🏛️ In-Person Hackathon Day
The CATS26 Pre-Summit Hackathon is a one-day, in-person working session where teams come together to make real progress on their ideas.
This day is about collaboration, focus, and momentum. You’ll spend the day working alongside your team, exploring a real problem, shaping a solution, and building an early version of your idea that you can continue refining after the event.
This is a chance to move your project forward in a shared space with support.
🎯 What This Day Is For
The in-person hackathon exists to help teams get aligned and unstuck.
During the day, teams will:
- Clarify the problem they are working on
- Agree on a practical solution direction
- Start building an early prototype or clear concept
- Get feedback from mentors and facilitators
- Leave with something tangible and documented
By the end of the day, you should be able to clearly explain what you’re building, why it matters, and what your next steps are.
📍 Venue & Logistics
The in-person hackathon takes place at **Ice Addis on the 6th of December 2025, starting from 8:30 AM :
🗺️ https://maps.app.goo.gl/gvzkUNksiL97u69j9
Please bring:
- Your laptop
- Your charger
- Any tools or software you normally use to build
Power, seating, and internet will be available at the venue. Please try to arrive on time so everyone can start together and teams can settle in smoothly.
🗓️ Day Schedule (Overview)
Below is the general flow of the day. Exact timings or small adjustments may be made, but will be communicated accordingly.
| Time (EAT) | Session | What’s happening |
|---|---|---|
| Time (EAT) | Session | What’s happening |
| 8:30 – 9:00 AM | Arrival & Registration | Check in, find your seat, and connect with your team. |
| 9:00 – 9:20 AM | Opening | Welcome, goals for the day, and how this fits into the wider hackathon. |
| 9:20 – 9:45 AM | Challenge Briefing | Overview of themes, problem spaces, and what teams should aim to produce. |
| 9:45 – 10:00 AM | Team Alignment | Teams form or align and set up their working space. |
| 10:00 – 10:15 AM | Icebreaker | A short activity to warm up collaboration and creativity. |
| 10:15 AM – 12:30 PM | Work Session 1 | Problem exploration, user thinking, and solution planning. |
| 12:30 – 1:30 PM | Lunch Break | Lunch and informal conversations with other teams and mentors. |
| 1:30 – 1:40 PM | Energizer | A quick reset to bring the room back into focus. |
| 1:40 – 3:00 PM | Work Session 2 | Prototyping and early building. |
| 3:00 – 3:15 PM | Mentor Check-ins | Optional support for feedback or unblocking. |
| 3:15 – 4:30 PM | Pitch Practice | Short practice pitches with supportive feedback (no judging). |
| 4:30 – 5:00 PM | Closing | Wrap-up and clear next steps after the day. |
🛠️ What to Focus On
This day is about progress, not polish.
Try to:
- Keep your solution simple and focused
- Make decisions and move forward, even if things aren’t perfect
- Show real progress, even if it’s rough
- Document what you build or decide (links, screenshots, notes)
- Be clear about how Cardano fits into your solution
If you’re stuck, ask for help early, that’s what the mentors are there for.
📜 Expectations
To make the day work well for everyone:
- Be respectful to other teams, mentors, and the venue
- Stay engaged and work with your team throughout the day
- Be honest about what you’ve built or explored
This is a shared space focused on learning and collaboration.
🚀 What Happens Next
After the in-person hackathon, teams continue working on their projects. You’ll refine what you started, build further, and prepare for formal submissions in the next stages of the hackathon.
Clear next steps will be shared at the end of the day.
📸 Photos & Media
You can find photos and short videos from the in-person hackathon in the drive folder below.