Tshenolo Matome @Tshenolo

kris.co is a next-generation AI shopping agent platform that demonstrates the future of autonomous commerce powered by Arc's USDC payment rails and Google's Gemini AI. The system enables AI agents to independently browse, evaluate, negotiate, and purchase products while handling all financial transactions in real-time. At its core, kris.co features an intelligent shopping assistant that uses Gemini AI to negotiate prices with sellers, securing better deals through simulated conversational bargaining. Once a purchase decision is made, the system processes payments instantly using USDC via Arc's stablecoin-native settlement layer, which provides predictable fees and sub-second finality. The platform showcases several key innovations: (1) autonomous AI decision-making for product selection and price optimization, (2) seamless integration of AI negotiation with blockchain payments, (3) real-time budget management and spending analytics, (4) automatic invoice generation and digital record-keeping, and (5) a complete demonstration of usage-based payment flows where AI agents pay for services, data, and APIs. Built specifically for the Arc hybrid hackathon, kris.co illustrates how AI agents can interact with web services in dynamic marketplaces, paying for exactly what they use while maintaining full financial transparency. The system simulates real commerce scenarios while highlighting Arc's capabilities for fast, low-cost, stablecoin-native settlements that make autonomous agent economies viable. This project demonstrates the practical convergence of AI automation and decentralized finance, offering a glimpse into a future where AI agents can independently participate in digital economies, negotiate terms, and execute financial transactions—all powered by Arc's reliable payment infrastructure and USDC's stable value.

CORA is an intelligent virtual assistant built upon the IBM watsonx Orchestrate platform, designed to fundamentally transform how people and businesses accomplish their work. The core idea addresses the critical productivity drain caused by repetitive, manual tasks that are scattered across multiple disconnected applications and systems. CORA solves this by acting as a central orchestration engine. It leverages watsonx's digital skills to design and execute automated solutions for common yet time-consuming processes. For instance, instead of an employee manually gathering data from a CRM, compiling it in a spreadsheet, generating a report, and then emailing it to a distribution list, they can simply instruct CORA to "process the monthly sales report." CORA then intelligently orchestrates this entire workflow: it accesses the CRM and database, uses AI to analyze and summarize the data, generates a formatted document, and distributes it to stakeholders automatically. This extends beyond reports to workflows like employee onboarding, where CORA can coordinate account creation, IT provisioning, and training scheduling, or customer service, where it can triage and route support tickets. By automating these orchestrated workflows, CORA eliminates manual effort, reduces errors, and frees up human employees to focus on strategic decision-making, creative problem-solving, and high-value customer interactions. The result is a significant increase in operational efficiency, employee satisfaction, and overall business agility.

Leverage Orchestrate’s digital skills to design solutions that automate repetitive tasks, orchestrate workflows across tools, and empower employees to focus on high-value work. ⏳ Complete your project in just 48 hours and showcase your innovation. 🚀 Gain hands-on experience building with IBM watsonx Orchestrate. 💡 Develop practical AI agents that reshape the way teams and organizations operate. ⭐ Learn directly from experts who will support you throughout the event. 🤝 Team up or work independently to bring your vision to life. 💰 Prizes: $10,000 🧑🏻‍💻 Sign up before the Kick-Off Stream and start shaping the future with IBM watsonx Orchestrate!

In this hybrid hackathon powered by Arc, developers will build the next generation of agentic commerce systems using Arc with USDC. Explore a world where AI agents and web services can pay for APIs, data, compute, and content in dynamic, usage-based ways, while Arc provides stablecoin-native settlement with predictable USDC fees and deterministic, sub-second finality. This hackathon is supported by Google & Google DeepMind, with a dedicated challenge and $40,000 in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) credits awarded for the best use of Gemini models and Google AI Studio. 📅 January 9 – 24, 2026 • Jan 9 – 23 (Online Phase) – Collaborate and build online with developers and AI innovators from around the world. All projects must be submitted by the end of the online phase on January 23rd. • Jan 23 (On‑site Build Day – San Francisco, CA) – Selected participants will be invited to an exclusive in‑person session to refine their projects and connect directly with mentors. • Jan 24 (On‑site Demos & Awards – San Francisco, CA) – Live pitching sessions to a panel of judges and ecosystem partners, followed by the official winner announcement. Get guidance from Arc and Circle experts through on-site support. 📍 On-site Venue (Jan 23–24): MindsDB SF AI Collective 3154 17th St, San Francisco, California, USA 🤝 Go solo or team up, it's your flow. 🏆Compete for $50,000 in USDC & GCP Credits. 📍 On-site participation is by invitation only. Travel and accommodation expenses will not be covered. 🧑🏻‍💻 Secure your spot now - sign up before the Kick-Off Stream!

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 • Sat, Jan 31, 2026- On-Site Pre-Hackathon: Deriv AI Meetup (Dubai) • 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) On-Site Pre-Hackathon: Deriv AI Meetup Sat, Jan 31, 2026 · 2:00–6:00 PM (GST) · Dubai In-person talks, workshops, team formation, and networking with the Deriv team. 👉 Deriv AI Meetup registration 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 • One by Omniyat, 24th Floor, Al Mustaqbal Street, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE • Travel and accommodation not provided. Apply now • Spots are limited. Shortlisting begins right after the event.