Mini-Hack Weekend
For communities that benefit from structured learning and hands-on building. Workshops on Day 1; build and demo on Day 2.
- Track
- Genesis
- Attendance
- 30–60
- Expected applications
- 8–15
Partner Guide
Partner Resource Hub
Everything you need to turn your activation idea into a strong builder experience. Find the formats, content, resources, and practical guidance to help you reach the right builders and create a clear path to HackMeridian in Lisbon.
HackMeridian Partner Program
The Path to HackMeridian
Everything you need to understand the program, the partner role, and how regional activations connect builders to HackMeridian.
What is Stellar?
A blockchain network built for fast, low-cost, cross-border payments, used by real fintechs and institutions including Circle, MoneyGram, and Société Générale, not just crypto-native apps.
What is HackMeridian?
A 2-day hackathon in Lisbon on October 25–26, 2026, where builders will build real projects on Stellar, right before Meridian, Stellar's annual conference on October 28–29.
Timeline
| September–October 2026 | October 25–26 | October 28–29 |
|---|---|---|
| Regional Activations Local workshops, founder events, and mini-hacks run by partners. |
HackMeridian The hackathon in Lisbon. |
Meridian Stellar's flagship conference. |
Hosting an Activation
You own the activation in your market. Guava provides the infrastructure, resources, and support behind it.
Your activation should create a clear path from local engagement to HackMeridian. Help identify and convert the strongest builders in your community.
Activation Formats
Choose the Right Format for Your Community
Whether you're running a mini-hack, event series, or founder evening, each format is designed to bring the right builders into the HackMeridian pipeline and create a clear path from activation to application.
IRL Event Series
For partners with strong communities and the capacity to build momentum across multiple events and weeks, closing on a final demo night.
- Track
- Genesis + Scale
- Attendance
- 150–300 cumulative
- Expected applications
- 10–20 at close
Scale Founder Evening
For high-signal networks of experienced founders and teams that have already shipped. Invite-only, single-evening event.
- Track
- Scale
- Attendance
- 15–30
- Expected applications
- 6–12
Have a better idea? Propose another format — just show the same qualification and conversion mechanics.
Activation Content Themes
Build a Hack-Ready Experience
Every activation should help builders move closer to HackMeridian. These content themes provide the areas your activation can focus on, whether you're running a workshop, founder evening, dinner, meetup, or mini-hack.
Theme 01
Discover HackMeridian
Help builders understand what HackMeridian is, why it matters, and why they should participate. Content can introduce Stellar, highlight current opportunities, and make the ecosystem accessible to builders who are new to it.
Theme 02
Hack the Hackathon
Help builders understand how to make the most of a hackathon and what it takes to stand out. Content can cover judging, submissions, pitching, team formation, project presentation, funding, and lessons from successful builders.
Theme 03
Build on Stellar
Help builders move from "What could I build?" to actually getting started. Content can help them identify relevant Stellar use cases, explore priority areas, adapt existing skills to Soroban, and gain hands-on technical experience.
How Formats Connect to Content
The activation format is the container; the content theme is the focus; and the specific content is what you deliver. Use the Partner Resources tab to find content that fits your activation and your builders.
Format
Mini-Hack WeekendBuild on Stellar → Find Your Stellar Use Case
Format
Founder EveningDiscover HackMeridian → Why Build on Stellar?
Format
Event SeriesHack the Hackathon → Building Your Landing Page
Partner Resources
Your Activation Toolkit
Templates, design assets, and learning content to help you plan, run, and report your activation. Start with the templates, then find the right content for your format and audience.
Templates & Design
Ready-to-use templates and brand assets for running your activation and reporting back to Guava.
| Template | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Workshop Run-of-Show | A structured run sheet for planning your activation day — timings, session blocks, facilitator notes, and logistics. | Coming soon |
| Post-Event Report Template | The form partners complete within 7 days of their activation. Covers attendance, qualified builders, conversions, travel grant shortlist, and activation notes. | Open in Notion ↗ |
| Slide Deck Template | Branded slide template for workshop presentations and activation sessions. | Coming soon |
| Brand Guide | Full interactive brand guide for HackMeridian 2026. Logos, colours, typography, and usage guidelines for partner-produced materials. | HackMeridian 2026 — Figma ↗ |
Workshops, Talks & Learning Examples
A curated set of existing content partners can use or adapt to help builders discover HackMeridian, prepare to compete, and start building on Stellar. Where possible, use content in the language most natural to your community.
| Theme | Resource | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discover | Stellar 101: Going from 0 to 1 with Stellar & Soroban | Intro for builders new to Stellar, covering Soroban and Rust through the Okashi browser IDE. | SDF, Chris Anataglio ↗ |
| Discover | Why Build on Stellar? | Institutional adoption story and Stellar funding pathway, designed to show founders why the ecosystem is worth building in. | Denelle Dixon, SDF CEO ↗ |
| Hack | HackMeridian Preparation | Judges, scoring criteria, submission requirements, demo structure, and what makes a project stand out. | Submission Day Prep ↗ |
| Hack | Getting Funded in the Stellar Ecosystem | Funding pathway from developer initiatives through SCF and beyond. | SDF, Gemma ↗ |
| Build | Meet Raven | Live demonstration of Raven, Stellar's MCP server, solving a real build question. | Nick Neumann ↗ |
| Build | SoroPG Academy 1: Hello World | Deeper Soroban workflow covering Rust through testnet deployment. | James Bachini ↗ |
| Build | From Web2 to Soroban | Help developers coming from Web2 or other chains understand how to build on Soroban. | James Bachini ↗ |
| Build | Hello World Smart Contract | Entry point for Ethereum developers moving from Solidity to Rust. | SDF ↗ |
| Build | Stellar Journey to Mastery 2.0 | Seven-level structured learning programme for builders who want deeper preparation. | Rise In ↗ |
| Discover | De Idea a MVP: Cómo Crear un Producto Viable (Spanish) | Design-thinking framework for turning an idea into an MVP, from problem definition through prototyping and evaluation. | Bastián Koh, Tellus ↗ |
| Discover | Tu primera idea en la blockchain (Spanish) | Problem-driven ideation for identifying a real problem and developing a Stellar-based solution. | Joaquin, Tellus ↗ |
| Build | Crea tu primer contrato inteligente con Soroban (Spanish) | Hands-on workshop deploying a Counter contract to testnet using Rust, OpenZeppelin templates, and the Soroban CLI. | Joaquín Farfán, Tellus ↗ |
Developer Docs
Resources for Technical Sessions
Use these official Stellar resources to structure or support technical workshops and hands-on sessions. They provide a practical path from setting up a development environment to building and deploying a Soroban contract.
| Resource | Use It For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Getting Started: Setup | Help builders prepare their local environment with Rust and the Soroban CLI. | Open Docs ↗ |
| Getting Started: Hello World | Guide builders through building their first Soroban smart contract. | Open Docs ↗ |
| Getting Started: Deploy to Testnet | Give builders a practical deployment exercise after building their contract. | Open Docs ↗ |
| Building with AI | Official Stellar guidance on using AI coding tools like Claude Code and Cursor to build on Stellar. | Open Docs ↗ |
| Stellar Raven | Live Stellar ecosystem context and docs search that plugs directly into AI coding tools. | Open Raven ↗ |
| stellar-build | One-command installer that adds a full Stellar dev journey, 46 skills from idea to mainnet deploy, into Claude Code or Codex. | Open on GitHub ↗ |
| Machine-Readable Docs | A machine-readable overview of the Stellar docs (llms.txt), useful for feeding directly into AI coding tools. | Open llms.txt ↗ |
| Getting Started: Hello World Frontend | Extend a technical session by connecting a frontend to a deployed contract. | Open Docs ↗ |
Partner FAQ
Questions, Answered
Find answers to the most common questions about activations, proposals, eligibility, funding, logistics, and getting your community to HackMeridian.
Running an Activation
What is the partner responsible for?
Partners are responsible for bringing their community and managing the local activation, including recruitment, event production, venue, local promotion, participant follow-up, and providing a local facilitator. Partners may also provide prizes where applicable.
Guava / HackMeridian provides the program infrastructure, including Stellar-aligned content, facilitator materials, registration, creative direction, tracking, travel-grant infrastructure, and partner support.
Travel grant allocation and disbursement remain with Guava. Partners do not distribute travel grants.
How many HackMeridian applications should an activation generate?
It depends on your format:
- Mini-Hack Weekend: 8–15 applications
- IRL Event Series: 10–20 applications
- Scale Founder Evening: 6–12 applications
What should we cover at our activation?
Every activation should help builders move closer to HackMeridian. Focus your content around one or more of these three themes:
Discover HackMeridian. Introduce builders to Stellar and HackMeridian, explain the opportunity, and help them understand why they should participate.
Hack the Hackathon. Help builders prepare to compete by covering what makes a strong submission, judging, pitching, team formation, project presentation, and opportunities beyond the hackathon.
Build on Stellar. Help builders move from ideas to building. Introduce relevant Stellar use cases, priority areas, Soroban, and hands-on technical resources so they can start building before HackMeridian.
Choose the theme that best fits your format and audience. Use the Partner Resources tab to find content and materials for your activation.
Where can I find the HackMeridian brand guidelines?
The HackMeridian 2026 Brand Guide has logos, colours, typography, and usage guidelines for partner-produced materials. Open Brand Guide ↗
What to Build Toward
What should the Genesis journey prioritize before HackMeridian?
Prioritize idea development and technical preparation. The goal is to help first-time founders and developers turn early ideas into viable projects and build the technical confidence to start building on Stellar. Team formation can happen organically throughout this process.
What kinds of projects should builders explore?
Stellar is particularly interested in end-user applications that bring users onchain. Activations should help builders identify real user problems and explore where Stellar can enable useful, accessible applications.
What Stellar technologies should builders explore?
Builders should be encouraged to explore smart contracts, smart accounts, and cross-chain transfers.
What technical content should our activation cover?
AI-building should be the main technical focus. Partners should help builders get hands-on with tools such as Raven and stellar-build, and use skills.stellar.org as a starting point for technical resources.
What should a strong project have before HackMeridian?
Builders should be able to clearly explain and demonstrate how their project works. A well-structured README.md should document the project, its functionality, and key technical specifications. Where possible, repositories should also include visual documentation that helps reviewers understand the product and how it works.
Are the technical expectations different for Genesis and Scale?
Yes. The tracks reflect different stages of a project's journey.
Genesis is focused on helping early-stage builders develop their ideas and technical ability. Activations should help builders get from an initial idea to something they can start building.
Scale is for teams that already know how to build. The focus is on helping them determine what to do next, rather than teaching the fundamentals of building.
What does a successful activation look like?
A successful activation gets builders closer to HackMeridian. This means:
- Right builders. Developers, founders, and builders who are genuinely interested in building with Stellar.
- Hands-on experience. Participants gain practical experience using Stellar and understand what they can build.
- Hackathon-ready. Builders leave with an idea, direction, or early prototype they can take into HackMeridian.
- Path to Lisbon. Participants understand what HackMeridian is, why they should participate, and what their next step is.
- Strong participation. Builders from the activation go on to register, apply, and ultimately participate in HackMeridian.
Post-Activation Reporting
How do I report on my activation?
Complete the Post-Event Report within 7 days of your activation. The report captures attendance, qualified builders, conversions, your travel grant shortlist, and key activation notes. Open the Post-Event Report ↗
Travel Grants
How does travel support work?
Selected builders can receive $150–$1,000 USD equivalent in travel support to help them get to Lisbon. Support is assigned across four tiers based on travel geography, need, and available funding.
| Tier | Grant | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Local | $150 | Portugal / Spain and nearby ground travel |
| 2 · Regional | $350 | Short-haul European travel |
| 3 · Extended | $600 | Longer European / nearby international travel |
| 4 · Long-haul | $1,000 | Intercontinental travel |
Travel support is a separate pool managed and distributed by Guava. It is not part of your activation budget and is not distributed by partners.
Support is selective and based on demo-day performance, not simply attendance. Payout is made in XLM by default, with USDC available only with treasury approval. Guava handles KYC directly with selected builders.
When do I submit my travel grant shortlist?
Submit your shortlist within 7 days of your activation as part of your Post-Event Report.
Include the builders you recommend for travel support based on their demo-day performance. Guava reviews all shortlists and processes approvals in waves.
You do not need to tell builders they have been shortlisted until Guava confirms their support.