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48-hour hackathon · Cologne

Vibe Hackathon Cologne

Build a real product with AI in just 48 hours. Stop planning. Start shipping.

Nov 20-22, 2026STARTPLATZ Cologne
Join the vibe

Who is this for?

The hackathon is for anyone who wants to stop planning and start building.

Founders

"I have an idea but can't build it myself"

Build your MVP yourself without waiting months for a technical co-founder.

Marketers

"I'm dependent on dev for everything"

Create AI-powered automations without writing code from scratch.

Product managers

"I can see it but can't show it"

Build working prototypes to validate ideas – no dev sprint required.

Developers

"I want to ship faster with AI"

Deep dive into agentic patterns, guardrails, and n8n integration.

See the schedule

Three days. One prototype.

Friday is for finding your track and your team. Saturday is deep dives and building. Sunday you pitch. Where two sessions run at once, you pick. Rooms and the fine print are in HackBase.

FridayNovember 20

  1. 13:30

    Registration

    Doors open – grab your badge. The hackathon starts at 14:30.

  2. 14:30–16:30

    Track Intro · Vibe Coding
    Vibe Coding
    Track Intro · Mobile Apps
    Mobile Apps
    Track Intro · Harness Engineering
    Harness Engineering

  3. 17:00

    Kick-off

    Welcome, the weekend in ten minutes, how the tracks work.

  4. 17:30

    Idea Pitches

    Anyone with an idea gets two minutes at the mic.

  5. 18:00

    Team Matching

    Leads, joiners and explorers find each other.

  6. 19:00

    Dinner at Startplatz

  7. 20:00

    Start Hacking

    24/7 access all weekend.

SaturdayNovember 21

  1. 09:00

    Breakfast at Startplatz

  2. 10:00–11:00

    Deep Dive · Vibe Coding
    Vibe Coding

  3. 11:30–12:30

    Deep Dive · Mobile Apps
    Mobile Apps

  4. 13:00–14:00

    Lunch at Startplatz

    Pizza for everyone.

  5. 14:00–15:00

    Deep Dive · Harness Engineering
    Harness Engineering

  6. 15:30–17:00

    Pitch Training with Gesa

  7. 19:00

    Dinner at Startplatz
SundayNovember 22

  1. 10:30–12:00

    Final Sprint

    Finish, test and get your demo ready.

  2. 12:00–12:45

    Lunch at Startplatz

  3. 12:45–13:00

    Pitch Intro

    Tech check, running order, rules, how the jury scores.

  4. 13:00–15:00

    Pitches · Vibe Coding, Harness Engineering, Mobile Apps

    All three tracks on one stage, grouped by track.

  5. 16:00–16:30

    Awards Celebration

    Winners and prizes.

See the venue

The venue

STARTPLATZ Cologne – Cologne's leading innovation hub.

Official partner

STARTPLATZ Cologne

Address
Im Mediapark 5
3rd Floor
50670 Cologne, Germany
Where to stay
Recommended: Hotel Motel One Köln-Mediapark
Distance: 2 minute walk
Tip: Book early – fills up fast on weekends
Getting there
Public transport: Media Park station (S-Bahn), 3 minute walk
Parking: Synodome Parking house
Map of the Mediapark in Cologne with STARTPLATZ markedOpen in Maps© OpenStreetMap contributors
Secure your spot

Grab your ticket

A ticket for this weekend – or the Pirate Pass, with a ticket every three months.

Ticket – for this hackathon

  • Early Bird

    Ended 30 September

    + VAT€90€60
    Ended

  • Regular

    Bring your whole team

    + VAT€90
    0

  • Student 44

    For students – €44, a nod to our sponsor Base44

    incl. VAT€44
    0

  • Young Pirate 44

    One adult + one builder under 18 – the adult checks out and brings the kid

    incl. VAT€44
    0

  • Patron

    Pay what you want – back the hackathon

    + VATfrom €100

Bring the crew: Regular drops to €80/seat at 2, €70 at 5, €60 at 10 – applied automatically.

Got a discount code? It applies to a single Regular ticket – enter it at checkout.

Pirate Pass – for every hackathon

Pirate Pass

Support the crew and keep building with us all year.

€30+ VAT / month

Three-month minimum, then cancel any time.

  • A hackathon ticket code every three months – this one included
  • 3,000 gold a month for the Captain
  • The Pirate Pass badge
Can I join just for the ticket?

Questions? Answered.

Everything you need to know about the hackathon.

Do I need programming experience?
No programming experience required. The hackathon welcomes founders, marketers, product managers, and anyone interested in AI-assisted development. We have deep dive sessions for beginners and mentors available to help you.
Can I participate alone or do I need a team?
Both options work great. You can come with a team, form one during the Friday evening team-building session, or work solo on your own project. Many successful hackathon projects are built by individuals.
What should I bring?
Just your laptop and charger. We provide venue, WiFi, power, food, and coffee. Optional: bring headphones if you like to focus with music, and a notebook for sketching ideas.
Is overnight accommodation available?
The venue is open 24/7 during the hackathon, but there are no sleeping facilities on-site. Many participants book a nearby hotel, while others power through with strategic breaks. Hotels in the Mediapark area are a 5-minute walk.
What happens to my project after the hackathon?
You own everything you build. The hackathon is about shipping your own prototype. There's no IP transfer, no pitch competition stakes – just you building something real that you take home.
What tools can I use?
Any tools or frameworks you prefer. Claude Code, Cursor, n8n, any AI assistant, any tech stack. The hackathon is tool-agnostic – use whatever helps you ship fastest.
What language are the sessions in?
Training sessions and workshops are in English. Team work and collaboration can be in any language – we're an international community.
What if I can't attend all 48 hours?
That's fine. Most people come for the full experience, but you can participate for as much as you can. The demos happen on Sunday at 1pm – try to be there for that.
Is there a refund policy?
Full refunds are available up to 7 days before the event. After that, we can transfer your ticket to a future edition or to someone else.

Still have questions? Email us at ben@pirateskills.com

Join the vibe

What you're playing for.

Each track's jury picks its winner. Everyone in the room votes for one more. What the winning teams take home comes from the people backing this weekend.

Four track winners

One per track, chosen by that track's own jury.

One audience award

Every participant votes for their favorite team of the weekend.

Sunday, 16:30

Awards Celebration, right after the keynote.

Pirate Skills

Pirate Forge — 12 week programme

Places in the 12-week Pirate Forge programme for the winning team.

STARTPLATZ

1 month free co-working

One month of free co-working at STARTPLATZ in Cologne or Düsseldorf.

Heedvane

2h consulting + Heedvane subscription

Two hours of consulting with the Heedvane team, plus three months of Heedvane Solo or one month of Heedvane Teams with four seats.

Heedvane + STARTPLATZ

1 month Heedvane + 1 month co-working

One month of Heedvane Solo or Teams, plus one month of free co-working at STARTPLATZ.

Heedvane

1 month Heedvane Solo

One month of Heedvane Solo.

Base44

3× 440 Base44 credit packs

Three packs of 440 Base44 credits, so the team can keep building after the weekend.

The jury

1 judges decide who wins on Sunday afternoon – each track is scored by the people who know that field.

RJ

Robin Janke

Track Owner · Founder, MainPath

Mobile Apps

Secure your spot

Backed by builders.

This hackathon is made possible by partners who believe in the future of AI-powered building.

Base44 logo

Base44

Base44 is the main sponsor of the AI Coding Hackathon. The fastest way to build web apps with AI – turn your ideas into working products through a simple chat interface.

Visit website
Heedvane logo

Heedvane

AI code review for teams shipping with agents – every pull request gets a full first-pass review before a human opens it, flagging bugs, security holes and architecture drift with evidence and a suggested fix. Partner of the Harness Engineering track.

Visit website
MainPath logo

MainPath

Ready for vibecoding in minutes: describe what you want to build, and MainPath sets up the repo, pipeline, domain and server. Partner of the Mobile Apps track.

Visit website
STARTPLATZ logo

STARTPLATZ

Cologne's startup and coworking hub – host venue and co-organizer of the hackathon series.

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STARTPLATZ AI Hub logo

STARTPLATZ AI Hub

The epicenter of Generative AI and innovation – AI workshops, events and community building.

Visit website
Pirate Skills logo

Pirate Skills

Hands-on AI builder education – co-organizer, track owner and mentor crew of the hackathon.

Visit website
Secure your spot

Stop planning. Start shipping.

48 hours of focused building at STARTPLATZ Cologne.

Secure your spot