Pump.fun taps Polymarket and Pantera as hackathon advisors

Pump.fun has brought Polymarket, Delphi Digital, and Pantera Capital on board as advisors for its $3 million Build in Public hackathon.

Pump.fun has appointed advisors from several prominent crypto firms for its new Build in Public hackathon, a $3 million initiative designed to support founders who launch and grow projects transparently.

The development was announced on Jan. 28 via a media release shared with crypto.news. Pump,fun’s new initiative is structured around a simple idea. Builders ship early, share progress publicly, and let real market activity determine which projects gain traction and funding. 

Pump.fun said the hackathon is open to founders at any stage, from early concepts to live products. Applications opened on Jan. 19 and close on Feb. 18, with some teams expected to secure funding before the deadline.

Advisors join as market participants, not judges

The advisory group brings together executives and investors from across the crypto industry, including Polymarket, Delphi Digital, Pantera Capital, Kraken, Jump Crypto, Manifold Ventures, Arca, Draper Investments, Helius, Privy, and 6th Man Ventures.

According to Pump.fun, advisors will engage with projects in public, share feedback, and help promising teams gain attention and distribution. They will not score applications or formally select winners. Instead, market momentum will serve as the primary signal.

Alon, co-founder of Pump.fun (PUMP), said the approach reflects how product development has evolved. While AI tools have lowered the barrier to building software, he noted that access to early-stage funding remains difficult. The aim, he said, is to let builders demonstrate demand first and allow capital to follow proven traction.

Delphi Digital co-founder Anil Lulla echoed that view, pointing to the growing importance of building in public and learning directly from users. As software creation becomes more accessible, he said, market response, rather than private pitch meetings, often reveals which ideas have staying power.

Funding structure and build-in-public approach

The hackathon will allocate $3 million across 12 selected teams, with funding delivered through token-based deals. Participants must launch a token on Pump.fun, retain a portion of the supply to remain aligned with users, and share regular updates throughout the build process.

Projects are organized into three tracks based on maturity, ranging from early-stage ideas to working products with initial revenue signals. The program is open to both crypto-native and non-crypto teams, provided founders are willing to operate transparently and let usage, trading activity, and community engagement guide outcomes.

Pump.fun said it has already received applications across areas such as prediction markets, consumer apps, decentralized finance, trading infrastructure, developer tools, and AI-driven on-chain products.