3,500 USDT
Prize Pool
Oct 24 – Oct 30
Duration
Node NBO, Nairobi, Kenya
Location
1 day left
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About this hackathon
# AI Yako: Own Your AI AI Yako, Swahili for “Your AI”, is a one-week hackathon hosted with Node NBO in Nairobi. Build useful applications with QVAC, Tether’s local AI stack, where the AI runs on hardware you control. **Dates:** 24 to 31 October 2026. **Venue:** Node NBO campus, Nairobi, Kenya. All times below are East Africa Time (EAT, UTC+3). ## Register and submit Register for event updates on [Luma](https://luma.com/tv34ngtp). This DoraHacks page is the official portal for project submissions and judging. A Luma RSVP does not submit a project. ## Remote participation and teams **Remote participants can submit and win prizes under the same judging criteria and submission requirements as participants in Nairobi.** You do not need to travel to Nairobi to be eligible. Provide the required repository and recorded offline demo so judges can assess your work. Check Discord for demo-day coordination. You may build solo or in a team of up to three. Submit one project per solo builder or team, and add all team members to that Build. ## Three tracks 1. **Offline AI apps:** Build a useful QVAC app whose core AI feature works without internet. Examples include a local assistant, speech tools, search or translation. Live translation is a suggested topic; choose models and languages supported on your target hardware. 2. **Cloud to Pocket:** Move an existing cloud AI workload onto a device using QVAC. Explain the original workflow, what you moved, and the quality, speed, memory and privacy tradeoffs. 3. **On-device agentic finance:** Combine QVAC local AI with WDK, Tether’s Wallet Development Kit, for a self-custodial finance workflow. Clearly distinguish offline AI from transactions or services that require a network. Demonstrate the offline portion safely with test data and a test environment. QVAC must be used meaningfully in every entry. WDK is required for the finance track. Pears is welcome for device-to-device features. Choose the track that best matches your project. ## Schedule - **Saturday 24 October, 09:00:** Kickoff at Node NBO. Building starts. - **25 to 29 October:** Build week, technical support and check-ins. - **Wednesday 28 October:** Mid-week progress and offline testing check. - **Friday 30 October, 17:00 EAT:** Project submission deadline on DoraHacks. This is 15:00 WAT or 14:00 UTC. Upload early and check every link. - **Saturday 31 October, 09:00 to 17:00:** Demo day, offline demonstrations, judging and awards. Node NBO hosts in Nairobi; remote entrants remain eligible. ## What to submit Submit one Build per solo builder or team. Add your team members to your DoraHacks Build and submit that Build to AI Yako. Include: - A clear description of the problem, who needs the solution and which track you chose. - A source-code repository on GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, with setup instructions, dependencies and a clear note on what was built during the event. Disclose any existing code and third-party work. - A short demo video showing the working product and its core AI feature with the internet disconnected. - The QVAC integration: SDK/package versions, model name, model download/setup steps, and the files where QVAC is used. For finance entries, also explain the WDK integration. - The device and operating system used, memory needs, and any model licences or hardware limits. Download models before the offline demo. - A clear list of any features that still need a network. Do not include private customer data, passwords, API keys or wallet secrets. Your repository and video links must be accessible to judges. In-person entrants should bring their working device. Remote entrants should provide the same offline evidence through their recorded demo and coordinate any further demonstration through Discord. Ask Victor through this page if you need help submitting or giving judges access. ## Judging The core QVAC AI feature must run with the internet switched off. Projects that rely on a cloud AI API for that feature are not eligible for prizes. Network-dependent finance actions must be declared separately and cannot replace the offline AI demonstration. Judges assess real user value, meaningful QVAC integration, working implementation, usability, and the clarity and reproducibility of the offline demonstration. Credit all reused work. Teams keep ownership of their projects and must have permission to use the code, models and data they submit. ## Prizes **Total prize pool: 3,500 USDt.** - Overall winner: 1,500 USDt - Cloud to Pocket track: 900 USDt - Offline AI apps track: 700 USDt - Agentic finance with WDK track: 400 USDt Prizes are paid in USDt. The platform may display the pool using its standard USD label. ## Resources and help - [AI Yako Discord: support, teams and updates](https://discord.gg/ayAedVxmz) - [QVAC documentation](https://docs.qvac.tether.io/) - [QVAC JavaScript and TypeScript quick start](https://docs.qvac.tether.io/sdk/js-ts-sdk/) - [QVAC](https://qvac.tether.io/) - [WDK](https://wdk.tether.io/) - [Pears](https://pears.com/) - [Event registration and updates](https://luma.com/tv34ngtp) Daily office hours with Victor are at 13:00 WAT (UTC+1), or 15:00 EAT in Nairobi. Check Discord for joining details. Share your device, operating system, SDK version and full error when asking for setup help.