What Can Hundreds of Young Hackers Build in Three Days and Nights? | A Conversation with the AdventureX Core Team + 8 Outstanding Project Demos

A new episode of "Crossing" tells the story of a 17-year-old who rallied hundreds of people for a three-day, three-night hackathon.

In the summer of 2024, what was likely a milestone event in China's tech and venture capital history took place: the AdventureX hackathon.

It brought together hundreds of the most dynamic young people in China today. I'm convinced that looking back in ten or twenty years, the friendships forged here, the courage kindled, and the creativity sparked will gradually unfold and explode with tremendous energy, shaping our future business and technology.

Today, "Crossing" welcomes special guests: two high school students. The AdventureX they organized was an unprecedented hackathon. With a maximum age limit of 26, AdventureX has been called "China's first hackathon for young people." Over 1,200 applied, more than 200 were selected, and everyone gathered in a closed auditorium at Hangzhou's Hupan Research Institute for three days and three nights, building over 50 products from 0 to 1.

As a special partner and judge, "Crossing" was also on the ground in Hangzhou, observing this hackathon up close and meeting its founder: Ryan, a high school student of just 17. Today we invited Ryan and his partner Marvin to join us on "Crossing" to share their story.

"Crossing" also selected 8 standout projects from the 50+ AdventureX projects, inviting their core teams to come on "Crossing" and share their products and the stories that unfolded at AdventureX.

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🎬 Podcast Timeline

Part 1 On the Ground: "This Wasn't a Hackathon, It Was a Music Festival and Carnival!" AdventureX wasn't just a hackathon — it was a platform that encouraged creation and exploration. It lowered the barrier to creating, letting more young people experience the joy of making things. Being there in person, Koji felt like he was at a vibrant music festival, full of energy and passion.

Part 2 Online Demo Day: "These Products Are So Cool! Come Tell More People About Them on Crossing" From the 50+ AdventureX projects, we selected 8 and invited their core teams to share their products and the stories of what happened at AdventureX.

These 8 projects include category winners as well as projects we personally loved. We hope these stories and products, and the passion and creativity they contain, will bring you energy and inspiration.

• 08:38 "Yingchuisiting" — A smart glasses-based foreign language learning tool
• 12:27 "Dali" — An AI-powered life assistant
• 14:27 "Escape Toaster" — A VR project that lets people experience the pleasure of "objectification"
• 18:21 "Decentralized Advertising Alliance"
• 20:30 "GlucoInsight" — A blood glucose data-based health management tool
• 26:37 "Guii AI" — An AI-assisted tool for frontend development
• 30:18 "Brainy AI" — A personal knowledge management assistant
• 34:23 "AI Tweet" — An AI tool that simulates celebrity comments on Twitter

Part 3 Interview: "Daring to Organize a Hackathon at 17? Hear How This High Schooler Made His Dream a Reality" Ryan, a high school student of just 17, is a regular at overseas hackathons. After participating in Stanford TreeHacks, he wanted to host a hackathon in China with the same creative energy and hacker atmosphere.

We dove deep into his motivations and passion, exploring how he and Marvin and the core team step by step organized and planned a hackathon of such massive scale and visibility. It was a special journey full of challenges and opportunities, and we could clearly feel the joy and satisfaction of seeing a dream come true.

Though this summer's hackathon has concluded, AdventureX's journey is far from over. The core team has already begun planning multiple new ongoing projects, and "Crossing" will walk alongside them, creating more content and events, continuing to seek out "active participants" in the AI era, and together embracing new changes and new possibilities.

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Subscribe to the "Crossing" Podcast on Xiaoyuzhou

🚦 Subscribe to the "Crossing" podcast on Xiaoyuzhou[1]. We follow the industry transformations and new entrepreneurial opportunities brought by the new wave of AI technology. "Crossing" is Steve Jobs's metaphor for Apple — standing at the intersection of technology and liberal arts, where great products are born. AI is transforming every industry, and we seek out, interview, and bring together "active participants" in the AI era. Together with them, we explore and embrace new changes and new possibilities.

👦🏻 Host Koji: Co-founder of The Fair and Tangdao, and someone actively diving into AI himself. [Koji's Jike[2], A Self-Introduction from Koji[3]

👧🏻 Host Ronghui: Works at a tech VC, former Silicon Valley correspondent for CBNweekly. [Ronghui's Jike[4]

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References

[1] Subscribe to the "Crossing" podcast on Xiaoyuzhou: https://www.xiaoyuzhoufm.com/podcast/60502e253c92d4f62c2a9577

[2] Koji's Jike: https://okjk.co/0JSUes

[3] A Self-Introduction from Koji: https://www.notion.so/About-Koji-415843ab8db74235b98f8b1f67da1930?pvs=21

[4] Ronghui's Jike: https://okjk.co/0cbnYV