Big Raise, Bigger Ambitions
Colosseum, the Solana-native accelerator group now handling all official Solana hackathons, just locked in a $60 million fund. The goal? Turn builders into founders, and turn early-stage ideas into real products backed by capital, community, and mentorship. It’s not just grant money—they’re putting serious funding behind what they think could be the next breakout projects on-chain.
Hackathon Is Live Now
Their newest event, the Solana Breakout Hackathon, is officially underway. Announced April 3 by Solana’s main X account, the hackathon is open globally and online, giving anyone a shot at launching their idea. Submissions are due May 16, 2025, and selected winners can earn prizes, investment, and entry into Colosseum’s follow-up accelerator program. You don’t need a team or funding to join—just a product idea and a wallet.
From Memes to Markets
Don’t let the word “hackathon” fool you—this isn’t just a place for devs to ship one-off side projects. Solana’s hackathons have been responsible for some serious launches in the last two years, including projects that went on to raise VC money and build lasting communities. With the new Colosseum fund, they’re looking to go even deeper—providing actual runway for founders to turn jokes, tools, or protocols into something people use.
The 3-Part Builder Path
The way Colosseum structures it is pretty simple. First, there’s the open-entry hackathon—anyone can join, no cost, no gatekeeping. Second, top winners get into a 5-week accelerator program, where they get mentorship, network access, and a $250K check to get started. Third, if things look promising, Colosseum can follow up with further venture capital from the $60M fund. It’s basically a full pipeline from “idea in your notes app” to “company with funding.
Stats Back It Up
Since Solana started hosting hackathons in 2020, over 60,000 people have participated and built more than 4,000 products. Collectively, these hackathon-born projects have raised over $600 million in outside funding. Colosseum is now running the show, and their first solo event earlier this year brought in 8,000 developers from 95 countries, with over 1,000 project submissions. This isn’t small-time anymore.
Remote-First, Global-Ready
One of the big selling points? You don’t need to be based in the U.S. or have access to insider crypto circles. Colosseum is pushing a remote-first, globally inclusive model. If you’ve got an idea and a way to ship it, they want you in the mix. That’s already helping bring in devs from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and parts of Africa that are usually overlooked in VC-backed ecosystems.
More Than Just Dapps
While a lot of hackathon entries are classic apps—wallet tools, DeFi platforms, games—there’s also room for meme tokens, art projects, infrastructure ideas, and even AI tools that run on-chain. The “Breakout” theme this time is wide open. Whether it’s playful or serious, if it’s got potential, there’s a lane.
Final Take
The $60M raise gives Colosseum enough firepower to turn Solana’s hackathon track into one of the most legit startup pipelines in crypto. If you’re sitting on a project idea, even something half-baked, this could be the best low-barrier entry point to get it off the ground. The deadline’s May 16. And in a cycle where the memes are flying but real builders still matter—this might be the best place to start.
