MIT Bitcoin Expo 2022 - Breaking Through Hackathon + Pitch Contest

The 9th Annual MIT Bitcoin Expo will include a Hackathon and Pitch Contest as part of the two-day event on May 6-7. We’re celebrating another round of accomplishments in the space including the Taproot upgrade, American futures ETF approval, worldwide interest in DeFi, NFTs, and much more! We welcome you to bring yourself or your team to this amazing event, even if you are new to Bitcoin, blockchain, or Web3.0. The MIT Bitcoin Club is excited to host you for this fun weekend in Cambridge! The Hackathon will last 30 hours beginning May 6th @ 6PM until May 7th @ 11:59 PM. Come build projects from scratch that could turn into the next big thing! You’ll meet incredible students and professional hackers from around the globe in person, online, and in the metaverse. The MIT Bitcoin Club members, along with our amazing mentors, alumni, and sponsors will be there to mentor and support teams to help create great projects. Compete in one of four tracks - Bitcoin and Lightning, Infrastructure, Usability, and DeFi/SmartContracts - for the chance to win a portion of our $18,000 prize pool.  Have a team? Let’s get your group signed up! Have a great idea for a hack, but don’t have a team? Don’t worry, we will connect you to other builders looking to collaborate. If you are a developer that is interested in Web3.0 and the crypto space, this is a historic event for you to engage, learn, and contribute to the ecosystem. ----------------------------------------------------- Introducing our first MIT Bitcoin Expo Pitch Contest! We are excited to invite entrepreneurs from around the world to pitch their ventures to leading crypto VCs and investors. The winning team will receive $7k in prize money, and the runner up will receive $3k. There are no strings attached to this investment - free money! Application Process To apply for the pitch competition, please fill out the [url=https://forms.gle/96RS3rfUEufgFtdz8] registration form[/url]. Teams will go through an initial filter round. The teams that make it through will be invited to Pitch Day and will receive free tickets to the 2022 MIT Bitcoin Expo. Pitch Day On the day of the event, teams will have 4 minutes to pitch their company, and 4 minutes to field questions from judges. After all teams have presented, the judges will deliberate, and crown the winner and runner up. ----------------------------------------------------- In the past, those who have participated in the hackathon have come out with amazing new startups, projects, and connections. We hope to have equally successful stories from our pitch contest participants. This Hackathon is a technical event so it is expected that projects are coded and can be executed. The Pitch Contest can also have technical entries, but it will be your entrepreneurial mojo we are looking for in this new addition to the Expo. Historically, some of our best and most successful stories are from people that are new to Bitcoin and crypto so everyone is welcome.  The MIT Bitcoin Expo Hackathon and Pitch Contest is going to be a great collection of hackers and entrepreneurs coming together to show the world what they have. You can also follow us on Twitter:[url=https://twitter.com/MITBitcoinClub] @MITBitcoinClub[/url] to keep up with news about the event and visit the website at [url=https://mitbitcoinexpo.org/] https://mitbitcoinexpo.org[/url][/color]. We’re excited to see you all on May 6th-8th. Let’s Go! [h2][b]REQUIREMENTS[/b][/h2] Submission requirements [ml][ul][li indent=0 align=left]Submissions should include the project description (approximately 200 words), screenshots, and a link to a GitHub code repository.[/li][/ul][/ml] [h2][b]PRIZES[/b][/h2] $28,000 in prizes  MIT Bitcoin Club Grand PrizeGrand Prize The team with the best project across all submissions will win the $8,000 Grand Prize, divided equally among all team members. The Grand Prize is awarded to a separate team than the track prize winners. This elusive prize is doubled this year as it was not awarded last year.  Track 1: Bitcoin and LightningThe team that builds the best project in the Bitcoin and Lightning Track will win $2,500, split equally among all team members.  Track 2: InfrastructureThe team that builds the best project in the Infrastructure Track will win $2,500, split equally among all team members.  Track 3: dApp and DeFiThe team that delivers the best project in the dApp and DeFi track will be awarded $2,500, split equally among all team members.  Track 4: Usability and AdoptionThe team that delivers the best project in the usability and adoption track will win this $2,500 prize, split equally among all team members.  MIT Bitcoin Club Pitch Contest PrizesOn the day of the event, selected teams will have 4 minutes to pitch their company, and 4 minutes to field questions from judges. After all teams have presented, the judges will deliberate, and crown the winner and runner up. 1st Place - $7,000 2nd Place - $3,000 [h2][b]JUDGING CRITERIA[/b][/h2] [ml][ul][li indent=0 align=left]Technical[/li][li indent=0 align=left]The completeness and functionality of the project, and the relevancy of the resources utilized to accomplish the goal of the project.[/li][li indent=0 align=left]Originality[/li][li indent=0 align=left]A project that hasn’t been done before, or doesn’t currently exist. The project addresses a new or unsolved problem, or creates a unique solution to an existing problem.[/li][li indent=0 align=left]Ambitious[/li][li indent=0 align=left]The complexity of the problem being addressed, or the approach to solving it.[/li][li indent=0 align=left] Design and User Experience[/li][li indent=0 align=left]The user experience and flow of the project is pleasant and delightful.[/li][li indent=0 align=left]Wow Factor[/li][li indent=0 align=left]The project is exceptional in some manner.[/li][/ul][/ml]