# Event Details

- **Event Name**: 42 Berlin x Needle: Build What Works - Hackathon Challenge
- **Event Start and End Date**: Thu, 21 May, 2026 at 09:00 am – Fri, 22 May, 2026 at 06:00 pm (+02:00)
- **Event Description**: 24 hours. Four tracks. Build something real on Needle's platform. Part of Mai ist für AI 2026 at 42 Berlin.About this EventBuild What Works.No demos for the sake of demos. In 24 hours, you build something real on Needle's platform. Something that runs. Something you can show. Something that solves an actual problem. The best build wins.About the HackathonThis May, as part of Mai ist für AI 2026, 42 Berlin is partnering with Needle, a Berlin-based AI platform built for teams that actually have to ship, to host a hands-on hackathon open to 42 Berlin students and the wider Berlin tech community.You'll spend 24 hours building features and integrations directly within the Needle platform, across four challenge tracks. The Needle team will be on-site for the entire event to mentor and support participants. A 42 Berlin alumna with industry software engineering experience will also be available throughout.You ship something. You demo it. A jury decides who built the best thing.Over €500 in prizes to win, food, drinks, and a direct line into Needle’s team for anyone who impresses them. Winners will be considered for fast-track interviews.Some coding experience required. Curiosity about AI tools and automation: mandatory.Teams will form on-site at the start of Day 1. Participants can of course come with a team already in mind, but it’s not required.Participants should bring their own laptop. We’ll have external monitors to connect to, but please bring your own USB-C adaptor, if needed.About NeedleNeedle is a Berlin and San Francisco-based AI platform for enterprise search, agent development, and workflow automation. Founded in 2024 by Jan Heimes and Onur Eken, the platform unifies data across tools like Confluence, Slack, Gmail, GitHub, and Dropbox, and uses retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to power accurate, context-aware AI agents and applications.Backed by 468 Capital and Presight Capital, Needle works with teams who care about security, precision, and shipping real AI systems into production. Its platform, APIs, and MCP support make it one of the most builder-friendly AI infrastructures coming out of Berlin right now.Challenge TracksPick one of four tracks to build in:UX/UI and Page Design — Build or redesign interfaces within the Needle platform.Workflows and Collections — Create automated workflows and structured data collections.Build Using APIs — Develop integrations and extensions using Needle's API.Build MCP Servers — Build Model Context Protocol servers that connect to the Needle application.AgendaDay 1 – May 2109:00 · Doors open, coffee, settle in10:00 · Official kickoff: welcome from 42 Berlin and intro from Needle10:30 · Challenge briefing: tracks, tools, and Q&A11:00 · Hacking begins13:00 · Lunch18:00 · Informal check-in with mentors20:00 · Dinner21:00 · Campus closes, continue building off-siteDay 2 – May 2209:00 · Campus reopens14:00 · Submissions close14:30 · Team presentations and demos16:00 · Jury deliberation16:30 · Winners announced and prizes awarded17:00 · Networking and drinksWho Should Come42 Berlin students ready to ship something realDevelopers and builders from the Berlin tech communityAnyone curious about AI infrastructure, RAG, MCP, and agent developmentEngineers who'd rather build than sit through another keynoteWhat You GetFocused building on a production-grade AI platformOn-site mentorship from the Needle team and a 42 Berlin alumnaMeals, drinks, and a place to work through the nightPrizes for the strongest buildsFast-track consideration for interviews at Needle for standout participantsRequirementsSome coding experience. Bring your laptop, your charger, and a willingness to build. We'll handle the rest.📍 42 Berlin Campus, Harzerstraße 42, 12059 Berlin
- **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/berlin/42-berlin-x-needle-build-what-works-hackathon-challenge/100001987609205639
- **Event Categories**: Contests, Workshops
- **Interested Audience**: 
  - total_interested_count: 0

## Ticket Details

- **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD

## Event venue details

- **city**: Berlin
- **state**: BE
- **country**: Germany
- **location**: 42 Berlin
- **lat**: 52.48441689999999
- **long**: 13.4497594
- **full address**: 42 Berlin, Harzer Straße 42, Berlin, Germany

## Event gallery

- **Alt text**: 42 Berlin x Needle: Build What Works - Hackathon Challenge
  - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/a7677ece7586bc2656df521d96e7e2adc750daa87869ce6e6c3c0a027ac92449-rimg-w1200-h614-dc3f017f-gmir.jpg?v=1776769335

## FAQs

- **Q**: When and where is 42 Berlin x Needle: Build What Works - Hackathon Challenge being held?
  - **A:** 42 Berlin x Needle: Build What Works - Hackathon Challenge takes place on Thu, 21 May, 2026 at 09:00 am to Fri, 22 May, 2026 at 06:00 pm at 42 Berlin, Harzer Straße 42, Berlin, Germany.
- **Q**: Who is organizing 42 Berlin x Needle: Build What Works - Hackathon Challenge?
  - **A:** 42 Berlin x Needle: Build What Works - Hackathon Challenge is organized by 42 Berlin.

## Structured Data (JSON-LD)

```json
[
    {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Event",
        "name": "42 Berlin x Needle: Build What Works - Hackathon Challenge",
        "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/a7677ece7586bc2656df521d96e7e2adc750daa87869ce6e6c3c0a027ac92449-rimg-w1200-h614-dc3f017f-gmir.jpg?v=1776769335",
        "startDate": "2026-05-21T09:00:00+02:00",
        "endDate": "2026-05-22T18:00:00+02:00",
        "url": "https://allevents.in/berlin/42-berlin-x-needle-build-what-works-hackathon-challenge/100001987609205639",
        "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled",
        "location": {
            "@type": "Place",
            "name": "42 Berlin",
            "address": {
                "@type": "PostalAddress",
                "streetAddress": "Harzer Straße 42",
                "postalCode": "12059",
                "addressLocality": "Berlin",
                "addressRegion": "BE",
                "addressCountry": "DE"
            },
            "geo": {
                "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
                "latitude": "52.48441689999999",
                "longitude": "13.4497594"
            }
        },
        "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode",
        "description": "24 hours. Four tracks. Build something real on Needle's platform. Part of Mai ist für AI 2026 at 42 Berlin.",
        "offers": [
            {
                "@type": "AggregateOffer",
                "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
                "priceCurrency": "USD",
                "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-21",
                "availabilityEnds": "2026-05-22T18:00:00+02:00",
                "validFrom": "2026-04-21",
                "lowPrice": "0.00",
                "highPrice": "0.00",
                "price": "0.00",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/berlin/42-berlin-x-needle-build-what-works-hackathon-challenge/100001987609205639"
            },
            {
                "@type": "Offer",
                "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock",
                "priceCurrency": "USD",
                "availabilityStarts": "2026-04-21",
                "availabilityEnds": "",
                "validFrom": "2026-04-21",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/berlin/42-berlin-x-needle-build-what-works-hackathon-challenge/100001987609205639",
                "price": 0,
                "name": "General Admission"
            }
        ],
        "organizer": [
            {
                "@type": "Organization",
                "name": "42 Berlin",
                "url": "https://allevents.in/org/42-berlin/21053671"
            }
        ]
    }
]
```