AI Youth Hackathon – Tri-Valley is a beginner-friendly, supportive AI experience for students (Grades 8–12) who want to explore how Artificial Intelligence can be used for learning, creativity, and social good.

Lovable (vibe-coding tool)

Students will work in small teams and use the Lovable AI platform to develop ideas and share what they create in a supportive and encouraging environment. No prior AI or coding experience is required.

To familiarize with the tool, here are a few resources:

Lovable Knowledge Base
2 minute Lovable demo
Intro to Lovable video

This is a short, guided mini hackathon focused on learning, creativity, and confidence.

Who Should Attend

Students (Grades 8–12)
Beginners and first-time participants welcome
Students interested in AI, creativity, or problem-solving

What Students Will Gain

Hands-on exposure to Artificial Intelligence
Experience building and explaining an AI idea
Mentorship and positive feedback from industry professionals
Certificates, recognition, and prizes
A meaningful experience to reference in college applications

Hackathon Tracks

Students may choose one of the following five tracks to work on:

🌍 AI for Community & Social Impact

Use AI to help people, communities, or the environment.

🎓 AI for Learning & Student Growth

Build AI ideas that support learning, organization, or productivity.

🎨 Creative Expression with AI

Use AI as a creative partner for art, stories, or design.

🚀 AI for Real-World Problem Solving

Explore AI ideas inspired by everyday challenges.

🤖 AI for Youth Safety & Wellbeing

Build AI ideas that support youth cognitive, emotional, and mental well-being.

Event Flow (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)

Welcome & AI introduction
Guided exploration of the Lovable app builder
Build time with mentor support
Project sharing and celebration

🎤 Team Pitch & Demo Format
Each team will give a 3 minutes pitch at the end of the build session.
Judges may walk around during build time to interact with teams, answer questions, and get a sense of the projects before pitches begin.

Recommended pitch flow:

Problem (What are you solving and for whom?)
Demo (Quick walkthrough of the clickable prototype)
AI Core Moment (Show 1 real example: input → AI output → user value)
Impact (Why this matters / what success looks like)

What Counts as a Project

A project = a clickable Lovable prototype with a complete end-to-end user flow you can walk through live. It should show the core AI-powered moment using at least one real example input/output. It’s okay if some integrations (payments, databases, external APIs) are mocked or simulated. Concept demos (no full apps required)

Awards & Recognition

3 winners selected for:
- Best Designed Track (creativity & functionality)
- Best Overall Solution
- Best Impactful Solution (meaningful app that could change the way people live, work, and think)
Cash prizes, 3 months free access to Lovable, and digital certificates will be awarded to winners

Sponsors

Judges

Sugata Sanyal, founder and CEO of ZINFI Technologies, leads the company’s pioneering unified partner management SaaS. A serial entrepreneur, he’s an active voice in innovation forums, fostering connections among Silicon Valley East Bay Founders and advancing global partner ecosystems.

Rana Gujral is the CEO of Behavioral Signals, building at the frontier of AI and Cognitive AI on the long-term path toward AGI. He’s a frequent speaker at the World Economic Forum, CES, TEDx, and more, and writes for TechCrunch and Forbes about applied AI, voice intelligence, leadership, and responsible deployment. He’s been recognized as Inc.’s “AI Entrepreneur to Watch” and named one of SoundHound’s “Top 40 Voice AI Influencers.”

Sudha Jayachandran is a Principal Technical Program Manager on CTO Strategic Initiatives at Atlassian, focus on Trust & Responsible AI.

Rick Stulen is a longtime resident of Livermore, a physicist and retired Vice President of Sandia National Laboratories. He joined the Quest Science Center Board of Directors in 2019 and is one of the founders of Quest’s Planetary Health program working with high school students from Pleasanton, Livermore and Tracy to take meaningful action for a better environmental future. Rick also serves on the City of Livermore’s Climate Action Team and is a member of the Livermore school district’s climate literacy task force.

Mia Maksumova is a product leader specializing in AI and data strategy, focused on building scalable, responsible, and high-impact solutions. Mia advances inclusive innovation and mentors builders through her service on the non-profit boards of Energy IoT and PM4WIT, and formerly with Girls Who Code.

Yolanda Fintschenko is the Executive Director of i-GATE Innovation Hub and Daybreak Labs. She previously held roles at Sandia National Laboratories, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and LabSmith, co-founded Fixate.IO and FounderTraction, and holds three patents with 40+ publications in microfluidics and related fields.

Dr. Nan Ho is an award-winning educator, researcher, and leader at Las Positas College, where she serves as Vice President of Academic Services. She serves on the Boards of Directors for Quest Science Center and for Bay Nature Institute. Dr. Ho earned her doctorate from the University of Southern California and Master’s and Bachelor’s from Stanford University.

Notes for Students & Parents

This event is designed to be supportive, inclusive, and low-pressure.
Effort, curiosity, and creativity matter more than technical depth.

As always, food and drink, engaging conversation, and incredible company will all be provided!

Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please keep applying! We appreciate your application tremendously and we are looking forward to seeing you at a future event very soon!

The AI Collective is a global non-profit community uniting 100,000+ pioneers – founders, researchers, operators, and investors – exploring the frontier of AI in major tech hubs worldwide. Through events, workshops, and community-led research, we empower the AI ecosystem to collaboratively steer AI’s future toward trust, openness, and human flourishing.

All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.

AI Youth Hackathon with Lovable - The AI Collective Tri-Valley Chapter