🚀 Claude Impact Lab Hackathon #1 Build AI for good — a one-day social-impact hackathon in Nuremberg
📅 Thursday, 23 July 2026 · 13:30–21:30 📍 ZOLLHOF, Nuremberg
⚠️ ONLY APPLY IF YOU CAN COMMIT TO THE FULL DAY ⚠️ Limited spots (60 people) and a waiting list. This is a hackathon — teams build together, so a no-show leaves a team a person down. RSVP and don't show → you lose priority for future events. Community over flakiness.
What is this?
One day. 3 challenges. Real AI prototypes for real social problems. The Claude Impact Lab brings founders, makers, and first-time builders together to tackle impact challenges from our partners at Yunus Social Innovation (YSI) — and ship something that matters by the end of the night.
Not sure you're "technical enough"? Good. We want you here. (More on that below.)
ZOLLHOF Track — Integration & Recognition
The real case: In 2012, Germany passed the "Recognition Act" (Anerkennungsgesetz). The goal was simple: make it faster and easier to recognize foreign professional qualifications. The idea was well-intentioned — many skilled workers should have been able to work in their profession sooner. Years later, the results tell a different story. Many migrants still work below their qualification level. Engineers drive taxis. Doctors work as care assistants. The reason: processes are scattered across many authorities, states, and websites. Information is often only available in German, and no one guides people step by step. The lesson: a good law is not enough. Without personal guidance and a clear overview, the potential goes unused.
The challenge: Every year, thousands of people come to Germany wanting to integrate and work. They face a maze of authorities, forms, and deadlines. Information on integration and recognition is scattered across many sources: BAMF, the IQ Network, the anabin database, local offices. There is no personal guidance that considers someone's individual situation — profession, family status, language, arrival date. That makes simple questions hard to answer:
What should I do next? Will my qualification be recognized in Germany? How long will it take, and what will it cost?
Your task: Use AI to turn scattered information into clear, personalized guidance. The format is open: chatbot, assistant, dashboard, or something else. Possible building blocks:
Integration Navigator: A multilingual assistant (Arabic, Farsi, Ukrainian, Turkish, English, German) that explains the integration journey — with personalized next steps, required documents, deadlines, and nearby offices.
YSI Track — AI-Powered Impact Intelligence
The real case: In 2006, a well-known shoe brand promised to donate a pair to a child in need for every pair sold. It became world-famous as smart do-good business. Years later, researchers found little evidence it improved health or education — and in some places the free donations undercut local shoemakers. The lesson: good intentions don't guarantee good outcomes. The only way to know if a project helps is to measure it.
The challenge: Every year, governments, foundations, and companies spend billions on programmes meant to improve lives — education, healthcare, climate resilience, jobs. They collect huge amounts of data to check if it works: surveys, reports, spreadsheets, interviews. But the data is a mess. There's no shared definition of what impact means or how to measure it, and it's scattered across formats and years even within one organization. That makes basic questions almost impossible to answer:
Which programmes work best for a given challenge? What patterns recur across initiatives and organizations? Which projects show early warning signs — or early success?
Your task: Use AI to turn messy, scattered data into something clear and useful — a tool that helps organizations understand their own impact instead of drowning in it. Format is up to you: dashboard, chatbot, report generator, or something else. Real, anonymized impact data will be provided.
Wildcard Track:
Participants can come up with their own challenge that drives social impact or bring one with them
How it works
13:30 — Doors open, check in, grab coffee, set up14:00 — Welcome + intro to the challenges and YSI14:15 — Team formation (Max 4) & pick your challenge14:30 — Hacking begins (mentors circulating to help)18:00 — Dinner break 🍕18:30 — Back to building20:00 — Team pitches (~2 min each)21:10 — Judging, winners & prizes21:20 — Celebrate & network21:30 — Wrap up
Who should come?
Anyone who wants to build AI for good — founders, side-project hackers, students, designers, researchers, and curious first-timers. All skill levels welcome.
And this matters: we especially want people with lived experience of these problems, not only engineers. The best work on bias and impact happens when the people affected are building the solution — not just being built for. If a challenge speaks to you, you belong here, whatever your background.
English & German-speaking. Bring your laptop.
The prize 🏆
The winning team walks away with:
1 month free Claude 20x Max plan for each team member4 weeks of co-working space at ZOLLHOF2–3 virtual mentoring sessions with YSIPotential to be featured on claude.com/community in future + Claude's official Social channels
No strings attached — winners are free to take their idea forward, or not. If you do want to keep going, we'll help you.
How we judge
Innovativeness — how original is the idea?Feasibility & practicability — could this actually be built and used?Impact & business value — does it create real social value?Pitch — how clearly and convincingly do you tell the story?
Perks
Free (always will be)$100 in Anthropic API credits per attendee to build withCoffee, pizza, snacks & refreshmentsMentoring on the day + access to Nuremberg's growing AI builder community
Rules
✅ RSVP = show up (no-shows lose future priority)
✅ Build for impact
✅ Share knowledge openly
✅ Help others when they're stuck
✅ Bring an open mind — and your laptop
About ZOLLHOF
We're hosting at one of Germany's fastest-growing tech incubators. ZOLLHOF has supported 100+ startups since 2017 (70% still thriving) and was recently named one of Europe's leading startup hubs by the Financial Times. Located in a renovated historic customs building next to Nuremberg Central Station, with 2,800m² of flexible workspace. Part of the €30M ZOLLHOF Factory initiative backed by Siemens, Schaeffler, and other major corporates to make Northern Bavaria a leading startup destination.
Sponsored by the official Anthropic Claude Community programme & supported by YSI.
See you there! 🚀
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