Hackathon Operations

Host Hackathons at Top Universities

We run end-to-end hackathon activations at Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and 30+ campuses worldwide. Bring your product to the builders who matter — with a team that's done it 50+ times.

50+
Hackathons Organized
450+
Global Events
17+
Cities Worldwide
3,000+
Builders Activated
Stanford University Johns Hopkins University Harvard University MIT UC Berkeley Columbia University University of Pennsylvania New York University UCLA Chinese University of Hong Kong Stanford University Johns Hopkins University Harvard University MIT UC Berkeley Columbia University University of Pennsylvania New York University UCLA Chinese University of Hong Kong
Track Record

Proven Hackathon Operations

From intimate 40-person research sprints to 400-registration global events, we've designed and run hackathons across education, enterprise, and developer communities.

Stanford University

AI + Learning Differences

AI-focused hackathon exploring assistive technology for learners with learning differences, in partnership with Stanford Accelerator for Learning.

200 participants SAL partner
Johns Hopkins University

ITGL Education Hackathon

Interdisciplinary hackathon with JHU researchers and ITGL fellows exploring education, social engineering, and applied research through design.

40+ participants 8 teams 75% continuation
FullEnrich × Lovable

GTM Hackathon

Six-week go-to-market hackathon attracting GTM leaders from ElevenLabs, OpenAI, Instacart, and more — building AI-powered tools to attract, qualify, and close clients faster.

1,500 signups 100+ submissions $10K+ prizes
Stanford University

Board Games for Behavior Change

Design-focused hackathon with Stanford students and faculty exploring behavior change through play, systems thinking, and human-centered design.

Stanford faculty Design focused
YC + Lovable

Christmas Builder Hackathon

Holiday-themed builder event co-hosted with Y Combinator companies and Lovable, bringing together 200+ registrations and 10+ shipped projects.

200+ registered 10+ projects
Hong Kong PolyU

PolyU AI Hackathon

On-campus AI hackathon at Hong Kong Polytechnic University with hands-on mentorship across 20+ student teams.

50+ students 20+ mentored
Recent Activations

On the Ground

From curated build nights to full-scale hackathons, every activation is designed for high energy, real output, and lasting community connections.

OpenClaw Workshop at AGI House

OpenClaw Workshop × AGI House

15 top researchers from Google, Stanford, Airbnb
Christmas Hackathon with YC and Lovable

Christmas Hackathon

YC + Lovable — 200+ registered, 10+ projects
Build Night with Tina Huang

Build Night × Tina Huang

1M+ YouTuber — 300+ registered, 30+ projects
What We Offer

End-to-End Hackathon Services

We handle the full lifecycle — from campus outreach and logistics to judging infrastructure and post-event content — so your brand can focus on what matters.

Campus Activation

Tap into our network of organizers at 30+ universities. We handle outreach, registration, and on-the-ground logistics to fill your hackathon with top student builders.

  • Pre-built organizer relationships at Stanford, JHU, UCLA, UCSC, McMaster, and more
  • Marketing across student clubs, Discord servers, and campus networks
  • Venue coordination and campus logistics

Event Production

Full-stack event design and execution: from kickoff demos and team matching to mentor feedback rounds, judging, and closing ceremonies.

  • Proven 6-hour sprint format with structured milestones
  • Custom branding, swag, and on-site collateral
  • Live mentorship with domain experts

Platform & Judging

Our MentorMates platform powers the entire hackathon workflow — submissions, AI-assisted judging, structured mentor feedback, and real-time leaderboards.

  • AI Judge for consistent, criteria-based evaluation
  • Structured mentorship workflows
  • Post-event analytics and participant insights

Enterprise & Internal Hackathons

We also design internal hackathons for companies looking to upskill teams on AI. One engagement saved 585 hours in 6 weeks with 164% ROI.

  • Custom AI training sessions and guided builds
  • Team ideation and prototyping workshops
  • Post-hackathon project continuation support
How It Works

From Brief to Build Day

A streamlined process refined across 50+ hackathons. We move fast so you can go from first call to live event in as little as 3 weeks.

01

Scope & Strategy

We align on goals, audience, format, and campus targets. You tell us what success looks like — we design the event around it.

02

Campus Outreach

We activate our organizer network, run targeted outreach, and handle registration to fill the room with qualified builders.

03

Event Execution

Full production — kickoff, team matching, build sprints, mentorship, demos, and judging. Your brand front and center.

04

Post-Event & Growth

Participant analytics, project showcases, content capture, and community onboarding to turn one event into lasting adoption.

Our Network

Campus Organizers Worldwide

Direct relationships with student organizers and hackathon leaders at top universities — ready to activate for your next event.

UC Santa Cruz
SFU Surge
DeltaHacks, McMaster
Hackathons Canada
Codeforge
Johns Hopkins
HackConcordia
UCLA
Brooklyn College CS
TidalTAMU, Texas A&M
USF
Trusted By & Partnered With
Okta a16z Amazon GoodNotes Lovable Y Combinator TinyFish Okta a16z Amazon GoodNotes Lovable Y Combinator TinyFish
Credentials

Why DayDreamers

We're not an events agency — we're builders who run events. Our team has shipped products, organized at scale, and embedded in the communities we activate.

450+ Events Across 17 Cities

From curated dinners to large-scale hackathons across San Francisco, New York, Hong Kong, Toronto, and more — our operations scale and our community follows.

Purpose-Built Hackathon Platform

We built MentorMates — our own hackathon infrastructure with AI-powered judging, structured mentorship workflows, real-time submissions, and post-event analytics. No third-party tools needed.

Enterprise-Proven Results

Our internal hackathon engagements have saved companies 585+ hours in 6 weeks with 164% ROI — from AI workforce enablement to product-led developer adoption.

Ready to Host Your Next Hackathon?

Whether you're launching a product, recruiting developers, or building brand presence on campus — we'll design and run the activation end to end.

Let's Talk