Push to Prod Hackathon — ₹9.2L Prize Pool for Bengaluru AI Builders

Push to Prod Hackathon is a single-day, in-person build sprint held in Bengaluru and organised jointly by Anthropic and Elevation Capital.

It runs as part of Basecamp, the city's week-long, community-run technology festival scheduled from 6 to 12 August 2026. Mesa School is a partner in putting the event together.

The brief is deliberately ambitious. Instead of polishing something that already exists, entrants are asked to build something genuinely new with AI — and to prove it in a live prototype rather than a pitch document. Teams receive five hours of focused building time, guided by mentors drawn from Anthropic, Elevation Capital and other ecosystem partners, with capable AI tooling on hand to speed things up.

Claude has to sit at the centre of whatever you build, whether that is the product itself, the workflow behind it, or the intelligence layer powering it. Prizes worth up to ₹9.2L are on offer, and winning teams also get an office-hours session with the Elevation Capital team after the event. Applications close on 8 August 2026, and registration is handled through Devfolio.

Theme — Build the Next Audacious

The organisers are looking for work that raises the bar rather than nudging it:

• A capability, architecture or approach that does not exist yet, rather than a repackaging of something already on the market
• A product with a credible route to very large scale and value, rather than an add-on to an existing workflow
• An idea that makes today's default way of doing things feel dated, rather than a marginal improvement
• A fresh way of interacting with technology — voice, agents that act for the user, or new input and output formats
• Infrastructure that later startups and enterprises will depend on, rather than a one-off utility

• Single-day, in-person hackathon in Bengaluru, part of the Basecamp festival running 6–12 August 2026
• Organised by Anthropic and Elevation Capital, with Mesa School as a partner
• Prize pool of up to ₹9.2L ($10,000) — no equity taken from participants
• Five hours of build time, with mentorship and AI tooling provided on the day
• Claude must be a core part of your product, workflow or intelligence layer
• Applications close 8 August 2026; registration is through Devfolio

Entry is open to all builders — the organisers list no restriction on stage, sector, city or background.

• Individuals and teams are both welcome, and no limit on team size is stated
• Developers, product thinkers and founders are the audience the event is aimed at
• Claude must be central to your build, forming part of the product, the workflow or the intelligence layer
• No DPIIT recognition, MSME registration, incorporation or revenue requirement is mentioned — none of these are needed to take part
• The hackathon is in-person in Bengaluru, so you need to be present on the day

Push to Prod Hackathon — ₹9.2L Prize Pool for Bengaluru AI Builders is open to startups at any stage. It is open to startups registered anywhere in India.

The most recent application window for Push to Prod Hackathon — ₹9.2L Prize Pool for Bengaluru AI Builders closed on 8 Aug 2026. Many programmes run repeat cohorts, so it is worth checking the official site for the next round.

Push to Prod is a competition, so the support comes as prize money rather than as an investment.

• A prize pool of up to ₹9.2L, described in the programme details as $10,000 in prizes
• No equity is taken and nothing has to be repaid — this is a competition award, not a funding round
• An office-hours session with the Elevation Capital team after the event, open to winners
• Mentorship during the build from teams at Anthropic, Elevation Capital and ecosystem partners
• Access to AI tooling to accelerate what you build

There is no multi-stage application funnel here. Registration happens through Devfolio, and the real assessment takes place on the day itself.

• Teams get five hours of uninterrupted build time to turn an idea into a working prototype
• Mentors from Anthropic, Elevation Capital and partner organisations are available throughout the session
• Projects are then judged on how much audacity the idea shows, how well it was executed, and the impact it could have
• Prizes and the post-event Elevation Capital office-hours slot go to the winners

Before you apply to Push to Prod Hackathon — ₹9.2L Prize Pool for Bengaluru AI Builders, 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.

Push to Prod Hackathon — ₹9.2L Prize Pool for Bengaluru AI Builders is best suited for startups in India seeking non-dilutive funding of ₹9.2L. If that describes your startup, review the eligibility criteria above before applying.