internXL Innovation Challenge
Hackathon Framework and Trainer Scripts
Welcome to the internXL Innovation Challenge! This program is designed to help students develop their ideas, build functional prototypes and MVPs rapidly, and master the art of pitching to a live audience.
Pre-Hackathon Training
Before the Hackathon, students will complete six one-hour training sessions designed to help them develop their ideas, build functional prototypes and MVPs rapidly, and master the art of pitching to a live audience.
Recommended Flow (for each session)
- Kickoff and Objectives (10 mins)
- Training (30 mins)
- Guided Exercise (15 mins)
- Wrap and Homework (5 mins)
Training Sessions
Orientation
Course Introduction, Setup, Expectations
- Course overview and objectives
- Development environment setup
- Key concepts and expectations
Session 1 - From Idea to Product
Transform broad ideas into buildable product definitions
- Problem framing and user definition
- Requirements & constraints identification
- Business & scale considerations
- Experience & usability planning
- AI tools for PRD development (PRDKit, ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini)
Session 2 - Fundamentals of Building with AI
Make AI outputs reliable through effective prompting
- Good prompt design principles
- Controlling generation parameters
- Testing & evaluation strategies
- Choosing appropriate models (OpenRouter)
Session 3 - Data Sourcing, Cleaning & Evaluation
Ensure your AI is trustworthy through quality data
- Sourcing public datasets
- Data cleaning & preparation
- Building evaluation sets
- Quick sharing with Gradio/Hugging Face Spaces
Session 4 - Rapid Prototyping and Software Development
Build working prototypes in hours, not weeks
- Rapid prototyping tools (Lovable, Bolt.new, Vercel v0)
- Portability & scaling considerations
- Demo-first mindset
- Deployment options
Session 5 - AI Agents and Tool Use
Enable AI to act, not just respond
- Understanding AI agents
- Tool calling and schemas
- When to use agents
- Practical considerations (timeouts, retries, validation)
Innovation Challenge
Day 1 (Hackathon)
Coding sprints alternating with mentor talks
| Time | Block |
|---|---|
| 9:00–9:20 | Kickoff & rules (judging, submissions, logistics) |
| 9:20–10:00 | Mentor demo (inspiration; 30–40 min) |
| 10:00–12:15 | Coding Block #1 (2h15m) |
| 12:15–12:45 | Working Lunch |
| 12:45–2:45 | Coding Block #2 (2h) |
| 2:45–3:15 | Mentor demo |
| 3:15–5:30 | Coding Block #3 (2h15m) |
| 5:30–6:00 | Working Dinner |
| 6:00–8:15 | Coding Block #4 + Office Hours (2h15m; optional 15‑min mentor slots) |
| 8:15–8:45 | Mentor demo |
| 8:45–9:00 | Day 1 wrap (submission checklist, Day 2 brief) |
Day 2 (Pitch Competition)
- 3:00 PM — Submissions due (GitHub repo, demo link or 2‑min backup video, PRD from Session 1, data card & eval set from Session 3, 10‑slide deck)
- 6:00–9:00 PM — Pitch ceremony
Pitch Format (per team)
- 5 minute pitch (problem, solution, impact, product vision)
- 3 minute live demo (show the happy path; backup recording allowed)
- 2 min Q&A (judges ask clarifying questions)
Rubric
Pitch (40 points)
- Problem clarity & importance (0–10)
- Solution fit & differentiation (0–10)
- Impact within theme (0–10)
- Storytelling & delivery (0–10)
Demo/Technical (60 points)
- Working prototype depth (0–15)
- Quality of AI integration (0–15)
- Data handling & reliability (0–10)
- Scalability path (0–10)
- UX & usability (0–10)
Tie-breaker: Incorporation of mentor feedback between Day 1 and Day 2.
Guidance Handouts
For Students
- Scope to one happy path. Cut features aggressively.
- Repo first: create a private GitHub repo on Day 1, commit early/often, include .env.example and README setup steps.
- Use AI tools: PRDKit for PRDs/flows, Lovable/Bolt.new/v0 for scaffolds, ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini for code snippets and iteration.
- Document your data (data card + eval set). Use only public/synthetic datasets.
- Record a 2‑minute fallback demo video.
For Mentors
- Your role is to coach, not code. Guide teams to scope and prioritize.
- Use demos to inspire: show your own AI projects, lessons learned, and practical tips.
- During coding blocks, circulate and help teams unblock. Use office hours for deep dives.
- Encourage teams to focus on clarity, reliability, and demo readiness over feature bloat.
Text 404-962-0908 with feedback and questions.