TalentNinja Sentinel@suhaib_a850

Transforming Entertainment Payments with Instant USDC Settlement The entertainment industry is plagued by archaic payment infrastructure. Talent, from actors to crew members, routinely wait 30-90 days to receive payment after completing work. This creates a cascading crisis: actors struggle with cash flow between gigs, agencies burn resources chasing down payments, and production companies drown in reconciliation paperwork. The result? Frustrated talent, administrative bloat, and delayed projects. Traditional payment rails weren't built for the gig economy. ACH transfers take days, wire fees eat into already-thin margins, and cross-border payments add weeks of delay plus currency conversion costs. Our solution leverages Arc + USDC to revolutionize entertainment payments: - Instant Settlement: USDC transfers settle in seconds, not weeks - Zero Gas Fees: Native USDC on Arc eliminates transaction costs - Smart Contract Escrow: Funds lock automatically when contracts are signed - AI-Powered Verification: Gemini AI validates work completion via proof-of-delivery (call sheets, footage timestamps, digital signatures) - Autonomous Release: Payments trigger automatically upon verified completion, no manual processing This isn't just faster payments. It's trustless, transparent, and built for the future of work.

Join our $1,000,000+ startup challenge series powered by Surge 📌 This announcement outlines the launch of a Global Human+AI Exchange — aligning universities, global cities, talent networks, and industry to accelerate human-centered AI innovation, technology transfer, and economic growth. 👉 Read more here ⏱️ 8 days to turn your idea, or existing product, into an investable demo. 📅 February 6 - 15, 2026 • Feb 6 - 14 (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 February 14th. 🕙 Doors open at 10:00 AM, first come, first served. • Feb 14 (On‑site Build Day) - Selected participants will be invited to an exclusive in‑person session to refine their projects and connect directly with mentors. • Feb 15 (On‑site Demos & Awards) - Live pitching sessions to a panel of judges and ecosystem partners, followed by the official winner announcement. 🌟 Get feedback from startup mentors and technical experts. 📍 On-site Venue (Feb 14–15): MindsDB SF AI Collective 3154 17th St, San Francisco, California, USA 📲 Real-time on-site updates (SF) For real-time announcements and information during the on-site portion (Feb 14–15), join the LabLab SF Chapter WhatsApp group: 👉 Join the WhatsApp group 🤝 Join solo or with a team. New founders and existing startups are welcome. 🏆 $1,000,000+ in credits, token prizes, perks and funding opportunity. 📍 On-site participation is by invitation only. Travel and accommodation expenses will not be covered. 🧑‍💻 Apply now to build, validate, and pitch with purpose.

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!