✦ a hidden corner ✦

cal hacks

The thing that quietly became the center of my college years. Endless spreadsheets, meetings in the middle of the night, thousands of Slack messages, and massive rooms full of people trying to build something larger than themselves. Somewhere in the chaos and exhaustion, it turned into a world of its own. There were moments where everything almost shattered in front of my eyes, and moments where it all came together at once. These are a few of those moments, and a glimpse of everything we built behind them.

12.0 stats

3,500+ attendees

700+ projects built

250% yoy growth

$1.5M+ raised

moments & pictures

hover over photos to see captions

Cal Hacks 12.0 oct 2025

we brought cal hacks to the palace! and bought a 12 ft teddy bear because cal hacks 12.0 wouldn't be complete without it. it felt surreal and bittersweet realizing this chapter was coming to a close.

Flora and a teammate with the giant Cal Hacks teddy bear — sam and i w/ our 12 ft bear

The packed main hall during Cal Hacks — the main hall during judging

Cal Hacks team group photo at the Palace of Fine Arts — team photo outside the palace!

The team in front of the glowing Cal Hacks marquee letters

Cal Hacks team celebrating over a dinner with flowers — alumni dinner!

AI Hackathon 2025 jun 2025

this event was rocked by the last-minute withdrawal of a major partner, but the team made it work — and surpassed all previous metrics. there were llamas and mountain-loads of snacks, as usual.

The AI Hackathon 2025 team on stage in front of the UC Berkeley AI Hackathon screen — team photo!

The AI Hackathon 2025 stage monitor facing a packed auditorium — the view from the stage

Flora and a teammate with the giant bear in front of the AI Hackathon 2025 banner

Judges panel seated on stage during AI Hackathon 2025 — the judges panel

A llama on the UC Berkeley campus during AI Hackathon 2025 — yes, we had llamas

Stacks of snacks and drinks stored for AI Hackathon 2025 — fueling 1,400+ hackers

Cal Hacks 11.0 oct 2024

my first event as president, and one of the most exhausting and exhilarating events, with aravind srinivas (founder & ceo of perplexity) and alex pall (chainsmokers + mantis venture capital) as our keynote speakers. there's something strangely beautiful about watching hundreds of people gather in one space to create purely because they want to.

Hundreds of boba and drink cups laid out for Cal Hacks 11.0 — boba for the masses

The full Cal Hacks 11.0 team on stage with the giant bears — the whole team on stage

Flora speaking into a microphone at the podium during Cal Hacks 11.0 — opening ceremony

Overhead view of the packed Cal Hacks 11.0 hacking hall — the hall in full swing

View of the San Francisco skyline and Yerba Buena Gardens at golden hour — golden hour over the city

AI Hackathon 2024 jun 2024

this was my first ai hackathon, and planning it in partnership with skydeck opened my eyes to the world of venture and startups! having andrej karpathy as our keynote speaker made the whole event so much more magical.

The AI Hackathon 2024 team on stage in front of a 'Thanks for joining!' Berkeley SkyDeck screen — the team on the main stage

Team holding the giant bear in front of the AI Hackathon 2024 step-and-repeat backdrop

The AI Hackathon 2024 team gathered around a long dinner table — dinner w/ andrej karpathy!

Cal Hacks 10.0 oct 2023

my very first event with cal hacks! it was super eye-opening and overwhelming, but ultimately inspiring to meet so many generations of cal hacks alumni. somewhere in the middle, i was hauling boxes of costco pizza through rows of hacker tables, not knowing this world would become such a defining part of my life.

The giant bear perched on top of a Coca-Cola fridge backstage

The Cal Hacks 10.0 team posing in front of a 'see you at 11.0!' screen — team photo!

The full Cal Hacks 10.0 team gathered for a celebration dinner — alumni dinner!

A cart stacked with boxes of Ike's sandwiches for Cal Hacks 10.0 — lots of ike's sandwiches

Behind the Scenes sept 2023 – dec 2025

cal hacks taught me how to lead under immense pressure, how to trust people completely, and how much can happen when a group becomes irrationally ambitious together. … read more

behind the edited posts and photos are the memories i’ll cherish most: late-night work sessions to finish our endless to-do list, sharing the awe of many beautiful sunrises, the freedom that came with pushing the boundaries of what a student-run event could become, witnessing the unfathomable creativity of some people, and experiences that make every “last” feel a little more sentimental.

chaotic, exhausting, and stressful beyond belief. but if i had the chance, i would do it all over again. here are some people and moments that make the world's largest collegiate hackathon even possible.