UC Berkeley Startup Accelerator and Nonprofit Cal Hacks to Host Generative AI Hackathon

Berkeley SkyDeck, a startup accelerator at the University of California, Berkeley, and Cal Hacks, a nonprofit organization devoted to fostering a culture of hacking, entrepreneurship, and social good, are teaming up to create a two-day generative AI hackathon to explore the potential of large language models and build a new generation of responsible AI. Taking place June 17-18 on the UC Berkeley campus, the Berkeley LLM Hackathon is offering more than $250,000 in prizes, including the chance to join the Berkeley SkyDeck portfolio of startups.

Participants will have access to the invite-only OpenAI API (including GPT-4 access), plugins, and other tools, as well as workshops presented by UC Berkeley researchers, mentorship opportunities, and other resources. The top four teams, selected by a panel of judges from venture capital firms such as Sequoia, Mayfield, and Lightspeed, will receive $50,000 each from Berkeley SkyDeck to pursue their project full-time.

The competition is open to college and university students, new graduates, and young alumni (those who have received their undergraduate degree within the past 10 years). For more information, visit the hackathon website.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • computer with a red warning icon on its screen, surrounded by digital grids, glowing neural network patterns, and a holographic brain

    Report Highlights Security Risks of Open Source AI

    In these days of rampant ransomware and other cybersecurity exploits, security is paramount to both proprietary and open source AI approaches — and here the open source movement might be susceptible to some inherent drawbacks, such as use of possibly insecure code from unknown sources.

  • abstract pattern with interconnected blue nodes and lines forming neural network shapes, overlaid with semi-transparent bars and circular data points

    Data, AI Lead Educause Top 10 List for 2025

    Educause recently released its annual Top 10 list of the most important technology issues facing colleges and universities in the coming year, with a familiar trio leading the bunch: data, analytics, and AI. But the report presents these critical technologies through a new lens: restoring trust in higher education.

  • grid of outlined laptops spaced apart, each showing a simple icon like a book or graduation cap

    Miami Dade College Launches Online Workforce Education Initiative

    Florida's Miami Dade College is now providing workforce training to students across the country through XploreFLEd, an online program focused on "developing essential skills for today's job market."

  • Global AI vibrancy ranking

    United States Leads in Stanford HAI Global AI Ranking

    A new ranking tool from the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI) AI Index puts the United States in the No. 1 spot for global AI leadership.