Build for LA. Build for the world.

The Dual-Use Hackathon is InnovateLA’s closing event of LA Tech Week, hosted at USC Viterbi from October 16 to 18, 2026. Los Angeles breaks the way the country breaks: fire, water, grid, ports, comms. Build something that solves an everyday LA problem and still works when things fall apart. Build for one, and it counts for both.

How it works

  • 1 mystery problem, revealed live Friday at 6:15 PM. Everyone gets the same one.
  • 5 lenses. Pick your angle: Crisis Mitigation (NULL Labs), Energy & Grid Hardening (Base Power), Resilience Comms (Retell AI), Ports & Logistics (Terminal49), and Lens #5, top secret until Friday.
  • 3 live twists. The problem shifts Friday night and Saturday morning. You get 6 hours after each one to adapt and respond.

The essentials

  • Cost: Free. Food provided all weekend.
  • Teams: 2 to 4 people. No team? We match you Friday at 7 PM.
  • Experience: None needed. Designers, researchers, business and policy minds are just as valuable as coders.
  • Format: In person only, USC University Park Campus.
  • Submissions due: Saturday, Oct 17, 10:00 PM on Devpost. No extensions.

Schedule

Friday, October 16

  • 5:00 PM: Check in, MCB 101 (Michelson Center)
  • 5:30: Kick Off
  • 6:00 PM: Mystery problem revealed
  • 7:00 PM: Squad formation
  • 8:30 PM: Move to RTH 526 and start building
  • 9:00 PM: Teams lock
  • 11:30 PM: Twist 1

Saturday, October 17

  • 4:30 AM: Twist 2
  • 7:00 AM: Twist 3 (the last one)
  • 10:30 AM: Retell AI info session
  • 11:00 AM: Talk with Ambassador Ivonne A-Baki
  • 1:00 PM: IBM SkillsBuild session on IBM Bob
  • Evening: 1:1 mentor sessions
  • 10:00 PM: Final submissions due on Devpost
  • 10:30 PM: The Midnight Games
  • 12:00 AM: Seven finalists announced

Sunday, October 18 (Ginsburg Hall)

  • 12:00 PM: Demo area opens; guests vote for People’s Choice
  • 1:00 PM: Featured talk with Matthew Finney, Accenture Federal Services
  • 2:30 PM: Seven finalists pitch, then all awards announced
  • 3:30 PM: Close

Times may shift. The participant portal is always current.

What’s at stake

 

Top three overall win $1,000, $500 and $200 and advance to the Das Family Incubator to compete for a share of $30,000. Each sponsored lens crowns its own winner, with prizes including cash, trophies and fast-track interviews. Plus Best Build with IBM Bob, Best Shift Adapter, Best Live Demo, People’s Choice and the Fun Team Award. Prizes stack.

Requirements

Submit one Devpost project per team by Saturday, October 17 at 10:00 PM PT. Late projects will not be judged.

Your submission must include:

  1. Project name, your chosen lens, and a one-line description
  2. Pitch deck
  3. Link to your code repository
  4. All teammates added to the project
  5. Responsible-use note: two lines on how your tool could be misused and how you limit that
  6. Tools used: list any open-source code, public APIs and AI tools
  7. If competing for Best Build with IBM Bob: explain how you used IBM Bob
  8. If you built hardware: include a backup demo video

Twist responses (what changed, plus proof) are due within 6 hours of each twist through the participant portal, and count toward your score.

Judging criteria (1 to 5 points each)

  1. Dual-use fit: solves an everyday LA problem and still works when things break
  2. Technical execution: is it real, and does it work?
  3. Feasibility and impact: could it ship, and who is better off?
  4. Adapting to twists: how well you absorbed the shifts
  5. Demo and pitch: does it land in five minutes?

Ties are decided by dual-use fit.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$2,300+ in prizes
+ other prizes
First Place
$1,000 in cash
1 winner

Second Place
$500 in cash
1 winner

Third Place
$200 in cash
1 winner

Das Family Incubator
3 winners

The top 3 teams compete for a spot (and share of $30,000 in support) in the Das Family Incubator program.

Track Prizes (one entry per sponsor)
$600 in cash
1 winner

Track prize from [BASE / Terminal49 / Retell / NULL / IBM SkillsBuild / Southern California Edison] for the best project in their track.

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Dr. Kelly Sanders

Dr. Kelly Sanders
Professor, Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Prof. David Barnhart

Prof. David Barnhart
Research Professor and Director, Space Engineering Research Center

Matthew Finney

Matthew Finney
Leads Data and AI at Accenture Federal Former VP of Generative AI, LMI

Krystal Ayala

Krystal Ayala
Planning Supervisor, Southern California Association of Governments

Brad Waller

Brad Waller
City Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem, Redondo Beach

Betty Lieu

Betty Lieu
Councilmember, District 5, City of Torrance

Thanassis Rikakis

Thanassis Rikakis
Professor, USC Iovine and Young Academy

Josh Duntz

Josh Duntz
MBA Candidate, MIT Sloan; former President, Metova

Andy Wilson

Andy Wilson
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Innovation, USC

John Wen

John Wen
Senior Product Manager, Confluent (IBM)

Art Liem

Art Liem
Global Building Optimization Delivery Lead, IBM

Tariq Nazar

Tariq Nazar
Founder and CEO, Mithrandir Dynamics

Meharban Singh Sobti

Meharban Singh Sobti
Founder, Eyehat; Technology Advisor, Critical Loop

Mert Turna

Mert Turna
Co-founder, Derya (YC S26)

Prof. Gordon Bellamy

Prof. Gordon Bellamy
Professor of the Practice, Interactive Media and Games

Judging Criteria

  • Judging Criteria
    Dual-use fit, technical execution, feasibility & impact, adaptability to live problem shifts, and demo quality — each scored 1–5 by the judging panel.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

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