Esper AI Hackathon
By Esper
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Quick Answer
A 3-day offline hackathon in Bengaluru for experienced developers to build production-grade AI solutions on edge devices — $6,000 prize pool.
- Funding amount
- Up to ₹5.52 Lakhs
- Funding type
- Competition
- Provider
- Esper
- Application deadline
- Rolling
- Location
- International
About this competition
Esper AI Hackathon is a 3-day offline hackathon organised by Esper at their Indiranagar office in Bengaluru. The challenge: build AI that runs where the physical world happens — retail, restaurants, healthcare, logistics — on actual edge devices, not in the cloud. This is for engineers with 3+ years of experience building ML systems who want to ship something real.
Who Should Apply Experienced developers (3+ years) ready to build and deploy production-grade AI solutions on real-world hardware. Teams of 2–4 members. Only 10 teams will be selected based on the strength of their idea.
Format & Timeline The hackathon runs from June 22, 2026 at the Esper Office, Indiranagar. Teams will have 3 days to build and demo their solution. Judging is based on a live demo — not a slide deck. Mentors and AWS solutions architects will be on-site throughout.
Evaluation Criteria
- Enterprise Problem Depth (30%): Does this solve a real, painful problem in the chosen vertical? Is the ROI clear?
- Hardware Integration (25%): How well does the solution interface with edge devices, sensors, or point-of-sale hardware?
- AI Quality & Innovation (25%): Sophistication of the ML models, latency optimization, and creative approach to inference.
- Live Demo Readiness (20%): Can you prove it works? Production-readiness and reliability during the final presentation.
Prizes Total cash prize pool of $6,000 (approx. ₹5,52,000).
- First Place: $3,000
- Second Place: $2,000
- Third Place: $1,000
Eligibility Open to experienced developers (3+ years) building ML systems. Teams of 2–4 members. Must be able to attend in person at the Esper Office in Bengaluru.
How to Apply Applications are open. Register via the official event page linked above. Only 10 teams will be selected.
Eligibility
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Full eligibility criteria — entity type, stage, sector, founder profile and registration requirements — plus your fit for this program. Sign up to view.
Organizers
Organizer
Esper
Prizes & Awards
- Amount
- Up to ₹5.52 Lakhs
What You Get
Competition cash prizes: the winning team gets $3,000, second place $2,000, and third place $1,000, from a total prize pool of $6,000 (approx ₹5,52,000). Beyond the prize money, selected teams get three days at Esper's Indiranagar office building and demoing on real edge hardware, with Esper mentors and AWS solutions architects on-site throughout — so the value includes hands-on technical support while you build, not just the cash. Judging is based on a live demo rather than a slide deck.
How to apply
Four steps from draft to disbursement — one action each.
- 1
Submit on the official portal
Use the official application link and verify all details before final submission.
- 2
Follow up
Reach out 5–7 days after submitting to confirm receipt and ask about the review timeline.
