This weekend, AngelHack is hosting 24-hour hackathons in Boston, New York, and Washington, DC.
These events are part of their fall lineup, which includes hackathons in 11 cities. The top 25 teams overall will receive mentorship and an expenses-paid trip to Silicon Valley to show off their products.
This is different from many other hackathons, which end after the weekend is over. “We like to believe we’re doing it right in a world full of people that are just wasting people’s times,” says founder and CEO Greg Gopman. He hopes that these hackathons will lead to real products, not just be a fun learning experience.
The winning teams receive mentorship from AngelHack’s stellar network of connections. After their hackathon, and until the Silicon Valley trip in late January, they can meet up with mentors in person or connect with them online. They also get access to lawyers and investors.
Once in Silicon Valley, the experience kicks off with a demo day on Thursday, January 24. Judges include Robert Scoble, Naval Ravikant of AngelList, Jason Calacanis, and Wesley Chan of Google Ventures, and investors like Andreessen Horowitz will be attending as well. Friday brings a trip to Google Ventures and some startup headquarters. At night, hundreds of people with gather for a huge party.
“It’s kind of got this sleepaway camp vibe to it,” says Gopman.
AngelHack hackathons cost around $20 to $60, and there are still spots left in a variety of cities. To have a shot at winning, says Gopman, pick your team beforehand, don’t try to do too much, and – of course – plan on staying up all night.