Deriv AI Talent Sprint

A hackathon for builders ready to shape real AI solutions

Join Deriv and lablab.ai for a high-intensity hybrid hackathon where top builders create AI prototypes, demo their work, and get fast-tracked to interviews.

When

• Fri, Feb 6 - Opening words, Challenge, and Hackathon kick-off. (Dubai)

• Sat, Feb 7 - Build and ship your prototype - 12 hours (Onsite +Online)

• Sun, Feb 8 - Demos, judging, and next steps for standout teams. (Onsite +Online)

What's in it for you

• USD $10,000+ in prizes across categories

• Mentors available to unblock you when you're stuck

• Fast-track interviews for top performers - skip the queue

• Real problems to solve - not toy demos

Format

• Teams of 1-3

• Hybrid: Dubai on-site or fully remote

• On-site spots confirmed after screening

Location

• Deriv Office, Business Bay, Dubai

• Travel and accommodation not provided.

Apply now

• Spots are limited. Shortlisting begins right after the event.

Event Schedule

To be announced

About Deriv

Deriv is bringing job-ready builders together in Dubai for a focused, high-signal hackathon experience designed to showcase real engineering ability in a real-world setting.

This event is built for experienced technical participants (primarily AI engineering, software engineering, data, and QA profiles) who thrive on problem-solving, teamwork, and shipping working prototypes under time pressure. High-potential final-year students and fresh graduates may be considered as an additional pipeline.

Top-performing participants will be shortlisted for interviews, with the objective of moving from hackathon to interview and hiring within 4–8 weeks. Participants must be professionally fluent in English.

Hackathon Details

Join lablab.ai hackathon and innovate using the latest models in the market. Discover all the relevant details below.

🦸🏼‍♂️ Who can join?

Job-ready technical professionals with 2–8 years of experience, as well as fresh graduates, in AI engineering, software engineering, data, or QA. Must be fluent in English.

🛠️ How to participate

Register on lablab.ai and join the lablab.ai Discord Server. Click "Sign up" at the bottom of this page and review our Hackathon Guidelines and Getting Started Guide. The event runs hybrid: on-site in Business Bay, Dubai + online via lablab.ai.

😅 What if I don't have a team?

No problem. Find teammates on our dashboard or Discord server.

CHALLENGE

Build a job-ready AI prototype with a clear real-world use case

Your mission is simple: build and demo a real AI product prototype in a way that demonstrates strong execution, clear thinking, and team delivery.

What you need to deliver

By the end of the hackathon, your team should have:
✅ A working demo (something we can run and test)
✅ A clear problem statement (what you’re solving and for who)
✅ A solution flow (how the user interacts with it, end-to-end)
✅ Solid implementation (clean, maintainable code and sound architecture)
✅ A short presentation (what you built, how it works, why it matters)

What you can build

Pick one direction and go deep. Examples include:

• AI workflow assistants (automation, internal tools, triage, knowledge support)
• Data & insights tools (dashboards, monitoring, anomaly detection, forecasting)
• QA & engineering automation (test generation, bug triage, regression detection)
• Risk / security / compliance support (alerts, auditing flows, policy enforcement)

Build with your favorite technology

Select your preferred technology for app development.

Use any preferred technology to develop a Generative AI (GEN AI) prototype and showcase your creativity and innovation.

👉 Visit our AI Tech pages to discover available technologies.
👉 Check out our tutorials for detailed guidance on implementation. Start your project with Lablab.ai resources!

Disclaimer: Please note that we do not offer access to any technology, so participants should use publicly available tools and resources.

Judging Criteria

Application of Technology

How effectively the chosen model(s) are integrated into the solution.

Presentation

The clarity and effectiveness of the project presentation.

Business Value

The impact and practical value, considering how well it fits into business areas.

Originality

The uniqueness & creativity of the solution, highlighting approaches and ability to demonstrate behaviors.

What to submit?

📋 Basic Information

• Project Title

• Short Description

• Long Description

• Technology & Category Tags

📸 Cover Image and Presentation

• Cover Image

• Video Presentation

• Slide Presentation

💻 App Hosting & Code Repository

• Public GitHub Repository

• Demo Application Platform

• Application URL

For further details and guidance, please visit Submission Guidelines

lablab.ai

Topic: Hackathon Submissions Process

▶️ Watch Video

Speakers, Mentors & Judges

Pawel Czech

CEO

Yoliswa Chisholm

Senior VP of Marketing

Ansh Choudhary

AI engineer

Andrea Marazzi

Founder & CCO

Carl Michael Whiteside

VP of Design

Nethradevi Baskar

AI engineer

Xavier Gorriz Torner

VP of Business Intelligence and Data Engineering

Harsh Solanki

AI team lead

Abhishek Shingadiya

AI engineer

Rotimi Akinyele

VP of security

Christopher Hernandez

AI team lead

Pawel Czech

Co-Founder

Andrea Marazzi

CCO

Sergey Nuzhnyy

Head of Developer Relations

Sergey Nuzhnyy

Head of Developer Relations

Junnan Li

Research Lead

Gus Martins

Staff Developer Relations Engineer

Philippe Brulé

CTO

Pawel Czech

Co-Founder

Andrea Marazzi

CCO

Pawel Czech

Co-Founder

Andrea Marazzi

CCO

Pawel Czech

CEO

Rotimi Akinyele

VP of security

Carl Michael Whiteside

VP of Design

Christopher Hernandez

AI team lead

Abhishek Shingadiya

AI engineer

Nethradevi Baskar

AI engineer

Sergey Nuzhnyy

Head of Developer Relations

Sergey Nuzhnyy

Head of Developer Relations

Junnan Li

Research Lead

Gus Martins

Staff Developer Relations Engineer

Philippe Brulé

CTO

Pawel Czech

Co-Founder

Andrea Marazzi

CCO

Andrea Marazzi

Founder & CCO

Xavier Gorriz Torner

VP of Business Intelligence and Data Engineering

Yoliswa Chisholm

Senior VP of Marketing

Harsh Solanki

AI team lead

Ansh Choudhary

AI engineer

Pawel Czech

Co-Founder

Andrea Marazzi

CCO

Sergey Nuzhnyy

Head of Developer Relations

Sergey Nuzhnyy

Head of Developer Relations

Junnan Li

Research Lead

Gus Martins

Staff Developer Relations Engineer

Philippe Brulé

CTO

Pawel Czech

Co-Founder

Andrea Marazzi

CCO

Emmanuel Iriarte

AI Architect

Jonathan Rundberg

AI Automation Lead

Jens Ingelstedt

Global Head of Accelerators

PRIZES

🏆 Total prize pool: USD $10,000+ in prizes + career opportunities

Please be aware that participation in lablab.ai hackathons is voluntary and subject to the specific rules and conditions outlined for each event. While we strive to provide a fair and rewarding experience for all participants, we cannot guarantee entry or success in securing prizes. All prizes and opportunities are subject to availability and participants must meet the established criteria to qualify. lablab.ai is not responsible nor held liable for any commitments or offers - including programs, giveaways, or prizes - made by third-party sponsors or partners of the hackathon. The availability and delivery of third-party prizes or benefits are solely at the discretion of the respective sponsors and are not guaranteed by lablab.ai. We reserve the right to make amendments, modifications, or cancellations to any part of the hackathon (including full cancellation of the event itself), including prizes and terms of participation, at our sole discretion. Whenever possible, we will endeavor to notify participants of significant changes within a reasonable timeframe. All submissions by participants must be original work, open source, and compliant with the MIT License unless specified otherwise. By participating, you agree to these terms, the overall event terms, and the lablab.ai general terms and are encouraged to review all event-related information carefully. Prize Distribution: lablab.ai and its partners reserve the right to distribute all prizes within a 90-day period following the end date of the hackathon. This period allows for the proper processing and verification needed to award prizes appropriately.

PRIZES

🏆 Total prize pool: USD $10,000+ in prizes + career opportunities