In early October 2026 I shared a series of LinkedIn‑style posts announcing the CartesianForms competition, outlining FORMAS.AI’s $150k check investment lens, recapping Fireside chats, event promos, a custom Mercury dashboard for Hustle Fund, and hard‑won learnings from building the Dunky AI product.
The competition prize pool is Over US$120,000 in prizes and participant benefits.
The competition is Open worldwide to students, professionals and firms.
Teams may Enter solo or with a team of up to 5.
Early‑bird closes 20 October.
Project submission deadline 13 December.
We don’t just judge the final image. We judge how you got there.
We think about it as: does a $150k check make sense here?
Most consumer companies wouldn’t survive and thrive on $150k. But some would!
Most hardware companies wouldn’t either. But some would.
What Gokul looks for: talking to customers, knowing why others failed, and getting users to value in under 10 minutes.
Building an AI product at scale is extremely difficult and humbling. I underestimated just how hard it is.
It is SO MUCH easier to build an AI product for 1 person or 1 team.
Would you rather spend $25k per year on Hubspot? Or $25k per year that includes personalized software that fits your workflow + inclusive of support?