Vibe FORWARD Hackathon

Presented by Mike & Somya

Build the Future of Responsible Technology

Modern tools are powerful — but clarity, oversight, and trust often lag behind.

Vibe FORWARD brings together builders, designers, and students for a one-day hackathon focused on creating practical tools that improve transparency, reliability, and safe use of modern digital systems.

Participants will collaborate in small teams to design and prototype solutions that help organizations — especially small businesses and community groups — use technology responsibly and effectively.

The focus is simple:

Build something real. Ship it. Demo it.

Breakfast, Lunch, snacks, and beverages will be provided.

What the Day Looks Like

9:00 A.M. — Breakfast & Networking: Participants arrive, meet other builders, and get settled.
10:00 A.M. – Guest Talks & Demos
11:15 A.M. – Opening & Challenge Overview: Quick introduction to the event and hackathon tracks.
11:30 A.M – 4:45 P.M. – Form Teams & Build
4:46 P.M. – Project Submission: Teams submit their final project.
5:00 P.M. – Team Demos: Selected teams present their solutions.
6:00 – Awards & Closing

Prize Categories

Best Real-World Application: 🥇— $1,000 + Credits

Runner-ups in each Hack Track: $500

...and more

What You’ll Build

Participants will:

Form teams of 4–5 builders
Choose a challenge track
Prototype a working solution
Submit their project for review
Present live demos

Top teams will be recognized during the closing session.

Who You’ll Meet

This event brings together a diverse group of participants including:

NYC students and researchers
Developers and designers from NYC tech communities
Early-stage builders and founders
Technologists interested in responsible systems design
Industry professionals exploring real-world applications

Build. Test. Ship.

Spend a day building something meaningful with other technologists in New York City and help move responsible technology FORWARD.

What to Expect:

IBM led workshops.
Demos from Tavily.
Meet some of the best builders in the city.
Free credits from Lovable and Tavily.
Free food and drinks courtesy of Ranea.ai.
Judges from companies like Intuit, J.P. Morgan Chase, etc.

Hosts:

Mike: Opening the doors to foster collaboration.
Somya Gupta: The face of NYC startup ecosystem.
Pulse NYC AI: A community, incubator, and venture fund built for founders, researchers, and technologists shaping the future of AI in New York City.
CAST-GNY - A cross-discipline non-profit organization.
Fordham Chinese Students & Scholars Association.

Food Sponsors

Ranea is an AI-powered platform that automates high-volume front desk workflows for outpatient clinics.

Credit Sponsors

Tavily - the real-time search engine for AI Agents and RAG workflows.
Lovable - Build real-world applications using AI.
Lava.so - call any model, API, or MCP, from wherever you are.

vibeFORWARD Hackathon | $1,000+ in Prizes | NYC × April 12