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Launch window · November

A 48-hour AI hackathon in Vilnius

Apply by Vilnius time

A weekend for 10 teams: from Friday to Sunday you build a working AI product and show it to real users. The three best teams continue for six weeks in our incubator.

48 h · 10 teams · 3 join the incubator · free

Register a teamSee the programme

11 days to the hackathon.

The hackathon in brief

Launch window · November is a free 48-hour AI product hackathon in Vilnius, Lithuania, on , run by UAB Northwestern Solutions. 10 teams of 2–4 people take part, all aged 18 or over. Over the weekend each team builds a working AI product and tests it with real users. The three best teams are invited to a six-week incubator, where they build, test and sell the product with us. When a team joins the incubator, Northwestern Solutions receives 22% of its company under a written agreement. Apply on this page by Vilnius time.

How it works

  1. 1Apply. Fill in the form at the bottom of this page. We select 10 teams and reply to every team by email by 18 November.
  2. 248 hours of building. From Friday 14:54 to Sunday 14:54 you build the product and show it to users. Sunday: demos and results.
  3. 3Six weeks with us. Three teams build, test and sell with Northwestern Solutions. In return: 22% of the company.
The grand hackathon · springLaunch window · 9–11 April 2027In spring comes the grand Launch window hackathon, with its own programme, terms and separate registration. You can apply to both. Apply by .Go to the April hackathon page

Programme

The build lasts exactly 48 hours, from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon. All times are Vilnius time.

  • At the code freeze you hand in the product’s public address, the code repository, an extract of the user log and a 2–4 minute video.
  • Demos: each team gets 4 minutes live and 3 minutes of questions. We hand out problem briefs at the opening.
  • Whether the venue stays open overnight will be published with the address.
What happensWhen
Applications close
Replies to teams by
Opening and registration
Build starts
Sessions with our team
User hours
Code freeze, after 48 h
Demos
Results
Close
Incubator
Demo day

What the three best teams get

For six weeks you work with the Northwestern Solutions team: you build, test and sell your product. In return, Northwestern Solutions receives 22% of your company. This and the other terms are set out in a written agreement we sign before the incubator starts.

Build and launch

  • Every week the Northwestern Solutions team reviews the product, code, deployment and numbers with you.
  • Hosting on our platform: its own container, address and TLS certificate; you can connect your own domain.
  • Deploys from a specific git revision with a health check; if the check fails, the previous version comes back.
  • Our way of working with AI agents: agents write code, people decide what ships.

Test

  • Measurement: UTM tags and funnel events for every experiment, so you see where people come from and where they stop.
  • Search content from official sources and technical SEO: sitemaps, structured data, language versions.
  • A security review before public launch, only with the team’s written permission.

Sell

  • The sales method we use ourselves: research, a personal email, human approval, opt-outs honoured from the first email.
  • We help set up your own domain for email (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and review emails before sending; you send them.
  • A launch write-up on our site and short product videos from the real screen, if you agree.

Six weeks

  1. 1 wk

    Start

    We sign the agreement and set a goal and one number to move.

  2. 2 wk

    First users

    You talk to the people the product is for and fix what gets in their way.

  3. 3 wk

    Decision

    From the numbers we decide together: continue, change direction or stop.

  4. 4 wk

    Reach

    Search content, a security review and the first emails from your domain.

  5. Break 19 December – 3 January

    5 wk

    Price

    You ask people to pay or commit, and measure who says yes.

  6. 6 wk

    Demo day

    You show in public what works and what the numbers say.

Every week: Monday, the week’s goal; Wednesday, a working session with us in Vilnius or online; Friday, a short report.

Two paths in the incubator

Your own project
You keep building what you started at the hackathon.
One of ours
You take one of the product directions we have already researched. The 22% term applies to both paths; who owns the product and the code is set out in the same agreement.
Which directions we offer
  • an app built from an Excel sheet for one line of business: bookings, orders, stock, rotas;
  • a free business tool that people find through search, such as an employer cost calculator;
  • a security self-check for a small company;
  • a finder for EU support schemes a company can apply for, from a checked list;
  • a product built on public Lithuanian register data;
  • an open-world browser game set in a life-size Vilnius.

At this stage we offer no cash prizes, stipends, investment, AI model or cloud credits, and no guaranteed results. If this changes, we will publish it before applications close.

How we select and judge

We select teams for the hackathon from their applications. On Sunday the jury judges what works and what users show.

Selection for the hackathon

  1. 40 pointsWhat you have already shipped: links to working work.
  2. 25 pointsTeam make-up: who writes or directs the code and who talks to users.
  3. 20 pointsA clear problem, or the will to take on one of our briefs.
  4. 15 pointsWhether you can commit six weeks if you win.

Judging on Sunday

  1. 30 pointsA working product at a public address, shown live, not on slides.
  2. 25 pointsReal outside signal over the weekend, verifiable in logs.
  3. 20 pointsDepth and execution: tidy engineering, security basics.
  4. 15 pointsA clear problem and who would pay to have it solved.
  5. 10 pointsEase of use: a person knows what to do without being told.
What counts as user signal
  • sign-ups and active sessions from your product’s log, excluding team members, the jury and Northwestern Solutions staff;
  • recorded user tests, with the participant’s consent;
  • a written commitment from a company to try the product, naming the person responsible;
  • real first payments.

Not counted: friends and family, other participants, paid traffic, bots and accounts with no activity. The jury may contact the users you name, if they agreed to it.

Rules (9)
  1. 01Teams of 2–4 people, all aged 18 or over.
  2. 02Product code starts at the build start. Public libraries, templates and tools you built before may be used if you list them in the README.
  3. 03The full git history is required. If all the work lands in one commit just before the freeze, the product is not judged.
  4. 04AI tools are encouraged. Keep prompts, specs and agent instructions in the repository.
  5. 05At the code freeze, 48 hours after the start, the product runs at a public address the jury can open.
  6. 06Collect user signal fairly: no paid ads, no bought or generated accounts, no mass email or SMS.
  7. 07Handle personal data under the GDPR: collect only what you need and say clearly who you are.
  8. 08The video has no synthetic voice-over and is not sped up.
  9. 09The code of conduct applies at the venue, in chat channels and online.

The jury will be published before applications close. A juror connected to a team does not judge that team.

Who it is for

  • Teams that have already shipped something: a product, a site with users, a tool or an open-source project.
  • Teams where at least one member writes or directs code, including through AI agents, and at least one talks to users.
  • A developer paired with someone who knows a problem from manufacturing, logistics, trade or services.
  • Students and people in work, if you can commit six weeks should you win. We recommend at least 20 hours a week.

If you want a pitch-deck contest or quick investment, this format is not for you.

What to bring

  • a laptop and charger;
  • access to your own AI tools and models;
  • a git account;
  • your own domain, or consent to use an address we provide;
  • a phone with a camera for user tests.

You do not need an idea. Applying alone? Say so in the form: before selection we introduce solo applicants to each other. Catering will be announced with the address.

Why these dates

We set the weekend ourselves and chose the times within it from the real sky over Vilnius. Times and positions are computed astronomically; their meanings are given as astrological tradition. The tradition guarantees nothing and plays no part in judging.

Astronomy1In astrological tradition
Start : exact Moon sextile Uranus (Moon 3°54′ Aries, Uranus 3°54′ Gemini, retrograde).In astrology Uranus is linked with technology and invention, the Moon in Aries with a bold start; the tradition reads a sextile as an opening.
Applications close , when the Moon reaches first quarter.In the tradition the first quarter is linked with a time to decide and act.
Friday 22:44: Moon–Saturn conjunction in Aries; on the sky the two are 5.5° apart in the south-west.In astrology Saturn is linked with structure and discipline; the conjunction falls on the first build night.
Sunday 09:38–12:09 the Moon is void of course: from its trine to Mars until it enters Taurus.In the tradition nothing new is started then, so Sunday morning goes to user hours and finishing.
Mercury turned direct on 13 November but stays in its post-retrograde shadow until 30 November, 08:16.In the tradition this time is linked with corrections and re-checking, so everything agreed is written down.
Results Sunday 17:50:53: Moon square Pluto, the Moon’s first aspect in Taurus.In astrology Taurus is linked with what is tangible and lasts, Pluto with transformation.
Demo day : Moon trine Venus. Mars has been retrograde since 10 January.In astrology Venus is linked with value and what people like; the tradition reads retrograde Mars as a call not to rush.

Terms

Entry
Free.
Who can take part
Teams of 2–4 people, all aged 18 or over. The hackathon is in Vilnius only, in person.
Dates
. The build lasts 48 hours.
Code built at the hackathon
Stays with the team. Northwestern Solutions only receives a non-exclusive right to use it for judging, and shows the demo and screens in launch write-ups only with your consent. Teams that only take part in the hackathon give up no share of their company; the code stays theirs.
Incubator
Northwestern Solutions receives 22% of the company of each team that joins the incubator. This and the other terms are set out in a written agreement we sign before the incubator starts.
Incubator, one of our projects
Who owns the product and the code is set out in the same agreement.
Money
At this stage we offer no cash prizes, stipends, investment or model credits. If this changes, we will publish it before applications close.
Venue and jury
Vilnius. The address and the jury will be published before applications close.
Language
Lithuanian and English.
Replies
We will write to every team by .
Data
Applications are handled by UAB Northwestern Solutions under the privacy notice.
Code of conduct
Published before applications close, with a contact for reporting breaches.

Questions

When is the AI hackathon in Vilnius?

. The build lasts exactly 48 hours, from Friday 14:54 to Sunday 14:54 Vilnius time.

How much does it cost to take part?

Entry is free.

What do the winners get?

The three best teams get a place in a six-week incubator: they build, test and sell their product with the Northwestern Solutions team. There are no cash prizes at this stage.

What share of the company does Northwestern Solutions get?

22% of the company, if the team joins the incubator. This and the other terms are set out in a written agreement we sign before the incubator starts. Teams that only take part in the hackathon give up no share of their company; the code stays theirs.

Who owns what we build at the hackathon?

Your team. We only receive a non-exclusive right to use the code for judging and, with your consent, to show the demo.

Who can take part?

Teams of 2–4 people, all aged 18 or over. Applying alone? Choose one member in the form: before selection we introduce solo applicants to each other.

Can we use AI tools and code we wrote before?

AI tools are encouraged. Libraries, templates and your own tools may be used if you list them in the README. Product code starts at the build start.

Can we take part remotely?

The hackathon is in Vilnius only. The incubator’s Wednesday sessions are in Vilnius or online.

When will we hear back?

By . We write from hello@northwesternsolutions.org, and a person writes every reply.

How does this relate to the April hackathon?

They are two separate events with separate applications, and you can apply to both. The grand April hackathon’s programme, terms and registration are on its own page.

Were the dates really chosen by astrology?

In part. We set the weekend ourselves; the times of the kickoff, the application close, the results and demo day were chosen from astrological tradition, and every time and position was computed astronomically, checked by two independent calculations. The tradition guarantees nothing and plays no part in judging.

What do teams that do not win get?

What you built, the user data you collected and the jury’s feedback.

How is our data handled?

UAB Northwestern Solutions processes what you submit to assess the application. To rate-limit requests we keep hashes of IP and email addresses for two days, not the addresses themselves. Applications from teams not selected are deleted three months after the hackathon, from . Details are in the privacy notice.

Is there a code of conduct?

Yes, it will be published before applications close. Everyone follows it: participants, the jury and our team; it will name a contact for reporting breaches.

Register a team

Applications close Vilnius time. The form takes about 10 minutes.

11 days to the hackathon.

Team

One email, one application. Until we start assessing it, submitting again updates it.

If you are on your own, choose 1.

One per line: name and what you do (code, product, design, sales…).

Idea and links

No idea yet? Say which field you know well.

Shipped work is 40% of the selection score.

After the hackathon
If you win, which would you choose?
Which language do you prefer
Consent

I understand that when a team joins the incubator, Northwestern Solutions receives 22% of the company. The terms are set out in a written agreement before the incubator starts; taking part only in the hackathon does not involve this.

We send no automatic confirmation email: a person will write the reply.

1 Positions and times were computed on 2026-11-07 for Vilnius (54.6872° N, 25.2797° E) with Skyfield and the JPL DE440s ephemeris and checked with PyEphem: bodies agree within 0.003°, event times within 18 s. Times are Vilnius time (UTC+2), good to about ±1 min. Altitude and azimuth are given without atmospheric refraction. Stars are from the Yale Bright Star Catalogue (5th revised edition, NASA ADC, CDS V/50) to magnitude 5.0; the flat chart shows them to 4.5.

Northwestern Solutions, UAB, Vilnius