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Hackathon

BLDRS Hack’27

A one-day buildathon. 800 builders in teams of four across Hardware, AI, Enterprise and an open Wildcard track, with mentors and judges on the floor through the day.

  • Saturday 20 February 2027
  • Polaris Institute of Technology, Bengaluru
  • 8 hrs build, 10:00 to 18:00
  • 800 builders

Applications open 7 December 2026

Four BLDR builders and a robot around a laptop on a picnic rug, with Bengaluru landmarks and a metro train behind them

1,800

applications expected

800

builders selected

200

teams of four

4

tracks

8 hrs

build window

15+

mentors on the floor

Why BLDRS Hack'27

Why.

Skilledbuildersoftenworkinsilos.Mosthackathonsdolittletochangethat.

Hardware people stay with hardware people, AI teams with AI teams, and enterprise developers rarely see what either group is building. Problem statements are written for the weekend, mentors drop in for an hour, and projects end at the demo with nothing anyone keeps using.

BLDR builders and a robot gathered around a table of devices, tablets and a laptop

01

Real problem statements

Challenges come from sponsors and industry partners who face them today, with enough context for a team to start building at once. Teams that solve them leave with work a sponsor can test after the event.

02

Mentors on the floor all day

Mentors and sponsor engineers stay through the build, with scheduled mentor rounds and open time in between. Teams get help at the point where they are stuck.

03

Real tools in your hands

Sponsors bring APIs, credits, hardware and documentation, and teams use them in what they ship, alongside the toolchain the organising team provides.

Who will be in the room

The room.

800buildersunderoneroof,chosenforwhattheyhavebuilt.

We select builders ranging from engineers to designers and from PMs to hardware makers, on the strength of what they have built, with far less weight on where they study. Around 1,800 applications are expected and 800 will be selected, so the room leans toward people who can already show their work.

A busy hall of builders soldering boards and reading plans, with colourful banners overhead

Where teams build

Tracks.

Everyteambuildsinoneoffourtracks.Eachtrackhasitsownjudgingandfinals.

A BLDR builder assembling a robot car at a workbench full of components and tools

0140 teams160 builders

Hardware

Devices that sense, move and assist.

Focus areas

  • On-device AI

    Models that run on the device itself, at the edge.

  • Phone-based sensing

    Using the phone’s own sensors to measure and assist.

  • Energy, water and air

    Sensing that tracks energy use, water and air quality.

  • Assistive devices and robotics

    Devices that move and help people day to day.

Who builds here
Embedded engineers, makers, roboticists and product designers.
What judges look for
A working device that senses or acts, built in 8 hrs.

Toolkit

Component libraryHardware devicesSoldering benches
A BLDR builder at a desk of monitors and a microphone, with a mentor and a robot beside them

0270 teams280 builders

AI

Software that works with language, images and speech.

Focus areas

  • Agents and copilots

    Software that plans and acts alongside its user.

  • Multimodal apps

    Apps that work across language, images and speech.

  • Indic language tools

    Tools built for Indian languages and their speakers.

  • Evaluation and safety

    Ways to check that AI systems behave as intended.

Who builds here
ML engineers, full-stack developers and product designers.
What judges look for
A working prototype that solves its problem statement.

Toolkit

Model API and GPU creditsDatasetsOffice hours
A BLDR builder sketching a data flow on a whiteboard covered in sticky notes

0350 teams200 builders

Enterprise

Tools that make work inside companies faster and safer.

Focus areas

  • Internal tools

    Tools that make work inside companies faster.

  • Workflow automation

    Automating the repeated steps of everyday work.

  • Fintech and B2B SaaS

    Products companies use to run their business.

  • Data security

    Keeping company data safe as work speeds up.

Who builds here
Backend and full-stack developers, PMs and security engineers.
What judges look for
A working tool a company could put to use.

Toolkit

Cloud creditsSandbox APIsEnterprise mentors
A BLDR builder holding up a lightbulb sketch at a desk of models, swatches and a drone

0440 teams160 builders

Wildcard

Open to any problem and any stack.

Focus areas

  • Design

    Products where design is the core of the idea.

  • Social impact for NGOs

    Builds that directly address problems NGOs face.

  • Tech in non-profits

    Product and tech integration for non-profits.

  • A focus a sponsor shapes

    An area the first three tracks do not cover.

Who builds here
Designers, PMs and builders from any stack.
What judges look for
Originality and potential.

Toolkit

Shaped with a sponsor

Saturday 20 February

The day.

Oneday,eighthoursofbuilding,thendemosandfinals.

Run of show

8 hrs build

  1. 08:00Check-in and breakfast
  2. 09:00Opening keynote and rules
  3. 10:00Hacking begins
  4. 12:00Workshops and mentor round 1
  5. 13:00Lunch
  6. 15:00Mentor round 2 and checkpoint
  7. 18:00Submissions freeze
  8. 18:15Demo expo and track judging
  9. 19:15Track finals, top 5 per track
  10. 20:00Grand finale, sponsor awards and closing

Proposed schedule, final timings go out to selected builders.

Timeline

Dates.

30 Nov 2026

Title sponsorship closes

Next

7 Dec 2026

Applications open, sponsors announced

15 Jan 2027

Track and Gold sponsorships close

29 Jan 2027

Applications close

20 Feb 2027

BLDRS Hack'27 in Bengaluru

7 Mar 2027

Sponsor reports delivered

Organised by

BLDR Collective is a community of builders working across technology, design and policy. Each event takes the shape of the community that hosts it.

Rooms we've run

  • FIDE
  • IIM Shillong
  • IIT Delhi Research Park
  • IIT Guwahati
  • IIM Ahmedabad
  • Korea Startup Center
  • Google Bangalore
  • Asia-Pacific Innovation Academy Beijing
  • Circle.Work
BLDR builders and a robot placing pins on a 3D map of India dotted with landmarks

BLDRS Hack'27

Let's build together.

Builders, get notified the day applications open. Sponsors, the Title slot closes on 30 November 2026.

BLDR builders and a robot celebrating with a high five under confetti