Questions

No. We select a mix of developers, designers, and product thinkers. What matters is that you can contribute meaningfully to a team and follow through under pressure. Workshops cover the technical and methodological gaps.

You apply as an individual. Teams form as part of the process. If you have people you want to build with, you can indicate that, but showing up solo is completely fine.

Not if you're serious about it. Some of our strongest applicants have been students who outworked people with more experience. If you can learn fast and contribute clearly, apply.

We look at your background, what you've built or contributed to before, and your ability to articulate a clear point of view. We're not looking for perfect CVs, we're looking for people who show up and deliver.

The programme is Kenya-first. Applicants from outside Kenya may apply if they can fully attend the in-person event in Kenya and meet the registration requirements.

Sessions are hands-on, not lecture-heavy. Expect to work through real scenarios, user research exercises, product scoping, and building with the tools available to your team. You'll leave each session with something concrete.

Challenges come directly from Mercy Corps AgriFin — real gaps in agricultural finance affecting smallholder farmers in Kenya. Think: accessing credit, managing cash flow across harvests, or getting timely information to make better decisions. The full brief is shared at orientation.

After selection, participants go through an orientation process where team formation happens. We look at complementary skills, pairing builders with designers and product thinkers, so teams are set up to actually function.

All teams work from the same challenge brief provided by Mercy Corps AgriFin. This isn't a general hackathon — the focus is deliberately narrow so solutions go deep, not wide.

You build. Teams arrive with a refined idea and spend the sprint turning it into a working product. There are mentors on hand, structured check-ins, and a final presentation to judges on day two.

Something you can demo to a real user, not a slide deck or a concept. It doesn't have to be fully polished, but it has to work well enough to show the core value clearly.

It happens. Mentors and organisers are available throughout. Part of what we're evaluating is how teams handle pressure, so how you navigate it matters as much as what you build.

Cash prizes go to the top five teams: KES 60,000 for first, KES 30,000 for second, KES 20,000 for third, and KES 10,000 each for fourth and fifth. On top of that, technology partners offer credits and rewards to teams that use their tools well.

Top solutions are presented to Mercy Corps AgriFin and the wider partner network. This opens gateways for pilots, contracts, or follow-on funding. We don't promise a path, but we make sure the right people see strong work.

Yes. What your team builds belongs to your team. The challenge is about solving real problems, not acquiring IP from participants.