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
Find your way · Partner guide
Build your way in.
Everything you need to turn your activation idea into a strong builder experience — the formats, content themes, resources, and practical guidance to reach the right builders and create a clear way into 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 two-day hackathon at ONE16, Lisbon on 25–26 October 2026, where builders will build real projects on Stellar, right before Meridian, Stellar's annual conference on 28–29 October.
Timeline
| September–October 2026 | 25–26 October | 28–29 October |
|---|---|---|
| Regional Activations Local workshops, founder events, and mini-hacks run by partners. |
HackMeridian The hackathon in Lisbon. |
Meridian Stellar's flagship conference. |
The campaign
Hosting an Activation
There is no single way into HackMeridian — FIND YOUR WAY treats every regional activation as a legitimate entry point, and your activation becomes one of them. You own it in your market; Guava provides the infrastructure, resources, and support behind it.
Your activation should create a clear path from local engagement to HackMeridian: identify and convert the strongest builders in your community, then close on the shared line — FIND YOUR WAY → HACKMERIDIAN. Each activation maps to one campaign beat:
- 01FIND YOUR PEOPLE
- 02FIND YOUR STACK
- 03FIND YOUR IDEA
- 04FIND YOUR EDGE
- 05FIND YOUR TEAM
- 06FIND YOUR NEXT MOVE
The three content themes in this guide serve those beats: Discover HackMeridian finds your people and their ideas; Build on Stellar finds their stack and their edge; Hack the Hackathon finds their team and their next move.
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 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Post-Event Report Template ↗ |
| Activation Luma Template | Ready-to-adapt copy for your Luma event page — titles, descriptions, and key details for promoting your activation to local builders. | Activation Luma Template ↗ |
| Slide Deck Template | Branded slide template for workshop presentations and activation sessions. | Slide Deck Template ↗ |
| Event Flyer Templates | Ready-to-edit Canva templates for promoting your activation to your community — two layouts, both on the FIND YOUR WAY identity. | Flyer 1 ↗ · Flyer 2 ↗ |
| Brand Guide | Full interactive brand guide for HackMeridian 2026. Logos, colours, typography, and usage guidelines for partner-produced materials. | Brand Guide ↗ |
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 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Stellar 101: Going from 0 to 1 with Stellar & Soroban ↗ |
| Discover | Why Build on Stellar? | Institutional adoption story and Stellar funding pathway, designed to show founders why the ecosystem is worth building in. | Why Build on Stellar? ↗ |
| Hack | Getting Funded in the Stellar Ecosystem | Funding pathway from developer initiatives through SCF and beyond. | Getting Funded in the Stellar Ecosystem ↗ |
| Hack | 8 Tips For The Stellar Hacks Agents Hackathon | Practical tips for competing in a Stellar hackathon — what to build, how to scope, and how to stand out to judges. | 8 Tips For The Stellar Hacks Agents Hackathon ↗ |
| Build | Intro to Scaffold Stellar | Get a Soroban dApp running locally in minutes using SDF’s official scaffold tool — the fastest path from zero to a working project. | Intro to Scaffold Stellar ↗ |
| Build | The Machines Can Code and Stellar is Ready | Meridian 2025 talk on AI-assisted Stellar development — why Soroban is built for the AI agent era and what that means for builders. | The Machines Can Code and Stellar is Ready ↗ |
| Build | Build with Raven | Introduction to Stellar’s MCP server for AI-assisted development — how to use Raven to get accurate Stellar context in your AI agent. | Build with Raven ↗ |
| Build | SoroPG Academy 3: Agentic AI Development | Hands-on workshop using AI agents to build and deploy Soroban smart contracts — practical AI-assisted development from a Stellar Developer in Residence. | SoroPG Academy 3: Agentic AI Development ↗ |
| Build | Migrating Contracts From Solidity To Soroban | Step-by-step guide for Ethereum developers migrating existing contracts from Solidity to Soroban Rust. | Migrating Contracts From Solidity To Soroban ↗ |
| 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. | De Idea a MVP: Cómo Crear un Producto Viable (Spanish) ↗ |
| Discover | Tu primera idea en la blockchain (Spanish) | Problem-driven ideation for identifying a real problem and developing a Stellar-based solution. | Tu primera idea en la blockchain (Spanish) ↗ |
| 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. | Crea tu primer contrato inteligente con Soroban (Spanish) ↗ |
Builder Personas
Who We're Looking For
A practical guide to the builders we're recruiting across Genesis and Scale, what they bring to the ecosystem, the gaps activations can help close before HackMeridian, and the signals to use when identifying strong travel grant candidates.
Pre-Event Learnings
Use these learning priorities to shape your activation content and help each builder type arrive at HackMeridian ready to build.
Genesis
- Problem & idea: How to identify a real user problem and turn it into a buildable idea.
- Stellar: Fundamentals, use cases, and where Stellar adds value.
- Building: How to get started with Soroban and AI tools.
- Hackathon: How to scope an MVP, form a team, and prepare a submission.
Scale
- Opportunity & scope: How to identify a strong hackathon opportunity within an existing product or expertise.
- Stellar: Where Stellar can add meaningful technical or product value.
- Building: Advanced Stellar/Soroban patterns and AI tools.
- Hackathon: How to define a focused milestone, demonstrate progress, and position the project for continued development.
Hacker Persona
| Genesis First-Time Founders & Emerging Builders | Scale Experienced Builders & Product Teams | |
|---|---|---|
| Who we're looking for | First-time founder, developer, or multidisciplinary builder with a strong problem or idea but limited experience building on blockchain or Stellar. | Experienced founder, developer, or product team that has already shipped or built a working product or prototype and knows how to execute. |
| What they bring | Fresh ideas, domain knowledge, curiosity, entrepreneurial drive, willingness to learn, and the ability to identify real user problems. | Proven execution, technical and product expertise, existing users or market insight, experience shipping, and the ability to turn an opportunity into a working product. |
| Why we want them | Potential new builders and founders who could develop into strong Stellar ecosystem contributors with the right support. | Experienced builders who can bring more advanced products, teams, users, and real-world applications into the Stellar ecosystem. |
| Gaps to close |
|
|
| What activations can help | Problem/idea development, Stellar use cases, beginner technical foundations, AI-assisted building, first prototype, team formation. | Product/use-case development, Stellar architecture/integration, hackathon scope, technical consultation, AI-building workflows, demo/pitch refinement. |
| Travel grant priority | Builders who demonstrate strong potential and progress during the activation: a compelling problem, clear idea, willingness to build, meaningful progress, and potential to develop the project further at HackMeridian. | Builders who demonstrate strong execution and project potential during the activation: a shipped product or prototype, clear user/problem, meaningful Stellar opportunity, strong progress, and a credible path to continue developing the project at HackMeridian. |
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 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Getting Started: Setup | Help builders prepare their local environment with Rust and the Soroban CLI. | Getting Started: Setup ↗ |
| Getting Started: Hello World | Guide builders through building their first Soroban smart contract. | Getting Started: Hello World ↗ |
| Getting Started: Deploy to Testnet | Give builders a practical deployment exercise after building their contract. | Getting Started: Deploy to Testnet ↗ |
| Building with AI | Official Stellar guidance on using AI coding tools like Claude Code and Cursor to build on Stellar. | Building with AI ↗ |
| Stellar Raven | Live Stellar ecosystem context and docs search that plugs directly into AI coding tools. | Stellar 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. | stellar-build ↗ |
| Machine-Readable Docs | A machine-readable overview of the Stellar docs (llms.txt), useful for feeding directly into AI coding tools. | Machine-Readable Docs ↗ |
| Getting Started: Hello World Frontend | Extend a technical session by connecting a frontend to a deployed contract. | Getting Started: Hello World Frontend ↗ |
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.
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.
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 ↗
Can teams continue work started during a regional activation at HackMeridian?
Yes. Builders are encouraged to develop their work as much as possible between the activation and HackMeridian, and projects that began at a regional activation can be continued and advanced at the event.
A builder who develops a working prototype on Stellar during an activation and arrives with a clear project direction may also qualify for the Scale track, even if they began as a Genesis-level builder. Partners should encourage builders to keep building and refining their ideas after the activation.
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 ↗
What to Build Toward
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-assisted development 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.
Builder Profiles
What are the participation categories?
HackMeridian has two tracks: Genesis and Scale.
Who is Genesis for?
First-time founders, emerging builders, domain experts, and multidisciplinary teams working on a new idea or early prototype.
Who is Scale for?
Experienced founders, product teams, developers, or startups who have previously built or shipped products, with an existing product or advanced prototype. Experience does not need to be on Stellar.
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.
How do I identify whether a builder is Genesis or Scale?
Use the Builder Personas tab for the full framework. In brief:
Genesis builders are working on a new idea or early prototype. They may not yet have a defined project, may be new to Stellar or blockchain, and need support developing both their idea and their technical foundations.
Scale builders have already shipped a product or prototype and know how to execute. They arrive with an existing project or clear concept and need to identify what to build next, not learn how to build.
If you're unsure, err toward Genesis. The tracks reflect project stage, not technical skill level.
Travel Grants
How does travel support work?
Travel grants are available to European-based builders who demonstrate strong performance during an activation. Selected builders receive $250–$300 in travel support, with hostel accommodation included.
How many travel grants does my activation receive?
Each approved activation receives a fixed number of travel grant nominations. Guava will confirm your allocation when your activation is approved.
Who should I nominate for a travel grant?
Nominate builders who demonstrate strong performance, potential, and progress during your activation. You may also nominate builders who have participated in other relevant events and whose ability you have personally vetted.
Attendance alone is not enough. Nominations should be based on demonstrated potential and evidence that the builder would benefit from continuing their journey at HackMeridian.
How are builders selected for travel grants?
Partners should look for four signals: potential, progress, project quality, and HackMeridian potential. Attendance alone is not enough. The builder should demonstrate meaningful engagement and progress during the activation.
What should I look for in Genesis vs. Scale?
Genesis: Prioritize potential + progress. A strong problem or idea, willingness and ability to build, and clear development during the activation.
Scale: Prioritize execution + project potential. Demonstrated ability to build, a strong product or opportunity, meaningful progress, and a credible path to take the project further at HackMeridian.
Should I advertise travel grants at my activation?
No. Travel grants should not be publicly promoted on Luma, in workshop slides, or as a recruitment incentive.
Use your discretion if individual builders ask about travel support. The focus should remain on the HackMeridian opportunity itself, rather than the availability of a grant.
When do I submit my travel grant shortlist?
Submit your shortlist within 7 days of your activation as part of your Post-Event Report.
Guava will review all nominations and confirm travel support directly with selected builders. Do not tell a builder they have been nominated or received support until Guava has confirmed it with them.