AI software platform Emergent is bringing its flagship hackathon, VibeCon, to India with a high-stakes opportunity for builders. The two-day event, scheduled for April 16–17 in Bengaluru, will offer the winning team a direct interview with a partner at Y Combinator.
Positioned just ahead of Y Combinator’s first in-person Startup School India on April 18, the event creates a high energy week for founders, engineers, and operators to collaborate, build, and validate ideas rapidly.
VibeCon India stands out for its selective format. Unlike traditional hackathons, it follows a rigorous application process to identify high potential participants capable of turning ideas into functional products within a short time frame. The response has been massive, with over 20,000 applications received from India and global participants, out of which only a select cohort has been chosen.
The hackathon is backed by leading ecosystem players, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Stripe, Razorpay, and MongoDB, among others. These partners will provide mentorship, technical infrastructure, and development tools to support teams during the build phase.
In addition to the YC interview opportunity, winning teams will receive cash rewards and access to partner-backed credits, helping them scale their ideas beyond the hackathon.
With VibeCon India, Emergent aims to bridge India’s fast-growing builder ecosystem with global startup networks, accelerating the journey from idea to execution. The initiative reflects a broader trend of curated, outcome driven hackathons becoming launchpads for the next generation of startups.
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