Esper AI Hackathon — ₹5.5L Prize Pool for Edge AI Teams
A 3-day offline hackathon at Esper's Indiranagar office in Bengaluru from June 22, 2026, where teams of 2–4 experienced ML engineers build production-grade edge AI and compete for a $6,000 (approx. ₹5,52,000) prize pool.
- Funding amount
- ₹5.5L (competition)
- Funding type
- Competition
- Application deadline
- Rolling
- Eligible stage
- Any stage
- Location
- Open to startups registered in India
Overview
Esper AI Hackathon is a competition run by Esper and held entirely in person at the company's Indiranagar office in Bengaluru. It is a hands-on build weekend rather than a pitch day, and it kicks off on June 22, 2026.
The premise is easy to state and hard to pull off: the intelligence has to sit on the device in front of the user, not in a distant data centre. Esper is looking for AI that runs where physical operations actually happen — retail floors, restaurant kitchens, healthcare settings and logistics operations — executing on real edge hardware instead of cloud instances.
There is no slide deck to hide behind. Each team gets three days to build, and the final call is made on a live demo. Esper mentors and AWS solutions architects stay on site through the build to help teams get past blockers.
The field is kept deliberately small. Only 10 teams are invited, picked on the strength of the idea they submit, with 2 to 4 members on each team.
Highlights
- 3-day offline hackathon at Esper's Indiranagar office in Bengaluru, beginning June 22, 2026.
- Total prize pool of $6,000 (approx. ₹5,52,000) — $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 for the top three teams.
- Build AI that runs on real edge hardware for retail, restaurants, healthcare or logistics, not in the cloud.
- Open to developers with 3+ years of ML experience; teams of 2 to 4 members.
- Only 10 teams are selected, based on the strength of the submitted idea.
- Judged on a live demo against weighted criteria, with Esper mentors and AWS solutions architects on site.
Who can apply
This one is aimed at people who have already shipped machine learning systems, not beginners. Applicants should have at least 3 years of hands-on experience building ML systems.
- Team size: 2 to 4 members per team.
- Profile: developers and ML engineers who can build and deploy production-grade AI onto real-world hardware.
- Attendance: the format is fully offline, so the team must be able to be physically present at the Esper office in Indiranagar, Bengaluru for the duration of the build.
- Selection: entry is not open to everyone — only 10 teams are chosen, based on the strength of the submitted idea.
Eligibility here turns on developer experience and team composition. No company registration, DPIIT recognition or MSME status is mentioned as a requirement, so the bar is the experience of the people on the team.
Esper AI Hackathon — ₹5.5L Prize Pool for Edge AI Teams is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.
- Eligible stage
- Any stage
- Location
- Open to startups registered in India
Deadline & timing
Esper AI Hackathon — ₹5.5L Prize Pool for Edge AI Teams accepts applications on a rolling basis — there is no fixed cut-off date, so eligible startups can apply at any time. Because rolling programmes can pause without notice, confirm the window is still open on the official site before you start.
What the funding covers
This is a prize competition rather than a grant or an investment round, so nothing is given away in return for the money — no equity and no revenue share.
The total cash pool is $6,000, approximately ₹5,52,000, shared across the top three finishers:
- First place: $3,000
- Second place: $2,000
- Third place: $1,000
Alongside the cash, invited teams get access to onsite Esper mentors and AWS solutions architects for the full build, and the chance to demonstrate working, hardware-backed AI directly to the Esper team on demo day.
How to apply
Applications are submitted on the . Confirm the current deadline and document checklist there before you start.
Selection process
Selection moves through two clear phases.
Phase 1 — Idea screening. Applications come in through the official event page. Reviewers judge the strength of the idea, and only 10 teams are invited to Bengaluru to take part.
Phase 2 — The build and the live demo. Invited teams build on site from June 22, 2026 and then present working software. Judges assess a live demo rather than a presentation deck, scoring each team against four weighted criteria:
- Enterprise Problem Depth — 30%: does the solution attack a genuinely painful problem in the chosen vertical, and is the return on investment obvious?
- Hardware Integration — 25%: how well does the build interface with edge devices, sensors or point-of-sale hardware?
- AI Quality & Innovation — 25%: the sophistication of the models, how well latency is optimised, and how creative the approach to inference is.
- Live Demo Readiness — 20%: can the team prove it works, including production-readiness and reliability during the final presentation?
Documents you’ll need
Before you apply to Esper AI Hackathon — ₹5.5L Prize Pool for Edge AI Teams, keep the following documents ready:
- A pitch deck or short business plan describing the problem, product and traction
- Company registration documents and PAN
- Founder identification (PAN / Aadhaar) and brief profiles
- Recent financial statements or projections
- Product details — a demo, prototype or working link if available
Exact requirements are confirmed on the official application portal — treat this as a preparation checklist.
Who this is best for
Esper AI Hackathon — ₹5.5L Prize Pool for Edge AI Teams is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹5.5L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.
Frequently asked questions
How much money is on the table at the Esper AI Hackathon?
The total prize pool is $6,000, which works out to roughly ₹5,52,000. It is split three ways: $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second and $1,000 for third.
Who is eligible to take part?
Developers with at least 3 years of experience building machine learning systems, entering as teams of 2 to 4 members, and able to attend in person at the Esper office in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. The event is offline only, so remote participation is not an option.
When and where does the hackathon happen?
It runs from June 22, 2026 at the Esper office in Indiranagar, Bengaluru. Teams get 3 days on site to build and then demo their solution.
How many teams get selected?
Only 10 teams are invited. Picking is based on the strength of the idea submitted, so a clear, well-argued concept matters more at the application stage than a polished prototype.
Does the hackathon take equity in my startup or product?
No. This is a competition with cash prizes, so the winnings are non-dilutive — no equity and no share of revenue is claimed in exchange for the prize money.
Do I need DPIIT recognition or MSME registration to apply?
Neither is listed as a requirement. The stated eligibility is about the experience of the developers and the size of the team, not about corporate registrations or certifications.
What kind of AI solution am I expected to build?
Solutions should run on edge devices rather than in the cloud, aimed at the environments where physical work happens — retail, restaurants, healthcare and logistics are the named verticals. Expect to interface with edge devices, sensors or point-of-sale hardware, and to optimise for latency and inference quality.
How will my project be judged?
On a live demo, not a slide deck. Four weighted criteria decide the outcome: Enterprise Problem Depth at 30%, Hardware Integration at 25%, AI Quality & Innovation at 25%, and Live Demo Readiness at 20%.
Can I apply on my own?
The format is built around teams of 2 to 4 members, so entry is structured around a group rather than an individual developer. If you are applying alone, you would need to form or join a team of that size.
How do I apply, and what is the deadline?
Registration happens through the official event page at https://esperhacks.replit.app/#details, and applications are currently open. No closing date has been announced, so it is worth registering early — only 10 team slots exist.
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