​Plug & Play Foundation Hackathon — AI for Small Business

​12 hours. 2 tracks. Bay Area.

​Small businesses are the backbone of our communities — and they're being left behind by the agentic AI wave. We're here to change that.

​Join us for Plug & Play Foundation's first-ever hackathon, where builders, designers, and problem-solvers come together to create real tools for real businesses.

​⚙️ Track 1: AI & Data Transformation Automate manual tasks, drive smarter decisions, and boost performance for local businesses using AI and data science.

​🏙️ Track 2: Urban Business Resilience (sponsored by District Cover) Build tools that help small businesses understand risk, improve safety, and navigate insurance in dense urban environments. District Cover is bringing real underwriting expertise and real problem statements — winning concepts could move into actual pilots.

​Learn more: https://www.plugandplayfoundation.org/elevate/smb-innovation-sprint-hackathon

• SMB Impact & Problem Fit (25 points)
  Clearly addresses a real, high-priority problem faced by small businesses (restaurants, retail, personal care). Demonstrates meaningful improvement to efficiency, revenue, or operations.
• Feasibility & Pilot Readiness (25 points)
  Solution is realistic, affordable, and deployable for SMBs. Clear path from prototype to real-world pilot with minimal friction.
• Technical Execution & Innovation (20 points)
  Quality of build and thoughtful use of technology (AI, automation, data). Technology is appropriate, functional, and adds real value.
• Usability & Design (15 points)
  Intuitive, simple, and usable for non-technical SMB owners or staff. Design reflects real-world constraints and time pressure.
• Clarity of Demo & Communication (15 points)
  Team clearly explains the problem, solution, and impact. Demo is easy to follow and questions are answered thoughtfully.
• Bonus 1: SMB Validation Signal (+5 pts max)
  Awarded when a participating SMB clearly validates the solution SMB owner explicitly says they would pilot or use this Solution directly reflects feedback from the SMB reverse pitch Clear articulation of how the solution fits into daily operations
• Bonus 2: Pilot Readiness Excellence (+5 pts max)
  Awarded for exceptional readiness beyond baseline feasibility Clear implementation plan (timeline, onboarding, metrics) Identified pilot partner or deployment environment Thoughtful consideration of costs and maintenance
• Bonus 3: Exceptional Simplicity (+3 pts max)
  Awarded for unusually simple, elegant solutions Minimal setup or training required Respects SMB time, budget, and tech comfort “This could be used tomorrow” feeling