Forwarded to you

Half-Backed

For projects too good to stay side projects. And someone thinks you have one.

CLOUD: $100K; cloud compute, per project
prize: $1M; for the best project
when: 20-22mar; Zürich · J floor · 2027

We back projects that already have code, prototypes, and results.
But no lab, company, or grant to push them forward.

Selected projects get the compute they need, and a week in Zürich to use it.

Projects with nowhere to go

Grants fund research. Accelerators fund companies. Employers fund roadmaps. Half-Backed exists for projects that fit none.

We back promising projects stalled when you changed labs, the team moved on, or the next step needed more compute or expertise than you could get.

What qualifies

Bring

Evidence of prior work: code, a prototype, an experiment, a simulation, or a preprint.
A specific technical question or next step that would change what you believe about the project.
The reason it stalled: compute, infrastructure, time, missing expertise, a collaborator, or nowhere it fits.
Work that is not already properly backed by your employer, primary research agenda, or startup.

Do not bring

A bare idea, a pitch deck, or a request for startup capital.
Something a normal hackathon could finish.
A company experiment that can be funded internally.
An API wrapper with no technical question underneath it.

What we back

Up to $100,000 per project in compute, so the work can actually run.
Setup, not just credits. Infrastructure, accounts, and access configured before you arrive.
A week in Zürich. Sprint 20-22 March 2027. Unblock your project and present the results in front of potential new collaborators, hires, and investors.

We take no equity and no IP. Zero fees.

The prize

$1,000,000

grant + SAFE from top VCs.

One team leaves fully backed.

the SAFE is yours to decline

How this runs

1. Apply

Send one Markdown file. Tell us what you have already done, what you are trying to find out, and what has stopped you.

2. Selection

We pick a small cohort, on the strength of what you have already built and what the next step would settle.

3. Prepare

Before Zürich, we scope the resources, infrastructure, and people each project needs.

4. The Zürich sprint · 20-22 March 2027

At J floor, run the planned work and present the results. The best team leaves with $1M.

Apply

Just one Markdown file.

As clear and short as possible.

Rolling review. We close when the cohort is full.

half-backed.md / copyable outline

---
project:        ""              # one line, no adjectives
team:           []              # names & emails; solo is fine
contact:        ""              # email we reply to
based_in:       ""              # city, country
stuck_since:    ""              # first commit, notebook, or prototype
blocker:        ""              # compute | expertise | collaborator | data | infrastructure | time
ask_usd:        0               # estimated resource cost; ceiling is $100,000
resources:      ""              # what you need, or "see resource plan"
receipts:       []              # repo, preprint, demo, notebook, benchmark
---

## What are you trying to find out?
Three paragraphs, for a sharp reader outside your field.

## What have you already done?
Link the evidence: commits, runs, measurements, a prototype.

## Why is it stuck?
Why it stalled — and why your employer, lab, or grant can't cover it.

## The decisive next step
The experiment, build, or analysis that would change your view.

## What would change your mind?
The outcome that would make you stop, change direction, or commit to the next stage.

## Resource plan
What you need, what it costs, and what makes it technically feasible.

## Who or what is missing?
Specialist expertise, a collaborator, infrastructure, or anything else that would move it.

curl -fLO https://halfbacked.org/half-backed.md

Questions

What does "up to $100,000" mean?

Each selected project gets access to up to $100,000 in compute resources, given by our partners and sponsors. The amount you receive will depend on what you need.

What's the $1M?

The best project gets $1M, part of it as a non-dilutive grant, part as a SAFE from top VCs. You can take the grant and decline the SAFE.

What if the project does not work?

Too bad.

Do I need a startup?

No. We do not require business plans. The work might lead to a paper, open-source project, company, or a settled question.

Can I apply solo?

Yes, solo or as a team. If you need people, say so in the application.

Do you take equity or IP?

The program takes no equity and no IP (the optional SAFE is with the VCs, not us).

Who reviews applications?

Applications are reviewed confidentially by the organising team.

halfbacked.org/apply/ · upload or curl

Markdown only · 256 KB max · Rolling review