Eligibility

  • Open to anyone 18 or older who is registered for the event and present in person at Cloudflare HQ, San Francisco, on Monday, September 28.
  • Teams may be 1 to 6 people. Each person may be on only one team and may submit only one project.
  • Employees of the organizing companies (Brainbase Labs, Anthropic, Cloudflare, Stripe) may participate but are not eligible for prizes.

Project and Submission Requirements

  • All work on the project must happen during the hackathon, between kickoff and 3:30 PM Pacific on September 28. Pre-existing open-source libraries, templates, and tools may be used. Pre-existing products may not be submitted.
  • Projects must be submitted on Devpost by 3:30 PM Pacific. Devpost is the only submission channel. Late submissions are not judged.
  • Each submission must include a 2 to 3 minute demo video with team members on camera, a written description, and a link to the code. See Submission Requirements.
  • Each submission must include a link to a public X or LinkedIn post about the project that tags Brainbase Labs (@BrainbaseHQ on X, or the Brainbase Labs company page on LinkedIn). Submissions without this link are not eligible for prizes.
  • The three tracks (Agentic Payments, Agents That Deploy Infrastructure, Autonomous Organizations) are suggestions, not requirements. Any startup idea is eligible.
  • You keep full ownership of what you build. By submitting, you give the organizers permission to display your submission, video, and description publicly on Devpost and in event recaps.
  • Do not submit anything that infringes third-party rights, and do not use real payment credentials or real customer data you are not authorized to use. Use test modes and sandbox keys.

Prizes

  • Three overall winners (1st, 2nd, 3rd) are selected by the judging panel. See the Prizes section for the full breakdown of cash, credits, and Stripe Atlas incorporation.
  • Cash prizes are paid to one designated team representative and split among the team as the team decides. Credits are issued per the sponsor's terms and may require an account with that sponsor. Anthropic credit amounts are "up to" the stated figure.
  • All participants who submit a project are eligible for the participant perks: $50 in Anthropic credits for the first 75 claims, 20% off Stripe Atlas plus $500 in Stripe credits, and Stripe and Cloudflare swag.
  • Prizes are non-transferable. The organizers may substitute a prize of equal or greater value.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Judging runs 3:30 to 5:00 PM Pacific. Judges review each submission's video, description, and code, and may ask teams to demo live. Submissions are scored on:

  • Progress in 8 hours: How far did you get toward a real, working startup? Is the product deployed and usable?
  • Agent autonomy: How much do agents actually do on their own: transacting, deploying, coordinating, or operating with minimal human intervention?
  • Technical execution: Does it work? How well are the sponsor tools (Brainbase Labs, Anthropic, Cloudflare, Stripe) used?
  • Startup potential: Is there a real problem, a plausible customer, and a path to revenue?
  • Demo quality: Is the video clear, honest, and within 2 to 3 minutes?
  • Public post tagging Brainbase Labs: Pass/fail. Required for prize eligibility.

Judges' decisions are final. The organizers may disqualify any submission that violates these rules or the code of conduct.

Code of Conduct

All attendees, sponsors, judges, and staff are required to agree with the following code of conduct. Organizers will enforce this code throughout the event.

We are dedicated to providing a harassment-free hackathon experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate at any time, including in projects, talks, or online. Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the hackathon without a refund at the discretion of the organizers.

Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to the categories above, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Sponsors and staff are also subject to this policy.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, contact an organizer immediately. Organizers can be identified at the event and reached at kartik@brainbaselabs.com. Organizers will help participants contact venue security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the hackathon. We value your attendance.

We expect participants to follow these rules at the venue and at all hackathon-related social events. Respect the venue: Cloudflare HQ is a working office. Stay in the designated event areas and follow staff instructions.