XPRIZE Pittsburgh: AI Hackathon + Pitch Night

The IBM Watson AI XPRIZE is offering $5 million to teams around the world for technological breakthroughs that benefit humanity through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. We think that Pittsburgh has a lot to contribute and gain from participating, and has a real chance of producing a winning team. XPRIZE has also stated that if a considerable number of teams (~10+) apply from the Pittsburgh region, they would like to invest more of their efforts and resources here in the near future. 

There are a lot of incentives for participating: the prize money; connections to global experts and investors; invitations to upcoming years of IBM World of Watson; etc. However, this comes with a $1500 application fee per team team (reduced to $1000 for Pittsburgh teams as a result of XPRIZE's visit here in November). To make this more cost-effective for high-potential teams, we've gathered sponsors to fully or partially cover several teams' application costs. This doubles as an opportunity for companies to engage with developers and/or investors.

This is not a typical hackathon. The primary goal here is to offer prospective teams a low-risk chance to explore opportunities and resources for taking part in the AI XPRIZE. The prize itself concludes on the stage of TED 2020, so given the 3.5 years teams have to build their product, we do not expect them to produce complete products. While teams are encouraged to design and build prototypes, their primary task will be to complete the XPRIZE Competition Plan, as detailed in the Competition Guidelines.  More information on all of this is available in our XPRIZE Pittsburgh FAQ.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? (Ticket type breakdown)

Participants (Attend for the full weekend, Fri - Sun)
"FOUNDERS" - Participants from a company/org with existing AI products/solutions
"EXPLORERS" - Participants from a company/org that doesn't use AI, but wants to explore
DEVELOPERS - Software professionals experienced in AI and Machine Learning, interested in working with a team

Supporters (Attend selectively Fri-Sun; contact us)
MENTORS - Domain experts and seasoned entrepreneurs interested in providing feedback and advice 
SPONSORS - Individuals/organizations interested in sponsoring event costs or teams' application fees

Pitch Night (Attend only on Sunday night)
Limited seating is available for members of the general public who would like to watch the pitches. Investors are especially encouraged to attend, and should contact us if this ticket option runs out.

EVENT SCHEDULE

1/6/17, 5:30-10:30pm | Dinner, pitches, team matching, work
1/7/17, 8:30am-10:30pm | Work, mentor sessions, office hours
1/8/17, 8:30am-5:30pm | Work, mentor sessions, pitch practice
1/8/17, 5:30pm-10:30pm | Dinner, keynote, pitches, awards

PRESENTING SPONSOR

ORGANIZING PARTNERS

PRIZE SPONSORS