Swell City Buildathon

❓ FAQ – Read This Before You Ask in Discord

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🚀 Getting Started

What is the Swell City Buildathon?

A fast-paced, high-stakes event for DeFi builders, AI devs, and automation wizards to create next-gen restaking dApps, trading strategies, and AVS-powered protocols.

Who can participate?

Anyone interested in DeFi, smart contracts, AI, and automation—whether you’re a Solidity dev, full-stack engineer, data scientist, or just someone with a bold idea.

Is there a fee?

Nope. It’s free to enter.

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👥 Teams & Collaboration

Do I need a team?

No, you can build solo or form a team (typically 2-6 members). If you need teammates, check #team-matching on Discord.

Can I submit multiple projects?

No, you can only submit one project per team.

Can I use AI tools like Copilot or ChatGPT to help me?

Yes. AI is fair game, but your submission must be original work, not just AI-generated code without added logic or purpose.

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🛠️ Tech, Stack & Development

What should I build?

Think big. We’re looking for:

🔥 Restaking Infra – AVS mechanisms, modular restaking optimizations
🤖 AI & Automation – Bots, AI-driven trading, on-chain execution engines
📊 DeFi & Trading – New yield strategies, AVS-powered trading tools
🛠 Ecosystem & Tooling – Analytics, governance, DAOs, gaming, dashboards
🎭 Wildcard – Something no one saw coming

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🔥 The Actual Hackathon (a.k.a. The Grind)

Can I use pre-existing code?

Yes, as long as your core innovation happens during the hackathon. Using open-source tools, libraries, or your own boilerplate is fine.

I have an idea but don’t know how to execute it. What should I do?

1️⃣ Drop your idea in Discord → Get feedback
2️⃣ Look for a teammate → Someone might have the skills you need
3️⃣ Ask mentors → They can guide you in the right direction

Where do I ask for help if something breaks?

• Discord channels on questions regarding TAIKAI or the hackathon
• Mentors for anything Swellchain-specific

Will there be coding workshops?

Yes! Check the #announcements tab for AMAs and tech deep dives.

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🏆 Submission, Judging & Prizes

What do I need to submit?

• Project Name & Elevator Pitch (280 chars max)
• GitHub Repo (with a README for setup)
• Live Product Link (or demo credentials if private)
• Project Deck (brief, no fluff)
• 3-Minute Demo Video (show it working)
• Team Details (who did what)
• Optional: X (Twitter) account, freeform notes

How are projects judged?

✔ Innovation – Are you pushing DeFi/restaking forward?
✔ Execution – Does it actually work?
✔ Technical Depth – How well is it built?
✔ Impact – Would people use this?

What do winners get?

🏆 Cash prizes for winning projects
💰 Potential follow-on funding via Swell’s grants program
🚀 Exposure & integration opportunities with EigenLayer, OP Labs & major protocols

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❌ How to Get Disqualified (Don’t Do This)

🚫 Submitting an old project with no meaningful updates
🚫 Plagiarizing or copy-pasting someone else’s work
🚫 Submitting an incomplete or broken project
🚫 Making something that doesn’t relate to restaking, AI, or DeFi

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📅 Last Steps: Make Sure You’re Ready

✅ Join Discord & follow announcements
✅ Check the timeline tab for key dates
✅ Make sure your project meets submission guidelines
✅ Ship it. Demo it. Win.

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📣 Still Have Questions? Ask in Discord.

We want you to succeed, so ask away—just be specific and explain what you need.

Now stop reading this and start building. 🛠️🔥