VibeCon SF Oct 24-25: Build, Ship, Win $10K + YC Interview

2026-10-24 · San Francisco

Emergent Venue, San Francisco, CA, USA

VibeCon SF is a free two-day product hackathon in San Francisco where 200 participants build and ship from scratch for a $10,000 cash prize and a Y Combinator interview.

VibeCon SF is a high-stakes, two-day product-building sprint bringing together 200 builders, founders, and engineers to ship a working product from scratch in 48 hours. The winning team receives a $10,000 cash prize and a direct interview with Y Combinator. Applications close on October 15, 2026.

Founder brief

Who should attend

Early-stage founders, engineers, and builders across any sector looking to launch a working prototype over a single weekend should apply. The program suits individuals ready to team up on-site, test an idea under pressure, and pursue acceleration opportunities directly.

What happens

Attendees assemble teams at the venue and spend 48 hours designing, coding, and deploying their projects. The weekend culminates in live pitches before a judging panel, with the top project taking home ten thousand dollars in cash alongside a direct interview with Y Combinator.

Who's in the room

Around two hundred developers, designers, and startup founders gather alongside product leaders, venture capitalists, and YC partners who evaluate the final presentations. MongoDB supports the hackathon as an official sponsor, and Emergent coordinates the gathering.

How to prepare

Submit your application before the October 15, 2026 deadline to secure a spot. Arrive with your development environment configured and several clear product concepts in mind, allowing your newly formed team to begin building immediately and craft a concise, demo-driven live pitch for the judges.

Organizer: Emergent

Register

At a glance

Tickets
Free
Format
Participants form teams on-site and spend the weekend building, iterating, and shipping. Teams pitch live to a panel of venture capitalists, YC partners, and product leaders.
Theme
Build, Ship, Win $10K + YC Interview
Prizes
$10,000 cash and a direct Y Combinator interview
Attendance
200 builders
Stage
Any
Sectors
Agnostic

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