Iota Psi Omega @ UCLA

THE REAL TRACTION HACKATHON

A 24-hour, zero-fluff startup competition where winners are selected by market proof, not judges.

Duration 24 hours
Participants Anyone with an idea and drive
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The market decides.
Not judges.

Real Traction

Live metrics, real users, actual revenue. No hypothetical projections or polished pitch decks.

💰

Real Funding

Venture backing through SAFEs and Convertible Notes. Not gift cards or cloud credits.

⏱️

24 Hours

Ship and prove traction in one day. This is basically a compressed YC batch.

Choose your battlefield

Track 01

Marketing / Distribution

Prove demand at internet scale.

Ideal for content killers, growth hackers, and distribution-obsessed founders.

Challenge

  • Launch a product, brand, or campaign from scratch
  • Drive real public engagement (TikTok, Reels, Shorts, X, Reddit)

Scoring Metric

  • Verified views (platform analytics + links)
  • Engagement weighted (views + saves + comments)

Prize Mechanism

$10K per 1M views

Funding issued as SAFE or Convertible Note. Cap applies (up to $50K total)

Why VCs Care

  • Distribution > idea
  • Early virality = asymmetric upside
  • Surfaces attention-acquiring founders
Track 02

Product / Revenue

Prove monetization under extreme constraints.

Ideal for builders who can ship fast and sell even faster.

Challenge

  • Build and ship a live product
  • Acquire users and generate revenue in 24 hours

Eligibility Threshold

  • Must generate >$5,000 in real revenue
  • Top 3–5 teams qualify

Prize Mechanism

1:1 dollar matching

Make $12,300 → Receive $12,300 in funding. Issued as SAFE / Convertible Note

Why VCs Care

  • Revenue under pressure = huge signal
  • Shows execution + pricing intuition
  • Compressed YC batch

Not another hackathon

Every Other Hackathon

  • Judges guess what might work
  • Demo decks and presentations
  • Hypothetical users
  • Prizes and credits
  • 48 hours of isolated building
VS

The Real Traction Hackathon

  • Market selects winners
  • Live traction metrics
  • Real users, real engagement
  • Actual venture funding
  • 24 hours to ship and prove

This isn't a demo day. It's a live stress test for founders and funnels.

Why this is fundable

"

Instead of judges guessing what might work, this event forces startups to prove traction in 24 hours, and we let the market decide which companies receive capital.

🎯

De-risked Capital

Only fund startups that already demonstrated traction

🚀

Deal Flow Compression

50 teams → 5 qualified investments in one weekend

🏆

Brand Positioning

"We fund what wins, not what pitches well"

📈

Optionality

SAFE = upside without lead responsibility

Interested in sponsoring or allocating an experimental fund? Register Now and select "Investor / Sponsor".

Built for legitimacy

01

Anti-Gaming Rules

  • No paid ads unless disclosed
  • Views must be organic or clearly labeled
  • Fraud = instant disqualification
02

Funding Caps

  • Max per team: up to $50K
  • Prevents runaway liability for sponsors
  • All terms communicated upfront — no surprises
03

SAFE Standardization

  • Single template for all
  • Same valuation cap for all winners
  • No negotiation during event

This is just the beginning

Top revenue-generating and marketing teams receive:

💵

Venture Backing

Direct investment from participating VCs

📋

Incorporation Support

Entity formation, SAFE execution, legal setup

🧭

Ongoing Mentorship

3+ months of advisory access

Our goal: Turn winning teams into real, venture-backable companies.

Ready to prove traction?

24 hours. Real metrics. Actual funding.

Register Now
Date Feb 21–22, 2026
Location UCLA Campus
Hosted by Iota Psi Omega