🚀 The Hackathon Lab
Autonate AI presents: Weekly live-fire training for AI-native software engineers
🎯 What Is This?
The Hackathon Lab is where theory meets reality. Every week, we:
- Analyze a real hackathon with senior consultant-level insight
- Reverse-engineer sponsor incentives and winning patterns
- Design portfolio-worthy project ideas
- Build using templates, AI agents, and Evergreen concepts
- Ship functional projects in 5 days
This isn't just "learn to code." This is systems thinking meets rapid execution.
📅 Current Week
Week 1: [Current Hackathon Name]
Theme: [Theme]
Sponsor: [Company]
Deadline: [Date]
Prize Pool: $X,XXX
Status: 🔴 LIVE
This Week's Focus:
- Concept 1 from EC201 - Algorithms
- Concept 2 from EC302 - Databases
- Concept 3 from EC402 - Applied AI Agents
📆 Weekly Structure
We run Sunday → Saturday with a clear daily focus:
| Day | Focus | What You'll Do |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Kickoff + Idea Selection | Analyze hackathon, choose idea, pick template |
| Monday | Build Day 1: Skeleton | Get app running end-to-end |
| Tuesday | Build Day 2: Data & Logic | Model domain, implement core features |
| Wednesday | Build Day 3: AI & UX | Add intelligence and polish |
| Thursday | Build Day 4: System Tightening | Handle edge cases, improve robustness |
| Friday | Polish & Pitch | Testing, demos, story crafting |
| Saturday | Retro & Showcase | Community showcase, lessons learned |
Join any day and we'll tell you exactly how to catch up.
🗂️ Archive
Season 1: Foundations (Weeks 1-12)
Week 1: [Hackathon Name]
Theme: [Theme]
Sponsor: [Company]
Status: ✅ Complete
Key Learnings: EC201, EC302, EC402
Week 2: [Coming Soon]
Theme: TBA
Status: 🔜 Upcoming
Week 3: [Coming Soon]
Theme: TBA
Status: 🔜 Upcoming
🎓 What You Learn
Unlike "follow this tutorial," the Hackathon Lab teaches:
Strategic Thinking
- How to analyze sponsor incentives
- How to identify winning project patterns
- How to position your work for judges and recruiters
Systems Architecture
- How to design systems under time pressure
- How to choose the right abstractions quickly
- How to use templates as thinking frameworks
AI-Native Development
- When to use AI for scaffolding, research, testing
- How to prompt effectively for engineering tasks
- How to combine human taste with AI speed
Portfolio Building
- Projects that demonstrate real systems thinking
- Work you can show sponsors, recruiters, and users
- Evidence of shipping, not just learning
🛠️ Tools We Use
- Templates: Pre-built, hackable starters
- AI Agents: Cursor, ChatGPT, Claude for research and development
- Evergreen Concepts: Explicit cross-links to courses
- Community: Discord for real-time collaboration
💡 Philosophy
Traditional hackathons are chaotic. You:
- Pick a random idea
- Scramble to learn unfamiliar tools
- Submit something half-working
- Learn nothing reusable
The Hackathon Lab is different.
We treat hackathons like senior consultants treat client projects:
- Understand the real problem (not just the stated one)
- Design solutions grounded in systems thinking
- Execute with proven patterns and tools
- Ship something that demonstrates mastery
Every week reinforces the Evergreen Curriculum. Every project becomes a portfolio piece.
🎯 Who This Is For
✅ Beginners who want structure, not chaos
✅ Mid-level devs ready to level up to AI-native workflows
✅ Hackathon veterans tired of building throwaway projects
✅ Portfolio builders who need real work to show
💰 Access
Hackathon Lab is included with:
- Full Evergreen Curriculum ($999)
- Hackathon Lab Membership ($299/quarter)
- Free preview: Follow along with kickoff posts
🔗 Related
- Evergreen Courses: The conceptual foundation
- Templates: Tools for rapid building
- Tutorials: Skill-building between hackathons
- Community: Connect with other builders
💬 This Week's Community
Building this week? Share your:
- Idea choice: What are you tackling?
- Challenges: Where are you stuck?
- Wins: What's working well?
Hashtag: #AutonateWeek1