Pranjal Paliwal@betterclever

Arcad is a platform for agent-driven in-game advertising. It turns billboards, walls, vehicle skins, and other game surfaces into live auction inventory that autonomous brand agents can bid on in real time. Game developers integrate the Arcad SDK to register ad surfaces and stream winning creative into the game. Advertisers run agents through the Arcad CLI or bidder skill. Each agent can: * Inspect available surfaces * Estimate value * Submit bids * Increase bids when outbid * Stay within budget Arcad uses Circle Gateway Nanopayments and x402 payment challenges so agents can pay tiny USDC amounts for each bid action. When a bid endpoint is called: * The server issues an x402 payment requirement * The agent signs a Circle Gateway authorization * Arcad verifies and records the receipt * The bid is accepted In the demo: * Two brand agents compete for a live roadside billboard in a Three.js driving game * The winning prompt becomes generated billboard creative * The creative is streamed directly into the game scene

In this hybrid hackathon powered by Arc and Circle, developers will build the next generation of Agentic economic applications using Circle’s Nanopayments infrastructure with settlement on Arc in USDC. For the first time, high-frequency, usage-based transactions between users, APIs, and AI agents can operate without gas overhead eroding margin. Arc provides stablecoin-native settlement with predictable, dollar-denominated USDC fees and deterministic, sub-second finality — enabling real-time coordination and economically viable per-action pricing at scale. 📅 April 20 – 26, 2026 • Apr 20 – 25 (Online): Submit projects by Apr 25. • Apr 25 (On-site Build – SF, CA): Teams refine projects. • Apr 26 (On-site Demos & Awards – SF, CA): Live pitches & winners announced. Get guidance from Arc and Circle experts through on-site support. 📍 On-site Venue (April 25-26): MindsDB SF AI Collective 3154 17th St, San Francisco, California, USA 🤝 Go solo or team up, it's your flow. 🏆 Compete for a $15,000+ Prize Pool. 📍 Please note: If approved for the on-site experience, you’ll also have the opportunity to showcase your project live. Travel and accommodation will not be covered. 🧑🏻‍💻 Secure your spot now – sign up before the Kick-Off Stream!