The Rolling Hackathon

Europe has world-class technical talent. What it lacks is the environment that helps turn that talent into products.

CEE engineers routinely outperform on hard technical problems—algorithms, infrastructure, deep systems work. But building products requires a different muscle: defining problems worth solving, iterating with users, understanding technology and market waves, and telling a story that makes people care. These skills aren't taught in universities. They're not developed in most corporate jobs. And weekend hackathons—48-hour sprints optimized for quick demos—don't exercise them enough either.

The result: talented people who can solve any problem except "what should I build?" and "who will care?"

We've seen this pattern repeatedly. Engineers who could get hired anywhere, but don't know how to find co-builders, and possibly co-founders. Teams that build impressive technology, then struggle to explain why it matters. Ambitious people who want to start something, but have no space that matches their intensity.

We've seen this gap up close—some of us built in California and returned to CEE; others work daily with Valley teams. The difference isn't raw talent (often it's European). It's environment.

The Rolling Hackathon is that space.

How it's different

How it works

10 days. Two weekends + weekday evenings.

• Weekend 1 (Kickoff): Teams form, ideas sharpen, building begins.
• Midweek (Unblock): In-person check-ins, mentorship, fireside conversations. The goal is to prevent teams from fizzling when they hit walls.
• Weekend 2 (Demos): Final presentations. Judged on execution and product quality. Prizes awarded.

You don't need 10 days off work. The format is designed for people with day jobs who can commit high intensity evenings and weekends. If you can go full-time for 10 days, you'll move faster—your call.

Who it's for

You'll fit if you:

• — Can build (engineering, design, product) and want to build with others
• — Care about craft—iteration, taste, storytelling rooted in high pragmatism and low hype
• — Want peers who take execution as seriously as you do
• — Are excited about AI as a building medium

This is explicitly not for "pitch-deck warriors." We celebrate showmanship—after the prototype works.

What you get

• — A space to build a real project — something people can try, not a slide deck
• — Teammates you've actually built with — the best co-builder signal
• — Mentorship + unblocking — technical and product, from people who've done it
• — A community that compounds — relationships that persist across editions
• — Serious prizes — enough to justify the intensity to yourself and everyone around you
• — AI credits or preloaded debit cards (edition-dependent) — so any friction to building is minimized

The room

We design the event in layers.

Public layer: Recaps, photos, demo highlights, winner announcements. Enough to attract builders.

In-room layer: The real conversations, unfiltered feedback, building together, trust. This is where the value lives.

Fireside sessions: With experienced technologists, talking about their vantage points and lessons learned. Some recorded with speaker-controlled edits. Some off the record entirely. Speakers choose.

The goal: share enough to build momentum, while keeping the room a place where serious people speak freely.

For Patrons

This is backed by patrons—not sponsors. People funding ambitious ecosystem development, not buying logo placement.

If you're interested in European Dynamism and believe Europe should be building, not just supplying talent—and that the application layer in AI is most overlooked in Europe—learn more about becoming a patron or reach out directlysoon.

Apply

If this sounds like your kind of intensity, apply for the first cohort. Everyone can apply. Cohort is curated to keep the bar high.

FAQ