Emergent, the fast-growing AI software creation platform, will host VibeCon India on April 16–17 in Bengaluru, bringing its flagship selection-led hackathon from San Francisco to India for the first time.
High-stakes opportunity for builders
The event presents a major opportunity for Indian builders: the winning team will receive a direct interview with a Y Combinator partner for an upcoming batch.
Strategic timing for ecosystem
The Bengaluru edition arrives at a crucial moment for India’s startup ecosystem. It takes place just ahead of Y Combinator’s first in-person Startup School India, scheduled for April 18, creating a concentrated week that will bring together founders, engineers, and operators from across the country to build, launch, and test new ideas.
Venue and host
VibeCon India will be hosted at Polaris School of Technology, Bengaluru, bringing this high-intensity builder experience to one of the city’s emerging hubs for tech talent.
Selective hackathon model
Originally launched in San Francisco, VibeCon was designed as a high-signal hackathon that prioritises exceptional builders and tangible outcomes over open participation. The India edition continues that approach through a rigorous application and selection process intended to identify founders, engineers, operators, and non-technical builders capable of rapidly transforming ideas into working products.
Strong applicant interest
Interest in the inaugural India edition has been significant. More than 20,000 applicants from India and abroad applied to participate, from which a smaller cohort of high-potential builders has been selected to compete in Bengaluru.
Ecosystem backing
VibeCon India is supported by a broad network of ecosystem partners spanning venture capital, AI research, and developer infrastructure. Partners include Lightspeed Venture Partners, Together Fund, OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon Web Services, Stripe, Razorpay, MongoDB, Starknet, Eigencloud, and Temporal Technologies, among others. These organisations will provide mentorship, tools, infrastructure, and technical resources to help teams build during the hackathon.
Creating a focused environment
Emergent Co-founder and CEO Mukund Jha said, “With VibeCon India, we want to create a focused environment where high-potential teams can test ideas, ship real products, and engage directly with the global startup ecosystem. The opportunity for the winning team to interview directly with Y Combinator reflects our focus on outcomes that can meaningfully accelerate a founder’s journey.”
Final showcase and rewards
The two-day hackathon will culminate in a final judging round where participating teams present the products they developed during the event. In addition to the direct interview opportunity with Y Combinator, winning teams will receive cash prizes and access to a partner-backed pool of credits and resources designed to support continued product development beyond the hackathon.
Building global connections
With the launch of VibeCon India, Emergent aims to strengthen connections between India’s fast-growing builder community and the global startup ecosystem, while creating a platform that enables promising ideas to move quickly from concept to company.