BuildVerse Hackathon Series
Inspiring young innovators to collaborate, learn, and create AI-driven products that tackle real-world social, environmental, and community challenges
Mission
Inspire young innovators to collaborate and create AI-driven products that tackle real-world challenges, generating meaningful and lasting impact.
Objective
Nurture and empower top-performing participants to translate their AI-driven solutions from hackathon prototypes into real-world impact.
Powered by Chekk Inc.
A venture-backed startup that simplifies GitHub deployment and creates a social layer around building — empowering developers to ship faster and share progress and feedback with a community of builders.
Program Overview
Fully Online
Participate from anywhere in Nigeria — all rounds are conducted virtually
2–4 Per Team
Collaborate in teams of two to four to build AI-driven solutions
Students & Grads
Open to students and recent graduates (under 3 years) of Nigerian universities
3 Editions
Three themed editions spanning different focus areas each year
2026 Edition Focus Areas
The 2026 BuildVerse Hackathon Series features three editions, each focusing on distinct thematic areas and challenging participants to develop AI solutions for real-world problems across different sectors
1st Edition
June 2026
Focus Areas
- Education Tech
- Civic Engagement
- Social Impact & Inclusion
2nd Edition
August 2026
Focus Areas
- Health Tech
- Climate Innovation
- Agriculture & Food Systems
3rd Edition
October 2026
Focus Areas
- Transportation & Mobility
- Security & Defense
Hackathon Lifecycle
Application & Team Registration
Teams register and enter the competition via online submission, forming groups of five passionate innovators ready to tackle real-world challenges.
Hackathon Proper
The live competition kicks off with orientation, webinar sessions, technical speakers, and hands-on building across a Thursday-Friday-Saturday sprint.
Judging & Awards
Projects are evaluated across multiple rounds, with finalists presenting their AI-driven solutions to a panel of judges for final awards.
Competition Stages
Pitch & Plan
Teams define their problem, outline their AI approach, and demonstrate the vision behind their build.
Top 90% advance to Semifinals
Build & Refine
Teams ship working prototypes, showing progress and potential as judges review against selection criteria.
Top 5 teams advance to Finals
Present & Shine
Finalists demo their full AI-driven solutions live, making their case to the judging panel for the top prize.
Winners announced
What to Expect
Virtual Kick-off
Orientation session to set expectations and align teams
Shared Resources
Judging rubrics, hackathon materials, and technical documentation
Expert Webinars
Technical speaker sessions each day of the hackathon
Panel Speakers
Industry leaders sharing insights and expertise
Product Workshop
Hands-on workshop by Chekk Inc. on deployment tools
AI Tools Access
Agentic IDEs (Claude Code, Windsurf, Codex, Cursor) and GitHub for building
Awards & Recognition
Outstanding teams and participants are recognized across multiple categories
Cash Prizes
Cash prizes for top-performing teams (details to be announced)
Professional Development
Hands-on experience building and deploying AI-driven solutions with industry tools
BuildVerse Certificate
Official certificate of participation and achievement recognition
Ready to Build?
Applications for the 1st Edition of the BuildVerse Hackathon Series are now open