, supporting RAG, agentic AI, and autonomous systems without forcing a separate database or a re-architect as things scale.
Dates
Building opens September 4, 9:00 AM PT
Submissions close October 4, 9:00 AM PT
Judging runs October 5 to 9
Winners announced in October
How to join
RSVP here on Luma to hold your spot and get event updates.
Join our Discord, that's where team formation, office hours, support, and the full Track Guide live.
Submit your project through our submission form, linked closer to the deadline and pinned in Discord.
Who should come
Developers building with AI who want to work on something that runs beyond the cloud. Solo builders and teams of up to 4, all skill levels welcome. You don't need prior VectorAI DB experience, the quickstart kit and pattern docs get you moving on day one.
Judging
Four judges, one from Actian, three from partner companies with overlapping developer audiences. Scored on technical execution, fit to theme, innovation, demo quality, and real-world potential. Names confirmed closer to launch.
Beyond the grand prize
We're planning multiple build-along sessions and office hours over the duration of the hackathon. Tune in if you'd like to learn more about VectorAI DB, receive feedback on your project idea, get help unsticking a bug in real time, or just see how other teams are approaching their build. No obligation to attend, but it's the fastest way to get unstuck and meet the rest of the crew.
Discord: join here
Submission form: will be added when build window opens on September 4th