Proving Ground: Agentic Startup Hackathon

enterprise ·
Location: Palo Alto

IMPORTANT: Thanks for your interest in the Proving Ground Hackathon! While you can register on Devpost, all participants must complete our application process to be eligible. After registering here, you'll receive an email with a link to our qualification form. Selected participants will be notified within 48 hours.

PROVING GROUND: AGENTIC STARTUP HACKATHON
May 16-18, 2025 | 500 Global, Palo Alto, CA

WELCOME TO THE PROVING GROUND
For enterprise professionals exploring startup ideas: You have domain expertise and technical skills, but limited time to test your concepts. Is your idea worth pursuing further? Could it become your next career move?
For committed founders with early projects: You've started building, but is your direction right? Are you solving a real problem? Is your solution fundable and scalable?
Most startups fail because they never validate early. This 72-hour sprint will pressure-test your AI-driven concept and give you clarity on your next strategic move.
 

WHY THIS MATTERS

99% of pitches get rejected—not because they're bad ideas, but because they lack proof

$250B wasted annually on startups that never validate product-market fit

900K+ tech layoffs since 2022 = Massive untapped builder potential

CHOOSE YOUR PATH

INNOVATORS TRACK

Perfect for: First-time founders and enterprise professionals exploring startup ideas

Deliverable: Working prototype + documented feedback from 3+ potential users

Outcome: Clear understanding of your next validation milestone and viability assessment

STARTUP TRACK

Perfect for: Committed founding teams with existing projects seeking acceleration

Deliverable: Key feature implementation + feedback from existing or potential customers

Outcome: Defined roadmap for what to build or validate next to reach funding milestones

 

COLLISIONS BY DESIGN

Team formation opportunities: Connect startup-curious talent with committed founders

Skill matching: Find the technical or domain expertise your project needs

Founder dating: Test compatibility with potential co-founders in a high-intensity environment

Career transitions: Enterprise professionals can explore joining existing startups

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

Tech Industry Professionals
Above legal age of majority in country of residence
Professionals/Post grads only

In-Person Attendance Requirement: This is an in-person event. Remote participation is permitted; however, each team must have at least one member physically present at the event to present their project.

EVENT SCHEDULE Friday, May 16th PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP 

1:30 PM
PRE-EVENT WORKSHOP REGISTRATION

2:00 PM
Workshop: Building Reliable Agentic Systems and Agents

3:00 PM
10 minute break

4:00 PM
Main workshop ends

MAIN EVENT SCHEDULE DETAILS
Friday, May 16Hackathon, Day 1

6:00 PM
Registration & Reception

7:00 PM
Welcome: Hackathon Overview

7:10 PM
​Make Agents Make Sense and Commerializing Them

7:35 PM:
Co-host presentations

 

Arize AI
SAP

8:15 PM:
Sponsor/Partner Pitches

 

Arize
Groq
South Bay GenAI Meet Up

8:55 PM
Team Formation 

9:30 PM
Go home, get rest and be ready to go!


May 17Hackathon, Day 2

9:00 AM
Breakfast

10:00 AM
Housekeeping

10:30 AM
Code/Hack

12:00 PM
Lunch

12:30 PM
Code/Hack

3:00 PM
Snack/Break

3:15 PM
Code/Hack

5:30 PM
Dinner

6:00 PM
Code/Hack

9:00 PM
End of Day


Sunday, May 18Hackathon, Day 3

10:30 AM
Code/Hack

11:00 AM
Code/Hack (Updates & Q&A)

12:00 PM
Lunch

12:30 PM
Code/Hack

3:00 PM
Submission Deadline

4:00 PM
Demos/Presentations

5:00 PM
Dinner/Judges deliberate

6:00 PM
Awards ceremony

7:00 PM
It's a Wrap

Ready to Prove Your Idea? This isn’t just another hackathon—it’s your proving ground to validate, refine, and stress-test your AI-driven concept. Spots are limited. Apply now to secure priority admission.

Ended
Dates:

May 16, 2025 - May 18, 2025

Organisation:

FutureProof

Location:

400 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA

Prizes:

$5,000

Link to website

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