The BitAngel BLI Startup Pitch Competition runs alongside the Hackathon — two parallel competitions on Day Three of MD Blockchain Week. Founders pitch live to angel investors. Builders ship working prototypes for cash and partnership prizes.
The hackathon is for builders shipping in 48 hours of pre-conference build time plus 5 live hours of polish on Day 3. The pitch competition is for founders with a deck, traction, and the courage to face live angel feedback.
Pre-build between Jul 11–14, finish + demo live on Jul 15. Teams of 1–4. Working code wins — slides don’t. Cash + cloud credits + mentorship awarded to top three.
5-minute pitch, 5-minute Q&A in front of BitAngel BLI investors. Top three split the prize pool. Past winners have gone on to raise follow-on capital with panelists.
Some teams qualify for both — you build during the hackathon, then pitch what you built to investors the same day. Limited to 6 combo slots. Apply early.
Hackathon participants get problem statements, access to sponsor APIs (Hedera, Chainlink, Stripe Crypto, Ripple), and Discord support. Pitch teams refine decks with assigned mentors.
Teams arrive at Capitol Tech University. Hackathon zone opens for final polish. Pitch teams confirm deck submission and order of presentation.
Hackathon: 6-minute demo + 4-minute judge Q&A. Pitch: 5-minute pitch + 5-minute investor Q&A. Audience votes for People’s Choice in both tracks.
Networking + sponsor expo while judges score. Coffee, mocktails, and intros with the angel panel for anyone who wants to keep the conversation going.
Prizes announced on the main stage. Winners stay for press photos. Everyone heads to the BitAngel BLI evening mixer hosted at the venue’s atrium.
Real estate ledgers, supply-chain provenance, fractional ownership. Bonus for compliant on/off-ramps.
AI deepfake detection, wallet phishing alerts, on-chain forensics for everyday users.
Smart contracts for public procurement, identity, benefits delivery, or land records.
Tools that help families budget, save, or earn yield without needing to read a yield-farming guide.
1099-DA automation, MTL workflows, AML/KYC tooling for small operators and advisors.
Anything else that demonstrates novel use of blockchain, AI, or hybrid AI+blockchain primitives.
Confirmed judges represent venture capital, corporate strategy, and the regulatory community. Pitches go through a panel that asks the same questions a real fundraise would.
Students, professionals, anyone 18+. International teams welcome. Pitch competition is open to incorporated or pre-incorporation startups.
Apply via email with team name, brief project description, and links to prior work. We confirm within 5 business days. Limited to 30 hackathon teams and 24 pitch teams.
You can reuse open-source libraries and your own past code, but the project itself must be conceived for this hackathon. Commit history is reviewed.
We never take equity for participating. Prizes are awarded as cash + credits, no strings attached.
Accepted competitors get complimentary Day 3 access. Upgrade to a full-week pass at 50% off when you apply.
Standard competition language — but we do publish judging rubrics in advance so you know what’s being scored.
Applications close July 1, 2026. Limited to 30 hackathon teams and 24 pitch teams. Early applicants get priority mentor matching.