Pump.fun Announces $3M Build in Public Hackathon to Kickstart New Investment Arm

After watching BagsApp steal the spotlight and become ground zero for the recent vibe-code meta, Pump.fun has launched a $3M hackathon to support onchain builders.

Over the next 30 days, Pump.fun’s Build in Public hackathon promises to bootstrap 12 early stage projects with $250k each. Winners forming the first cohort will also be inducted into the launchpad’s new accelerator and investment arm, Pump Fund.

While the trenches are optimistic that Pump’s BiP hackathon will inspire a wealth of creative new projects, users are growing frustrated by the ongoing absence of the promised $PUMP airdrop.

Launchpad Expands to Accelerator

Pump.fun has made its first foray into Solana’s flourishing hackathon scene, announcing the month-long Build in Public. The viral launchpad has fronted $3M for emerging startups, with the 12 winners each receiving $250,000 at a $10M valuation.

Unlike other hackathons, which select winners on largely subjective criteria, pump.fun has insinuated that Build in Public champions will be chosen by the market. This approach echoes similar beliefs found in other areas of the crypto industry, like prediction markets being more accurate than traditional polls. 

Despite pump’s claim, Build in Public’s market-driven criteria for selection has not been disclosed. While one could imagine that metrics like a token’s market capitalization, holder count, and trading volume will factor into selection, these figures can be easily gamed.

Much of the onchain community has commended the move and hopes the pump.fun hackathon will inspire creative and meaningful new projects. However, critics have argued that the model puts the average trader in a precarious position by encouraging developer supply control.

In a tweet celebrating the launch, pump.fun co-founder Alon highlighted that ecosystem expansion was a critical goal in 2026. With memecoin volume on Solana taking a back seat, pump.fun appears to be doubling down on supporting early-stage startups and incentivizing founders.

While having a dedicated accelerator for tokens created on pump.fun is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, this is not the first time the launchpad has promised to support ecosystem tokens. In August 2025, pump.fun launched the Glass Full Foundation, which promised to inject liquidity into a curated list of the platform’s most successful tokens.

According to Arkham Intel data, the Glass Full Foundation has not made any meaningful transactions in several months. However, given that pump.fun never publicized any GFF wallets or positions, this is only speculation from community members.

A Timely Solution to Failed Vibe-Code Meta?

Pump.fun’s new hackathon comes at an opportune time for budding founders and entrepreneurs seeking to capitalize on the onchain AI renaissance. One of the main takeaways from the recent vibe coding meta is that creators need reliable funding without the baggage that comes from appeasing token holders.

The Pump Fund investment arm and Build in Public hackathon is by no means a perfect solution. However, a sizable, one-off investment of $250,000 arguably gives emerging teams a much more sustainable runway than ongoing fee generation that fluctuates based on what is essentially speculative trading activity.

Community Members Disappointed by Lack of $PUMP Airdrop

It seems that no matter what pump.fun does, community members will never be happy until the viral launchpad delivers on its promise and airdrops $PUMP to its user base. During the $PUMP ICO announcement, pump.fun assured users that its eagerly-awaited airdrop was “coming soon”.

Six months later, a $PUMP airdrop is yet to materialize in users’ wallets, sparking frustration from the trenches and casting a shadow over any of pump.fun’s new announcements.

Early tokenomics announcements suggested that 24% of $PUMP’s supply was earmarked for Community and Ecosystem Initiatives, giving pump.fun traders high hopes for the eventual drop.

Speaking with ThreadGuy in July 2025, Alon confirmed that the $PUMP airdrop would “not be taking place in the immediate future”. This statement still holds true today, with the pump.fun team providing no further communications on the promised airdrop.

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