Madison Avenue: The Media and Advertising Hackathon - powered by Plug and Play VC
about this event
New York built the advertising industry. Now AI is rebuilding it, and we want you in the room when it happens. Madison Avenue is a one-day hackathon hosted by localhost:nyc and Plug and Play, built around real problems from the media and advertising companies in Plug and Play's network. Come build the startups that will define the next era of how brands reach people.
Problem Statement: AI agents are starting to plan and buy media. Consumers are finding products through ChatGPT and AI shopping agents instead of search. Publishers are losing traffic to AI answers. And brands can now make endless ads but can't tell which ones work. The whole ad industry is being rewired, and most of the companies that win this shift haven't been started yet.
The Challenge Tracks: Agents Buy Media — AI agents that plan, negotiate and buy media from a single brief. Ads After Search — helping brands get seen, and making ads work, inside AI answers and shopping agents. Save the Publisher — new ways for publishers and streamers to make money when AI takes their traffic. The Creative Department — AI creative with taste, brand guardrails and proof that it performs.
What to Expect: Real problem statements from media and advertising companies, sent out a week early so you can do customer research before you build. A full day of building, 10 AM to 7 PM. Teams of up to four, or come solo and we'll match you. Time to meet founders, engineers, operators and investors from across NYC media and ad tech. Demos in front of industry leaders and Plug and Play investors.
Prizes: Cash Prizes. Judges: TBD.
Who Should Attend: Founders and aspiring founders; people who work in media, publishing, ad tech, agencies or brand marketing; engineers (full stack, backend, frontend, AI/ML); designers and creatives who want to build with AI; anyone who has ever thought "advertising is broken" and wants to fix it. You don't need a finished idea. Just show up ready to build.
Sponsors: TBD.
Hosts: localhost:nyc — Making NYC the biggest startup ecosystem in the world. Plug and Play — One of the world's largest startup accelerators and corporate innovation platforms.
tracks
Agents Buy Media
AI agents that plan, negotiate and buy media from a single brief.
Ads After Search
Helping brands get seen, and making ads work, inside AI answers and shopping agents.
Save the Publisher
New ways for publishers and streamers to make money when AI takes their traffic.
The Creative Department
AI creative with taste, brand guardrails and proof that it performs.
when
Madison Avenue: The Media and Advertising Hackathon
Full day of building, demos in front of industry leaders and Plug and Play investors.
◍ New York, NYtickets
| tickets | price | Fee | Status | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Admission | Free | None | Available | Free entry to the one-day AI Hackathon. |
prizes
| # | PRIZE | price |
|---|---|---|
| Winner | Cash Prizes | Cash Prizes |