Explore CUBE
Everything CUBE asks of you, before you commit.
Three rounds across four weeks. You build an AI agent alone, then make it survive inside a system built by four people you have never met, then defend the engineering in front of people who do this for a living.
The name
Four letters. One engineering culture.
CUBE is an acronym before it is a shape. Each letter is a thing we assess.
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C
Collaborate
Work beyond your own code.
Understand ownership, dependencies, handoffs, interfaces, and how your work connects to everything around it.
Ownership · Coordination · Communication · Systems Thinking
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U
Uplift
Make knowledge move.
Share what you know. Learn what you don’t. Teach, mentor, document, and grow through the people around you.
Knowledge Sharing · Mentorship · Learning · Leadership
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B
Build
Demos end. Systems don’t.
Engineer autonomous systems that run, integrate, handle failure, evolve, and can actually be maintained.
Execution · Reliability · Architecture · Production Thinking
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E
Earn
Proof over promises.
Build a record of demonstrated engineering, not a participation badge. Earn Sydon recognition through the work you actually deliver.
Credibility · Recognition · Achievement · Career Signal
The programme
Five stages, then the defence
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01 Apply by 16 September
Round 1: Selection
No quiz, no puzzle round. Applications are read for evidence of what you have actually built: your repositories, your commits, projects you can explain end to end.
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02 25 September – 1 October
Round 2: Build phase
One participant, one agent, one domain. You work inside a starter repository that already runs, so the first hour goes into the problem rather than the scaffolding, building and completing your individual AI agentic solution. Submissions close 1 October: working code in the repository, merged.
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03 2–3 October
Evaluation phase
Submissions are technically evaluated against the defined criteria, within each domain, so every pod formed for Round 3 gets one specialist per challenge.
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04 4 October
Round 3 finalists announced
Selected participants are announced for Round 3: 100 finalists grouped into 20 pods of five, one specialist per domain.
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05 5–9 October
Round 3: Build & integration
The 100 finalists become 20 pods of five, one specialist per domain. Every agent must consume something another agent produces. The pod ships end-to-end workflows no single agent could complete alone.
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06 10 October
Grand Finale: Defend
No slideware. The system runs in front of the judges, and then you defend it: architecture, decisions, failures, trade-offs, performance, and exactly what you contributed. Judges assess the system and the individual.
The five domains
Pick one. Own it completely.
Each domain is a real problem an intelligent commerce operation solves every day. You take one through Round 2, and in Round 3 it becomes one fifth of a working system. Selection opens 24 September, first come, first served.
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Key dates
Every date that matters
Friday 18 September, 2:00 PM through Saturday 10 October, 6:00 PM IST · Hyderabad, Telangana + online.
- 16 September 2026 Registration deadlineApplications close 11:59 PM IST.
- 18 September 2026 Kickoff2:00 PM – 6:00 PM IST · Hyderabad + online/hybrid.
- 24 September 2026 Challenge & problem statement releaseAll five domains open for selection, first-come, first-served.
- 25 September – 1 October 2026 Round 2: build phaseIndividual build. One participant, one agent, one solution.
- 2–3 October 2026 Evaluation phaseSubmissions assessed against the defined criteria, within each domain, so every pod gets one specialist per challenge.
- 4 October 2026 Round 3 finalists announced100 finalists · 20 pods · 5 specialists per pod.
- 5–9 October 2026 Round 3: build & integrationFive agents become one system with real cross-agent dependencies.
- 10 October 2026 Grand Finale: the defenceArchitecture, decisions, failures, trade-offs, performance and individual contribution.
Before you apply
The rules, stated plainly
- Who can enter
- Students, software developers and engineers, AI and GenAI enthusiasts, aspiring AI engineers, full-stack and backend developers, product engineering enthusiasts, AI-agent builders, and developers in startups and emerging tech.
- Do I need a team?
- No. Round 2 is entirely individual. Pods are formed for you in Round 3, from the 100 finalists, one specialist per domain.
- Can I use AI coding tools?
- Yes. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Cursor or equivalents. You remain responsible for understanding, testing, validating, explaining and defending everything you submit. That responsibility is the actual assessment.
- Online or in person?
- Both. The kickoff on 18 September is planned in Hyderabad with online / hybrid access; the build rounds run online. Venue details are confirmed closer to the date.
- What does it cost?
- Nothing. CUBE is free to enter.
- Is there a hiring outcome?
- Exceptional participants continue the conversation with the Sydon.AI engineering team. Hiring is an outcome of demonstrated ability across the whole programme, not a guarantee, and not decided by the final demo alone.
The operating system for modern commerce.