The Pump.fun Build in Public Hackathon also called BiP Hackathon, launched in January 2026 via Pump Fund’s $3 million initiative, recently concluded its application phase.
The program funds 12 projects with $250,000 each; totaling $3M at a $10 million valuation per project. Unlike traditional hackathons, there’s no judging panel or VC pitches — winners are determined by market traction; token performance after launching on Pump.fun, community engagement, and public building progress.
Participants must launch a token on Pump.fun, retain a meaningful portion of supply; recommended 20-50%, minimum 10% for eligibility, and build transparently in public. Applications closed recently, with announcements stating that eligible applicants can receive investments, and 10 winners remaining to be selected and announced via Pumpspotlight over the coming weeks.
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Some winners have already been picked; at least two announced earlier in February like Zauth and Opal, but the full set of 12 isn’t complete yet — it’s an ongoing selection process rather than a single “conclusion” event. Funding is described as $250,000 investments per project likely in SOL, USD equivalent, or token purchases at set valuations, plus mentorship — not airdrops or distributions of $PUMP itself.
$PUMP was launched earlier in mid-2025 via a rapid ICO raising hundreds of millions, and while the hackathon boosts ecosystem activity potentially benefiting $PUMP indirectly through more launches and usage on the platform, no direct token distribution tied to the hackathon.
The hackathon is still rolling out winners progressively rather than having fully “concluded” with all distributions done. Winners are announced progressively based on market traction rather than a single finale event. Funding is $250,000 per project at a $10M valuation, delivered as investments, plus mentorship and incubation — not a one-time payout or airdrop.
The program continues to emphasize market-driven validation: token performance, community engagement, and public progress determine who gets funded, bypassing traditional VC judging. $PUMP itself benefits indirectly from increased platform usage; more token launches, trading volume, but the hackathon doesn’t involve distributing it.
This hackathon represents a shift in Pump.fun’s evolution from pure memecoin launchpad to supporting sustainable on-chain builders and startups: Positive for ecosystem growth — It democratizes funding by letting the market “judge” ideas, reducing gatekeeping and enabling faster validation.
Successful projects gain real runway, potentially spawning useful tools, AI agents, prediction markets, or infrastructure on Solana. Encourages “build in public” transparency, community alignment, and long-term thinking over pure speculation. It could attract non-crypto-native founders and create a pipeline of quality projects, countering memecoin fatigue.
Some view it as risky for traders; low odds of picking a winner among many launches, potential for dev-held supply dumps despite rules. It may dilute focus if it pivots too far from Pump.fun’s core “attention trading” appeal. No guaranteed $PUMP upside for holders beyond indirect platform growth.
This hackathon signals Pump.fun’s strategic pivot from a pure memecoin speculation platform toward supporting real on-chain product development and long-term ecosystem utility on Solana. Market traction (not VCs) decides funding, rewarding genuine progress and transparency over polished pitches.
This lowers barriers for non-traditional founders and encourages “build in public” culture; frequent updates, community interaction, livestreams, etc. $250K + advisory support helps winners scale prototypes into mature products; tools, AI agents, prediction markets like the recently highlighted PumpMarket integration.
High competition; many launches may fade if traction stalls, and dev-held supply rules aim to prevent dumps but aren’t foolproof. More token launches, trading volume, and on-chain engagement as participants build and promote projects. This boosts fees and revenue for Pump.fun and Solana overall.
Counters fatigue in pure hype cycles by incentivizing utility-focused projects; prediction markets, infrastructure. Advisors like Polymarket, Delphi Digital, and Pantera add credibility. Successful funded projects could become foundational layers; better tools for launches, agents, or DeFi primitives, attracting more developers and users to Solana.
Value could rise from heightened activity and volume during winner announcements and project launches, but it’s speculative. This is more a milestone in Pump.fun’s maturation; from hype machine to builder accelerator.