Nov 20–22, 2026 · STARTPLATZ Cologne

Build your
AI prototype
in 48 hours.

The AI Coding Hackathon November 2026 — three tracks, your team, one weekend. Learn from the best, code with state-of-the-art tools, present your results.

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Get your ticket Join as volunteer

Presented by

130

Participants

Pitches

Mentors

Tracks

Series edition

What is the Hackathon?

48 hours. One team. One prototype.

The AI Coding Hackathon is the most intensive way to bring AI-assisted development from theory into practice. You choose a track, form a team and build a working AI prototype together — with real data, modern tools like Claude Code, Cursor, n8n and Base44, and direct support from experienced mentors.

What you need

💻 Your own laptop · 🧠 Basics with AI tools · 🔥 Motivation

What you get in return ↓

Working AI prototype

Workshops & deep dives

Experts on site

Catering Fri–Sun

130 AI builders from DACH

Different experience levels welcome

No idea? Find a team on site

48h full-throttle energy

Network & peer sparring

Tracks

Three ways to build your prototype.

Vibe Coding

Turn an idea into a working product with AI-assisted development.

Harness Engineering

Build reliable agents through context, tools, tests and evaluation.

Mobile Apps

Prototype mobile applications and bring them to life on devices.

Programme

Three days. Full throttle.

48 hours non-stop — workshops, mentor sessions, hacking and demo pitches.

Friday

November 20

14:30–16:30

Track Kickoffs

Pre-session, parallel across all 3 tracks

16:30

Doors Open

Registration

17:00–18:00

Kick-off & Team Building

Schedule, track selection, find your team

19:00

Dinner

20:00

Hack All Night

Saturday

November 21

09:00

Breakfast

10:00–14:00

Deep-Dive Sessions

One deep dive per track

All day

Hacking + Mentor Support

Check-ins after 6 & 24 hours, architecture office hours, integration hour

18:00

Dinner

21:00

Hack All Night

Sunday

November 22

09:00–10:00

Arrival & breakfast

10:00–10:30

Pitch training

10:30–12:00

Final sprint

12:00–12:45

Lunch

12:45–13:00

Technical check

13:00–15:00

Demos from all three tracks

15:00–16:00

Jury deliberation, break & project exchange

16:00–16:30

Awards & closing

16:30–17:00

Networking & wrap-up

24/7 access — you can work through the night at STARTPLATZ.

Our partners

The companies supporting the weekend.

Main sponsor

Base44

Base44 is the main sponsor of the November 2026 AI Coding Hackathon. Its AI prototyping platform is part of the hackathon programme, and Base44 has been announced as a prize contributor for the best teams.

Gold sponsor

To be announced

Further details will follow.

Bronze sponsor

To be announced

Further details will follow.

Technology partner

To be announced

Partners and their contributions will be announced once confirmed.

Software partner

To be announced

Tools, credits and licences: confirmed offers will follow.

Our startup partners

Startup partner

Hybrid AI

Part of our partner community with its own product and expertise. Contribution details will follow.

Startup partner

Heedvane

Part of our partner community with its own product and expertise. Contribution details will follow.

Prizes & awards

What awaits the winning teams.

Main prize

Base44 Award · 3 × 440 credits

Base44 provides three packages of 440 credits each to keep building after the weekend. This overall award is presented independently of the tracks.

Further awards

Winner prizes

To be announced

Further prizes will be presented with their contributor, recipients and exact scope.

For all participants

Credits & licences

Base44 credits for all participants

All participants receive Base44 credits. Amount, validity and redemption details will be announced here.

Further partner offers

To be announced

Offers for all participants are listed separately from awards for winning teams.

Judging

What the jury looks for.

On Sunday, teams present 25 pitches in front of the jury and the audience. These four criteria decide.

Innovation

How new is the approach? We look at whether an idea tackles a problem differently from what already exists — not at how complicated it is built.

Execution

What actually runs after 48 hours? A working core counts for more than a long feature list that only exists on slides.

Real-world fit

Who is the prototype built for? A clear use case and a realistic next step after the weekend count for more than a broad promise.

Presentation

You have a few minutes in the Sunday demo. Show clearly what you built — a live demo convinces more than a description.

Organisation

Ben Sufiani & Lorenz Gräf

The lead organisers from Pirate Skills and STARTPLATZ guide the weekend together with speakers, mentors and other contributors.

Become a partner

Bring your company into the community.

Clear visibility for software and startup partners

On the landing page

Logo, short introduction and concrete contribution in a dedicated partner area.

In the STARTPLATZ newsletter

One collective partner mention before the event, including name and contribution.

On social media

One collective partner introduction before the event and a mention in the recap.

At the venue

Logo on the partner slide; prize donors are named when their prize is presented.

After the event

Proof of delivery with links and screenshots.

Individual posts, additional newsletters, stage time, top placement and exclusivity are not included in the baseline. Additional visibility can be agreed separately. We commit to the publications, not a guaranteed reach.

Become a partner — discuss your contribution

Tickets

Secure your spot.

Limited places. Here's how booking works.

There is one registration — not separate ticket links. Register below and you'll be redirected to our secure checkout (Stripe). Students are eligible for special rates — ask us for the code and enter it there. Without a code you pay the standard price.

Standard

€90

Full price ticket — no code needed

Full 48h access
Catering Fri–Sun
All track sessions
Mentor support
24/7 access to STARTPLATZ
Demo pitch on Sunday

No ticket budget? Become a volunteer.

As a volunteer you're in for free and support us with setup, breakdown and running the event. Apply via the link — we'll get back to you.

Apply as volunteer

All prices excl. VAT

📅

When: 20.11.2026 16:30 to 22.11.2026 17:00

📍

Where: Köln

💰

Fee: 90,00 EUR excl. VAT

Please provide your phone number so we can reach you in case of changes.

The standard price is 90 EUR

#startplatz #generative-ki #hackathon #agentic-coding #n8n #vibe-coding #koeln #startplatz-ai-hub #pirate-skills

Getting there

Find your way to us.

📍

STARTPLATZ Cologne

Cologne's startup and coworking hub

Address

Im Mediapark 5, 3rd floor, Cologne/Bonn room
50670 Cologne, Germany

Event hours

Friday 4:30 PM – Sunday 5:00 PM

Getting here

🚇 S-Bahn Hansaring · Bus 140 Christophstraße/Mediapark

🚗 Media Park parking garage available

FAQ

Common questions.

No. You can come alone — teams form at the kick-off on Friday evening. Most participants come solo and find a team on site that matches their idea and track.

Choose the track that best matches your idea or interests. Vibe Coding is the broadest track — ideal if you don't have a specific direction yet. You can switch tracks after registration on request.

Bring your laptop, some initial experience with AI tools and enthusiasm for building together. Vibe Coding offers an entry into prototyping; technical foundations help in Harness Engineering and Mobile Apps. Mentors provide support on site.

Yes. STARTPLATZ is open and accessible all weekend. No sleeping spots, but workspaces all night long. Many teams hack into the early hours.

Included in the ticket: Full event access Fri–Sun, catering (Fri dinner, Sat breakfast + dinner, Sun breakfast + lunch), drinks throughout, all track sessions and workshops, mentor access, demo pitch on Sunday.

Base44 is the main sponsor of the Hackathon November 2026. Base44 is a platform for AI-assisted prototyping and product development. Base44's tools and patterns are part of the hackathon curriculum.

TRACK RECORD

This is not the first edition.

The series started in November 2025. After four previous editions, November 2026 is the fifth. The 2024 weekend was a predecessor outside the series, with Microsoft as a sponsor at that time.

15–17 March 2024

AI Startup Weekend Hackathon

STARTPLATZ Cologne →

21–23 November 2025

AI Coding Hackathon 2025

STARTPLATZ Cologne →

20–22 March 2026

AI Coding Hackathon Spring 2026

STARTPLATZ Cologne →

29–31 May 2026

AI Coding Hackathon May 2026

STARTPLATZ Cologne →