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The Columbia AI for Good Hackathon
The Columbia AI for Good Hackathon, hosted by the Technology in Business Association (TIBA) at Columbia University, brings together top student talent to build AI-driven solutions with real-world social impact.
Build what should exist. Make it real.
The world has no shortage of problems. What we need are builders who are willing to show up & do the work.
Your challenge: design & build a product that meaningfully improves people's lives. Not as a concept, not as a pitch deck, but as a working system you can demo live.
This is about founder-level thinking:
Pick a real problem that matters
Build something ambitious
Use AI where it genuinely creates leverage
Ship a product that could exist beyond this hackathon
You do not need to be an AI expert. Great products come from clarity, taste, & execution, not from model complexity.
If you have ever thought, someone should build this, trust that you are capable of being that person.
Format & Timeline
8-days Hybrid hackathon. 150+ builders. Teams of 2.
Week 1 (Feb 18-20):
Online Onboarding
Vibeflow (YC S25) workshop on Wednesday, Feb 18th (online)
Friday, Feb 20 (2:30pm-7pm): In-person Build Day at Columbia : Workshops, Networking & Challenge Announcement. We'll provide food, so you don't have to worry
Week 2 (Feb 21-27): Building & Finals
Remote building period , Feb 21-25
Team submissions due Feb 22
Projects submissions due Feb 25
Judging day, Feb 26
Friday, Feb 27 (3-6pm): In-person Demo Night & Awards at Columbia University
Teams
Teams of 2 (exceptional teams of 3 if justified). Apply solo or with a teammate, Matchbox will help match participants with complementary skills.
What You Could Build
Healthcare - Access, prevention, mental health, clinician workflows
Education - Personalized learning, skill building, accessibility
Environment & Climate - Behavior change, resource optimization, practical sustainability
Accessibility & Inclusion - Language, disability support, underserved communities
Civic & Social Systems - Public services, coordination, community tools
Arts & Culture - Creative expression, cultural access, storytelling, heritage preservation
If your product helps people, creates leverage, or removes friction from real life, it belongs here.
Partner Tools
VibeFlow (YC S25) - Build full-stack apps with agentic workflow. Dedicated prize track.
Standout.work - Hiring platform. Dedicated prize track.
ElevenLabs - Free voice & audio AI credits. Dedicated prize track.
Matchbox - Team matching.
Mentormates - Software partner & project submission platform.
GymText- Personalized workouts & coaching via simple daily texts.
Coueus Colective - A venture studio unlocking GTM opportunities for early-stage startups.
Cliqk -Unified distribution for your marketing ecosystem.
VibeCoding Workshop with Adalbert de la Cruz
Product strategist, founder, & educator focused on helping people turn ideas into products using AI & vibe coding. He's the founder of Clarity, a voice-first productivity companion designed to reduce mental overwhelm & help people move forward without pressure.
We will have invited professors from Columbia University
Prizes
VibeFlow (YC S25) Powered Prize
ElevenLabs Voice AI Prize
MentorMates AI Prize
Standout Prize
General Winner
This hackathon is presented in collaboration with FOMO, a builder-first community & venture studio that runs execution-driven hackathons across top universities & tech hubs.
This hackathon is designed to feel like a mini-accelerator.
Build something bold. Demo it live. Make it real.
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