Hackathons

48-hour build sprints across Zimbabwe. Themed challenges, mentorship, prizes, and a direct path to the startup incubation program.

Hackathon community

48 Hours

Friday evening kickoff to Sunday afternoon demos. Enough time to build something real without burning out.

Teams of 2-5

Form a team or join as a solo and get matched. Cross-functional teams with designers, developers, and founders welcome.

Real Prizes

Cash prizes, Rails Cloud credits, and fast-track entry into the 6-month startup incubation program for top teams.

Judging criteria

25%
Innovation & creativity
25%
Technical execution
25%
Real-world impact
25%
Presentation & demo

Year 1 schedule

Ten hackathons across three cities, building toward the Grand Finale.

Q1-Q2
3 cities
FinTech for Africa
Payments, lending, insurance, and financial inclusion solutions built on Rails Pay APIs.
Q2-Q3
3 cities
Enterprise Solutions
Productivity tools, business automation, and SaaS products using Rails Cloud infrastructure.
Q3-Q4
3 cities
AI & Data
Machine learning, data analytics, and AI-powered applications using Rails AI Labs.
Q4
Harare
Grand Finale
Top teams from all hackathons compete. Largest prize pool. Winners fast-tracked to incubation.

Weekend breakdown

FRI

Kickoff

Theme reveal, team formation, API workshops, and mentor introductions. Building starts at 8pm.

SAT

Build Day

Full day of building. Mentor check-ins, technical support, and progress reviews throughout.

SUN

Demo Day

Final submissions by noon. Team presentations, judging, and awards ceremony.

How to participate

Join the Discord server
Register when announced
Form or join a team
All skill levels welcome

Don't miss the next one

Join the Discord to get notified about upcoming hackathons and find teammates.

Join Discord