Impact case · Hackathon
Barranqui-IA, the Caribbean's AI hackathon
Barranqui-IA has now run for three editions (2024, 2025 and 2026). Over that time it grew from 100 to 300 participants and from 21 to 70 projects. Fundación Código Abierto organizes it every year so Caribbean talent can build real products with artificial intelligence and find a path to turn them into startups.
- 3
- editions: 2024, 2025 and 2026
- 300
- participants in 2026, three times the first edition
- 70
- prototypes built in 48 hours in 2026, up from 21 in 2024
- +20 M
- Colombian pesos (COP) awarded in prizes in 2026
The Foundation's role
Barranqui-IA was born and keeps growing inside the Foundation. This is what we do to make it happen:
We bring the community together
We gather close to 400 people between participants, mentors and community crew, and make sure people who have never coded can also show up with an idea.
We organize and produce the event
We design the 48 hours: team building, mentoring, judges, prizes and the stage at the Cubo de Cristal in Plaza de la Paz, together with partners such as Google Developer Groups.
We train before the competition
Build with AI: six hands-on workshops with Google, led by Google Developer Experts, so attendees could learn to build everything from no-code apps to autonomous agents.
We open a path after the hackathon
The teams with the most potential move on to the Caribe Ventures acceleration program: technical, sales and business training to turn the prototype into a startup and pitch it at TechCaribe Fest.
Three editions, one growing story
Barranqui-IA started as a weekend in 2024 and is now the largest AI gathering on the coast. This is how it evolved year after year.
2024First edition
May 4–5, 2024 · Barranquilla
The beginning: 21 teams and the question of whether the Caribbean could do it
More than 150 people, organized into 21 teams, had 48 hours to turn ideas into AI prototypes. It was the first time the region put together an AI hackathon of this size, and the first hackathon ever for many participants.
Before the competition, six experts ran workshops with Google and Python Colombia, and more than 20 industry mentors supported the teams, including leaders of Google Developers communities.
Paulo Estrada summed it up: “It was my first hackathon and my first AI programming event […] I'd do it again and again.” He is now building his own startup, Créalo. David Aragón, also a first-timer, said: “I can't wait for the second edition!” He came back a year later, as a mentor.
- ≈150
- people in total
- 100
- participants
- 21
- teams
- 6
- workshops with Google and Python Colombia
The opening of the first edition 
The whole 2024 community 
Testing ideas during the 48 hours 2025Second edition
May 3–4, 2025 · Universidad del Norte and the Foundation's home
More projects, more training and a community that comes back
The hackathon kicked off on the Universidad del Norte campus, with challenges, team building and mentoring. At nightfall it moved to the Foundation's home, where teams worked through the night, fueled by coffee, snacks and the occasional pillow brought from home.
140 participants built 31 projects. The most common themes were business optimization and productivity (19%), inclusion and accessibility (16%), and education, health and culture (13% each). Alumbra, Canvas and Gecko Agent took the top three spots.
This edition added 12 workshops, with a separate track for startups: raising capital, selling with AI, analyzing data. And the community gave back: David Aragón, a 2024 participant, and Eduardo Manrique, now at a Silicon Valley company, were among the mentors.
- 200
- attendees
- 140
- participants
- 31
- projects
- 12
- specialized workshops
The opening of the second edition 
The teams, halfway through 2026Third edition
May 22–24, 2026 · Cubo de Cristal, Plaza de la Paz
One stage for 300 builders
From the campus and the Foundation's home we moved to a single venue: the Cubo de Cristal in Plaza de la Paz. It brought together 300 participants from 31 cities and towns across Colombia, more than 40 mentors and a large community crew, close to 400 people in total.
About 75% of the teams submitted a working project and 10 made it to the grand final. Two technical patterns dominated the event, voice as an interface and agent orchestration, and every team built with Cursor.
Before the competition, attendees went through Build with AI, six hands-on workshops with Google Developer Experts. And after the final, the teams with the most potential move on to the Caribe Ventures acceleration program.
- ≈400
- people in total
- 300
- participants
- 70
- teams
- +40
- mentors and workshop leaders
48 hours of teamwork 
The awards ceremony 
Building with AI
What was built?
Projects by theme in the 2026 edition. Fintech and financial inclusion led, followed by health.
- Fintech24
- Health18
- Youth10
- Sustainability9
- Open innovation9
The three editions at a glance
Barranqui-IA confirmed that the Colombian Caribbean has the talent and organizational capacity to lead the national conversation on AI.
Hackathon participants×3
- 1002024
- 1402025
- 3002026
Teams and projects×3.3
- 212024
- 312025
- 702026
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hackathon participants | 100 | 140 | 300 |
| Teams / projects | 21 | 31 | 70 |
| Total attendees | 150 | 200 | ≈400 |
| Mentors and workshop leaders | +20 | 31 | +40 |
2026 winners
Seven solutions built in 48 hours and recognized by judges from the fintech, corporate, public and startup ecosystems.
1st place
Medora
Analyzes medical records and flags critical risks before prescribing.
2nd place
EcoHackers
Sorts waste from a photo, automates recycling with IoT and gamifies it.
3rd place
Signara
Real-time, two-way translation of Colombian Sign Language.
Fintech
Dockers
Financial services for people over 50.
Health
Sigmoides
Automates the management of medical leave.
Sustainability
mixnoro
More efficient and sustainable concrete formulas.
Youth
Salto AI
Helps young people land their first formal job.