Coinbase Hosts Its First AI Hackathon: Bringing the San Francisco Developer Community Onchain
January 30, 2025
TL;DR CDP Partnered with industry leaders to host our first-ever IRL AI Hackathon in San Francisco
Coinbase is making history with its inaugural AI Hackathon, taking place February 1–2, 2025, in San Francisco’s Financial District. The event brings together developers, innovators, and tech leaders to explore how onchain financial technology can supercharge artificial intelligence and agentic consumer applications. With backing from a lineup of powerhouse partners, this event is set to make waves far beyond the crypto world and aims to bring developers from all backgrounds onchain.
Why This Hackathon Matters
This isn’t just another hackathon—it’s a pivotal moment for Coinbase and the broader onchain ecosystem. AI and crypto are two of the most transformative technologies of our time, and this event marks a key step in bridging them. By fostering collaboration and innovation, this weekend has the potential to redefine everything from financial transactions to decentralized applications driven by autonomous agents.
Here’s the big picture: onchain payments promise to improve agentic workflows, making it easier for LLM-based applications to programmatically get and use resources, which enhances their capabilities. This hackathon is Coinbase’s way of leading the charge.
"The fusion of AI and onchain technology marks a turning point in software development. At Coinbase, we believe that every agent deserves a wallet, and this hackathon is about empowering developers to bring that vision to life. By leveraging blockchain for autonomous agents, we’re unlocking new super powers for language models—seamless payments, decentralized intelligence, and truly autonomous agentic applications,” adds Kevin Leffew, Coinbase Developer GTM Lead.
“This weekend is more than just a hackathon—it’s the beginning of a movement to redefine how AI interacts with the onchain world."
A Powerhouse Lineup of Partners
One of the standout features of this event is its all-star roster of partners, each bringing expertise and resources to support the participants. These industry leaders include:
From Visa’s focus on the future of payments to Hyperbolic, NEAR, and Bittensor’s groundbreaking decentralized AI networks, and Virtual’s approach to digital avatars, the involvement of these partners underscores the event’s scale and ambition. Their support provides participants with mentorship, tools, and inspiration to develop cutting-edge solutions that could shape the future of Web3.
The Theme: "Demos Win Hackathons"
At the Coinbase AI Hackathon, it’s all about building solutions that work. The theme, "Demos Win Hackathons," encourages participants to focus on creating tangible, working prototypes that showcase the real-world potential of AI in crypto.
To amplify the energy of the weekend, two content creators, Sarah (@srachasaucee) and Vanessa (@VanessaKahkesh) will also capture the best moments in real-time, giving the world a front-row seat to the innovation happening in San Francisco.
How This Fits into the Bigger Picture
This hackathon is part of a larger movement that’s transforming the tech industry. At Coinbase, we’re aiming to be the payment solution for AI agents and their devs. Onchain and decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) have the potential to create agents that are truly autonomous, enabling them to purchase cloud resources and interact in the real world. Coinbase’s entry into this space not only validates the onchain AI movement but also positions the company as a leader in shaping the future of this intersection.
What sets this event apart is its emphasis on hacking, prototyping, demoing, and delivering real-world impact. With the support of its industry-leading partners and the innovation of its participants, we expect the weekend to lead to breakthroughs that define how AI is used in decentralized systems.
Get Ready to See Agents in Action
The Coinbase AI Hackathon is more than a weekend event—it’s a launchpad for groundbreaking ideas and a glimpse into the future of technology. Whether it’s reimagining payment systems, developing smarter decentralized apps, or enhancing blockchain security, the projects born here could set new benchmarks for the entire industry.
This February, stay tuned as Coinbase and its partners take the first step in exploring what’s possible when AI meets onchain finance. The future is being built right now, and it starts here.
Disclaimer
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