Welcome to the TED AI Hackathon!

Ready to Elevate Your AI Idea to the Next Level? Your Launchpad Awaits! 🚀

We're ecstatic to invite you to an unparalleled event that could mark the beginning of an incredible entrepreneurial journey. Organized by TED AI and proudly sponsored by Venture Science, this hackathon is not just another coding competition. It's a unique opportunity to bring your innovative AI project to life and secure a chance to launch your very own startup—with a $25,000 SAFE note investment to the winner of the Hackathon, as determined by the Hackathon judges - if they choose to turn their vision into a real company.

Whether you're a developer, data scientist, business strategist, or a visionary looking to reshape the world through AI, this event is tailored for you. All you need is an idea, a committed team, and the zeal to innovate.

Gear up for an intense 48 hours of coding, ideation, and networking that could catapult you into the AI startup ecosystem. The future is increasingly powered by AI, and with our support, you could be at the helm of that future.

So why wait? Browse through to learn more about the event, explore the terms of our exclusive investment award, check out the schedule, and find out how you can be a part of this transformative experience!

Date and Venue

Saturday & Sunday, October 14th & 15th, 2023

Microsoft Reactor
555 California Street
Suite 200
San Francisco, CA 94104

How to Register

Please visit TED AI’s dedicated event page for submissions. For all other inquiries, please contact us.

Terms and Conditions of the Hackathon Investment Award

1. Who Can Join? 🤔

• You've gotta be at least 18 years young to join in.

• Come one, come all! You can enter as a solo wizard or as part of a dream team (just keep the squad size within the limits we’ll specify).

• Make sure you play by the rules—both ours and the law of the land.

2. The Prize Money, Explained 💰

• The champs walk away with $25,000 in the form of a SAFE note (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) that comes with a $2.5 million cap. Pretty awesome, right?

• The cash goes into your brand-new startup, born from your hackathon project.

• Here’s the draft of the SAFE.

3. Full Steam Ahead! 🚀

• If you snag the win, and you want to take the investment award, your whole team needs to be all-in, dedicating 100% of your professional time to this new venture, and you create a brand new company!

• This means saying "see ya later" to any other full-time gigs you've got. This is because startups need 100% dedication to truly succeed. Juggling multiple roles dilutes your focus, slows down progress, and can even present conflicts of interest. A full-time commitment not only accelerates your startup's development but also builds investor confidence and sets the foundation for a strong company culture. In essence, quitting your day job amplifies your startup's chances for success, aligns your team with our investment, and sends a signal to the world that you're deeply committed to turning your groundbreaking AI idea into reality.

4. Tick-Tock, the Clock is Ticking ⏰

• You’ve got 45 days from the day the hackathon wraps up to make your new company official.

5. The Nitty-Gritty Details 🕵️‍♀️

• We'll need to do some quick checks (that's due diligence in biz-speak) on your team and your brilliant idea.

• Once you clear those, the $25,000 prize is all yours to claim! Actually, the check goes to your company.

6. Where’s the Money Coming From? 🏦

• The prize fund comes from one of our fancy investment vehicles. Yep, we’ve got a few!

7. The What-Ifs 🤷‍♂️

• If for some reason you can't meet these terms, you'll have to pass the baton (and the cash) to the runner-up.

• And yeah, they'll need to meet the same terms to claim the prize.

8. The Small (but Important) Stuff 📝

• You’re more than welcome to join the hackathon, win and even turn down our prize. But if you want our investment, these are the terms - we think they’re fair, but also open to your suggestions.

• We reserve the right to change things up or even cancel if we absolutely have to.

• Our judges' decisions are the final word as to who wins the Hackathon, so let’s all play fair and square!

That’s the gist! If you’re good with all this, we can’t wait to see what you’ll bring to the hackathon.

Best of luck, and may the most innovative AI solution take the prize!

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